A House Republican aide confirmed to NBC News that federal authorities arrested and charged an Ohio man this week in connection with threats to kill Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, over potential Medicaid cuts.
The suspect, identified by the FBI as Jeffrey Dorsey, 60, of Dayton, left a nearly 90-second expletive-laden voicemail on the main line of a lawmaker’s Washington, D.C., office last month, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court Tuesday. Court documents did not identify the member of Congress, but a House Republican aide confirmed it was Jordan.
Jordan’s office has declined to comment.
“If you vote to take my f—— Medicaid away, I’m gonna cut your f—— head off,” the caller said, according to an FBI message transcript.
“You’re an embarrassment, and a bag of s— as a man, and I can’t stand you,” the caller allegedly said. “So f— the hell off.” But I tell you this clearly to your brain: if you f— with my Medicaid, you’ll be dead.
The call came just days before President Donald Trump signed a sweeping Republican domestic policy bill into law on July 4, which included significant Medicaid cuts.
The Senate approved the bill on July 1, followed by the House on July 3. Jordan voted with 217 other House Republicans to approve the legislation. Only two Republicans and 212 Democrats voted against its passage.
The FBI stated that the threatening call was made on June 29.
A staffer for Jordan provided an audio copy of the call to U.S. Capitol Police, according to the FBI, and authorities traced the phone to Dorsey after they obtained subscriber information from the phone’s service provider, it said.
The FBI said that it called the phone associated with the threatening message this week and that the voice of the person who answered resembled the voice in the voicemail message left with the lawmaker’s office.
Dorsey is in custody as he awaits a detention hearing on Friday. He has been charged with interstate communications with a threat to injure.
Court documents did not include any attorney information.
According to the FBI, information provided by the Ohio attorney general’s office revealed that Dorsey received Medicaid services from a variety of providers.
Vice President JD Vance was in his home state of Ohio on Monday for an event in Canton to promote Trump’s domestic policy bill.
Many Democratic lawmakers have expressed concern about how the Medicaid cuts will affect their constituents, which they intend to highlight when speaking with voters.
U.S. Capitol Police reported in February that the number of threat assessment cases increased for the second year in a row, with investigations into 9,474 concerning statements and direct threats against members of Congress, their families, and staff members, up from 8,008 in 2023.
