Would-Be Kavanaugh Assassin Said He Was ‘Shooting For 3’ Justices: FBI

A man accused of attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh said in messages that he was “shooting for 3” justices, according to an FBI search warrant application.

Nicholas Roske of Simi Valley, California, traveled to Kavanaugh’s Maryland home on June 8 armed with a pistol and a tactical knife and carrying extra ammunition, burglary tools, and other gear. At the urging of his sister, Roske called police and told them he planned to kill Kavanaugh and himself, according to prosecutors.

Federal officials charged Roske with attempting to murder a Supreme Court justice hours after taking him into custody. Roske has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The FBI has requested warrants to Google accounts and online chat logs that they believe belong to the suspected attempted assassin, according to CNN. The FBI’s application included messages Roske sent online, as well as some of his search history.

When communicating with someone over the online platform Discord in May, Roske said he was “gonna stop roe v wade from being overturned” and intended to “remove some people from the supreme court.”

“Two dead judges ain’t gonna do nothing,” responded the user engaging with Roske. “You would die before you killed them all.”

“[Y]eah but I could get at least one,” Roske replied, “which would change the votes for decades to come, and I am shooting for 3.”

The FBI warrant application also said that Roske searched the internet for the “most effective place to stab someone” and the “quietest semi auto rifle.”

The alleged attempt on Kavanaugh’s life came after the unprecedented leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The draft, written by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, suggested at the time that the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which established a constitutional right to an abortion, would be overturned. The eventual opinion in Dobbs did, in fact, overturn Roe.

The release of the draft sparked a series of protests against Supreme Court justices, both at the court and at their homes, after their addresses were published online. The leaked draft also kicked off new calls by progressive lawmakers to take radical action, such as stacking the Supreme Court to keep federal protections on abortion access.

Roske traveled to Kavanaugh’s house in early June but backed off his alleged plan to kill the justice after speaking with his sister, authorities say. Roske’s sister convinced him to abandon his plans, causing Roske to call 911 and reveal his intentions roughly a half hour after arriving at Kavanaugh’s house, according to authorities. He told officers he was upset at the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

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