‘I can’t wait to shoot one of you [expletive] in the face’: Lobbyist charged with sending threats to Capitol

A lobbyist has been charged with threats of violence after sending text messages threatening to carry out a shooting at the Minnesota State Capitol.

The charges come less than a week after the assassination of House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the shootings of Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.

According to a criminal complaint, a resident of Waconia contacted authorities on Wednesday, saying that Bohn had sent him threatening text messages. The victim said he hadn’t spoken with Bohn in a “considerable amount of time due to political differences.”

“Today I bought 500 bullets. I can’t wait to shoot one of you [expletive] in the face.” “Excited to have my gun at the capitol and blow somebody’s [expletive] face off.” “You’re a [expletive] person.” “I can’t wait to pop [one of] you [expletive] in the head.”

The victim said he began receiving the texts while out to eat and became so upset that he went home, locked his doors and had a difficult time sleeping. He said he was concerned about the threats due to Bohn being a lobbyist who is frequently at the Capitol.

While executing a search warrant at Bohn’s home, authorities found an unloaded firearm in a locked case in his garage.

If Bohn posts bond, he is prohibited from going within a half mile of the state’s Capitol, must surrender any firearms to authorities and can’t leave the state without permission, amongst other requirements. As of Friday afternoon, he was still in custody.

A spokesperson for Bohn sent the following statement to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on Bohn’s behalf:

“Earlier this week, I was grieving the horrific acts of violence committed against my friends and colleagues. In the midst of this immense grief, I sent a series of heated and emotional texts to a friend of nearly thirteen years – someone with whom I’ve shared countless candid and passionate political conversations. In that moment of anguish, I used language that I deeply regret. The words were spoken from pain, not from intent. I am a hurting person, not a violent one.

“I condemn violence in all its forms, and I agree with the calls from public officials and community leaders to turn down the temperature of our political discourse. I failed to do that here. I am profoundly sorry that my words have created a distraction during this time of collective mourning. This moment demands unity, compassion, and reflection — and I am committed to being part of that healing.”

John Lesch, Bohn’s defense attorney, stated that, “[Bohn] was grieving at the loss of his friends. He was afraid he was going to have to bring his gun to the Capitol to defend against attacks to him and his friends, and he said if anyone comes, absolutely.”

“It was said imprudently, it was said in a manner that was taken out of context in the complaint,” Lesch added.

The Carver County Attorney’s Office says the text messages did not specifically mention any legislator by name.”

“He was speaking of individuals who were going to attack political people and his friends at the Capitol,” Lesch said. “He did not specifically say he was going to shoot that individual that was at the other end of the argument. They had many impassioned arguments over the years.”

The Minnesota DFL sent the following statement on Thursday: “Violent threats have no place in our politics and we condemn them unequivocally, no matter who makes them or whom they’re directed toward.”

Per LinkedIn:

Jonathan draws on almost two decades of professional experience representing fortune 500 companies, non-profits, unions, trade associations, and small businesses as a lobbyist, coalition builder, and public relations specialist. Jonathan excels at developing relationships built on respect, trust, and goodwill.

Throughout his career, he has developed successful legislative and media strategies to raise public awareness of issues and build broad coalitions aimed at increasing funding or changing complex public policy.

In the halls of the Capitol, Jonathan is regarded as a well-connected, smart strategist. Since 2023, he has effectively managed the passage of nation-leading regulatory legislation, passed monumental retirement benefit increases, led efforts to secure record levels of increased state funding, and managed a PR campaign against an incompetent administration that resulted in the dismissal of more than 6 leaders, including the president. He has worked to raise public awareness of issues, leading directly to legislative victories. He excels at building broad coalitions aimed at changing complex public policy. He has extensive experience with a variety of legislative issues, including higher education, gaming, local governments, environmental and natural resources, building codes, forest management, and many more.

Before joining the IFO, Jonathan served as an account executive and lobbyist with Goff Public. Goff Public is widely regarded as one of the region’s premier public and government relations firms. Jonathan also served as director of government and system relations for the Minnesota State University Student Association, where he built the association’s reputation as a leading advocate on higher education issues at both the state and federal levels. Under Jonathan’s direction, the organization grew to become the strongest and most influential statewide student association in the country, culminating in an invitation to the White House for a bill signing and meeting with President Obama.

In addition, Jonathan has worked as a public affairs consultant for nonprofits and trade associations, focusing on both government and public relations. He has developed messaging around complex issues, secured positive media coverage for legislative clients, and placed opinion pieces in newspapers at key times during the legislative process.

First introduced to politics as a six-year-old volunteer on local legislative races, Jonathan has honed his grassroots organizing skills as a field organizer on numerous State and federal political campaigns.

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