Left: Donald Trump speaks at the annual Road to Majority conference in Washington, DC, in June 2024 (Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via AP). Right: Cody Smith (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
A West Virginia man who is accused of threatening to snipe President Donald Trump with a .308 rifle in messages to his son, Donald Trump Jr., has shown that he isn”t afraid to use a gun, according to his father.
The Justice Department says Cody Smith’s own dad alleges that the 20-year-old pulled a rifle on someone in the past, according to a detention order filed by a federal judge last week in the Northern District of West Virginia in Clarksburg.
“Defendant’s father explained that defendant has previously brandished a .22 rifle with someone who defendant had a disagreement with,” the order says, citing information provided by the DOJ and federal prosecutors while arguing for Smith to be detained.
“Considering the totality of the underlying nature of the charges, which are credible inasmuch as they are defendant’s statements, and the prior behavior of defendant, the government argued there is sufficient evidence that defendant poses a danger to community and thus, his detention is warranted,” writes U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi.
Smith has been charged with two counts of threats to murder the president, one count of influencing and retaliating against federal officials by threat of murder, and one count of influencing a federal official by threat of murder for the statements he hurled at Trump Jr. about Trump, according to the DOJ. He was arrested in January for making terroristic threats against Trump supporters and ICE agents, with Harrison County jail records showing he was booked on those charges.
Earlier this month, Smith’s charges were upgraded after his presidential threats indictment was handed down. Aloi ordered him to be detained at a March 24 hearing.
Prosecutors say Smith went into detail about how he wanted to cut open Trump’s “jugular” and watch “the life” leave his “pathetic eyes” in DMs to Trump Jr.
He also made a social media post with a song titled “I Am Going to Kill the President,” accompanied by a threat to “IMPEACH THIS MOTHERF—ER WITH A .308.”
“I will kill you[r] b— a— dad,” Smith said in an Instagram post that had both Trump and Trump Jr. tagged, according to his indictment.
“I’m going to rape your worthless father … with his jugular cut while the life leaves his pathetic eyes,” Smith allegedly blasted in an IG direct message to Trump Jr.
According to his indictment, Smith railed about Trump, Trump Jr., and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his online posts and even went so far as to call into the “ICE tip line” to provide his name and city of residence, Clarksburg, while making death threats.
“Im gonna give them my name and where to find me so stay tuned you might get to see me rape and kill some proud Nazi boy f—s,” Smith allegedly posted, before calling the tip line.
Prosecutors say the initial investigation into Smith began on Jan. 19, when the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office contacted the West Virginia State Police about someone making threats. According to authorities, Smith had posted videos of himself in which he stated his intent to harm others.
In the videos, Smith called the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and said “he was going to attack and kill ICE agents,” according to prosecutors. He also allegedly threatened the person who answered his call.
“The safety and security of those we protect is our highest priority and all threats against the President of the United States will be investigated and prosecuted,” said Tad Lipscomb, the resident agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service resident office in Charleston, West Virginia, in a statement earlier this month. “We are grateful for our law enforcement partners at HSI, the FBI, the West Virginia State Police, and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the federal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia for their assistance during this case.”
Smith is facing up to five years for each of the presidential threat charges and up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the remaining counts.
His defense lawyer has argued in court filings that he “suffers from a serious addiction to controlled substances” that began when he was 12 years old. Aloi acknowledged this in his March 24 detention order.
“The undersigned acknowledges defendant’s substance abuse issues, however, those issues do not negate the seriousness of the charges and the underlying conduct,” Aloi said.
On Thursday, Smith’s lawyer filed another motion for release, this one specifically “for the purpose of attending an in-patient substance abuse treatment.” The motion asks that Smith be placed in an inpatient substance abuse treatment center in Parkersburg as he waits to go on trial. Prosecutors have said they oppose the request for release.
