William Robert Braddock III, a 2022 GOP candidate for Florida’s 13th Congressional District which includes Tampa, faces federal felony charges for asserting he was sending “my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to kill his opponent, NBC News reports. Braddock was indicted this week after being extradited from the Philippines.
According to the DOJ, “On June 8, 2021, Braddock made several threats to injure and kill Victim 1 [a fellow GOP candidate for Congress] and Victim 2 [a friend of the opponent] during a telephone call with Victim 2. Specifically, Braddock threatened, in part, to ‘call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad’ and make Victim 1 disappear. After making the threats, Braddock left the United States and was later found to be residing in the Philippines. Braddock was recently deported from the Philippines to the United States and made his first court appearance yesterday in Los Angeles.”