Alaska man faces charges over threatening Murkowski’s life

By MARK THIESSEN
Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Court documents unsealed Wednesday allege an Alaska man threatened to hire an assassin to kill U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski. In a separate threat left in a voice message at Murkowski’s Washington office, the caller asked if the Alaska Republican knew what a .50 caliber shell does to a human head. The first appearance in U.S. District Court in Fairbanks for Jay Allen Johnson, of Delta Junction, over allegedly making threats against two senators has been continued until Friday. His federal public defender didn’t return a message seeking comment. Neither senator was named in court documents, but a spokesperson for Murkowski says the Alaska Republican was a target of the death threat. An aide for U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska later said he was the other official targeted.