FBI: Man charged in attempted assassination of Kavanaugh hoped to kill three Supreme Court justices

The FBI said Roske looked up terms such as "most effective place to stab someone" and "quietest semi auto rifle"

Published: July 28, 2022 7:08am

Updated: July 28, 2022 7:45am

The California man charge with the attempted murder of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh researched how to commit an assassination and planned on "shooting for 3" justices in the weeks prior to traveling to the Washington, D.C., area, according to an FBI search warrant application.

Nicholas John Roske, 26, allegedly traveled to Kavanaugh's suburban Maryland home last month with a pistol, ammunition, a knife and burglary gear with the intent to kill the justice over concerns about high court decisions on Second Amendment issues and the court's conservative majority striking down Roe v. Wade to end constitutional abortion rights.

The FBI said Roske looked up terms such as "most effective place to stab someone" and "quietest semi auto rifle," CNN reported.

Roske pleaded not guilty last month to the federal charge of attempted murder. 

Other search terms from Roske's phone, which was taken by investigators when he was arrested, include searches such as "assassin skills," "how to be stealthy" and a list of current Supreme Court members.

Agents filed the warrant application to search Google accounts and online chat logs they thought belonged to Roske.

Poske reportedly told a person over the messaging platform Discord in May that he was "gonna stop roe v wade from being overturned" and would "remove some people from the supreme court."

The user allegedly told Roske his plan would not work. "Two dead judges ain't gonna do nothing... You would die before you killed them all," the unnamed user reportedly said.

According to the FBI warrant, Roske responded: "[Y]eah but I could get at least one, which would change the votes for decades to come, and I am shooting for 3."

 

The Facts Inside Our Reporter's Notebook

Unlock unlimited access

  • No Ads Within Stories
  • No Autoplay Videos
  • VIP access to exclusive Just the News newsmaker events hosted by John Solomon and his team.
  • Support the investigative reporting and honest news presentation you've come to enjoy from Just the News.
  • Just the News Spotlight

    Support Just the News