WASHINGTON, D.C.- A woman who was arrested for allegedly threatening President Donald Trump with violence has been let go. Chief US District Judge James Boasberg let Nathalie Rose Jones, a 50-year-old woman from New York, go on Tuesday. Former President Barack Obama chose the judge, who told Jones to wear an electronic bracelet and attend a psychiatrist.
Judge Boasberg’s judgment goes against an earlier order by US magistrate judge Moxila Upadhyaya, who refused Jones release because her threats were clear and ongoing.
Court documents say that Jones made a number of alarming remarks on social media, including one on Facebook on August 6 in which she said she was “willing to sacrificially kill this POTUS by disembowelling him and cutting out his trachea.” She also said she had told FBI offices in five states. She told Secret Service investigators on August 15 that she would “carry out the mission” with a “bladed object” if she got the chance.
Even though the threats were serious, Judge Boasberg’s judgment was said to have been influenced by the fact that Jones has a lengthy history of mental health problems, including schizophrenia. Her friends said she had never been violent, and the court was worried that the prosecutors hadn’t done enough to put her in jail, considering her mental condition and how well she had worked with the police.
The case has gotten a lot of attention since Judge Boasberg and President Trump don’t get along very well. Trump has even called for the judge to be impeached. The judge has spoken out against some of the Trump administration’s policies and has ruled against it several times, including on immigration issues and a recent deportation case that used the Alien Enemies Act.
The new DC US Attorney, Jeanine Pirro, announced Jones’s arrest. She had promised an “unwavering prosecution” for threatening the President’s life. Judge Boasberg’s choice to let her go as she waits for trial shows a distinct approach, putting mental health ahead of immediate custody.