Seattle Bernie backer admits to threatening Clinton 'superdelegate' Man threatened to cut out Rep. McDermott's tongue

Rep. Jim McDermott, right, pictured in a file photo. Rep. Jim McDermott, right, pictured in a file photo. Photo: JORDAN STEAD, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: JORDAN STEAD, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Seattle Bernie backer admits to threatening Clinton 'superdelegate' 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

A Seattle Bernie Sanders supporter accused of threatening to cut out U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott’s tongue has pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Jasper K. Bell admitted to threatening McDermott, D-Wash., in April over his support for Hillary Clinton. Bell, 27, was initially charged in state court before the matter was taken up by federal prosecutors.

Investigators claim Bell had been fixated on McDermott for some time before the April 22 incident that saw him make threatening calls to McDermott before arriving at the congressman’s Seattle office.

McDermott, a long-serving liberal whose 7th Congressional District comprises most of Seattle and several suburbs, announced in January that he would be retiring after 14 terms in Congress. A competitive primary contest is underway for the seat representing the deep-blue 7th District.

Witnesses at McDermott’s downtown Seattle office told police Bell was yelling, spitting and banging his fists against the office windows. He was arrested hours after that April 22 incident.

A “superdelegate” backing Clinton, McDermott canceled a public appearance due to the threats and had his staff take extra security precautions. McDermott brought a shovel into his office “to use in self-defense if necessary.” The shovel was hidden behind several flags.

The threats prompted Seattle police to station themselves outside McDermott’s office and home. Capitol Police officers were flown out from Washington, D.C., to assist in the security operation, which included the FBI.

McDermott’s staff in Seattle and the capitol received 23 calls from Bell the day he was arrested. Bell made nonsensical statements before threatening to cut McDermott’s tongue out.

“I need to speak to the (expletive) piece of (expletive) now,” Bell said in one call, according to charging papers. “I will not be ignored.”

Bell is alleged to have then called McDermott’s D.C. office and made additional threats. Bell arrived at the office just before 1 p.m. Staff activated an alarm after Bell pounded on the locked glass doors.

Bell left before police arrived, but officers responding to the complaint were at the front desk when Bell called in. An officer answered and spoke briefly with Bell.

“Do you think it is a good idea to threaten the congressman by saying you were going to cut his tongue out?” the officer asked.

“It was appropriate because my voice was being silenced,” Bell replied, according to the officer’s account.

Police arrested Bell that evening. He told police he was angry that a supporter of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders had been arrested earlier in the day at McDermott’s office. McDermott has endorsed Hillary Clinton.

Clinton supporters have complained recently about angry Sanders backers frustrated as their candidate’s path to the Democratic Party nomination has faded.

Bell “was upset by that and wanted to talk to the congressman about why he would not vote with the majority of the people in Washington,” a Seattle Police Department detective said in court papers. “He stated he tried to do so professionally for several weeks and could never meet with him.”

The detective said Bell apologized for his “bad choice of words.”

“I was feeling voiceless myself, definitely a bad choice of words,” Bell told detectives.

Bell was already well-known to McDermott’s staff prior to the April 22 incident. According to charging papers, he sent McDermott letters regularly and frequently called his offices.

McDermott has received threats several times over his career, notably from a California man upset at McDermott’s liberal politics. That man, a Palm Springs resident living on a trust fund, was sentenced to eight months in prison; at sentencing, U.S. District Judge James Robart remarked that “when you break the law, there are consequences that parents, trust funds and hired therapists cannot solve."

Bell was released from jail following his guilty plea in U.S. District Court at Seattle. He has been ordered to obtain anger management counseling and mental health treatment, and to stay away from McDermott, his staff and any political rallies.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 28 by U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik.

Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 orlevipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.