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Nebraska man pleads guilty to threatening Colorado secretary of state

Prosecutors said the man also made multiple threats over Instagram to the President of the United States.

LINCOLN, Neb. — A Nebraska man has pleaded guilty to making multiple threatening posts on Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold's Instagram account.

Travis Ford, 42, of Lincoln, Nebraska pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of threatening use of a telecommunications device.

According to federal court documents, in August, Ford made multiple threats on an election official's Instagram page. The comments included “Do you feel safe? You shouldn’t. Do you think Soros will/can protect you?” and “Your security detail is far too thin and incompetent to protect you. This world is unpredictable these days….anything can happen to anyone," according to the documents. 

Griswold's office confirmed the threats were made against her. 

"Elections officials across the country have been facing increased threats," Griswold said in a statement. "It is heartening to see the Department of Justice taking these threats seriously and prosecuting people who make threats against election officials based on the Big Lie. As Colorado Secretary of State, I will always ensure that Colorado’s elections remain among the safest and most secure in the nation and will never be deterred from doing my job."

According to court documents, in the period following the November 2020 election, Ford came to believe that Griswold had mismanaged the election.

Prosecutors said that in an interview with law enforcement in February, Ford admitted his posts were "far far far beyond free speech" and "far past the line."  

Prosecutors said Ford also made multiple threats over Instagram to the President of the United States last fall.

He faces up to two years in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 6.

RELATED: Budget package includes $32,000 for Griswold to hire private security

RELATED: Election security bill to address insider threats arising from Mesa County

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