Capital police recently arrested a failed assassin who wanted to strike back at the Trump administration for its America First agenda. Ryan Michael “Riley Jane” English, a radical transgender activist, allegedly attempted to assassinate United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent with either a knife or a homemade explosive device, but was thankfully apprehended.
For context, political violence has become all too common as liberals react to President Trump’s sweeping agenda. Trump himself narrowly survived two assassination attempts, and other members of his cabinet, such as Elon Musk, have faced credible threats on their lives as well.
This was demonstrated when conservative influencer Libs of TikTok took to X on January 30, 2025, to expose the story. She stated, “Ryan Michael English, a man pretending to be a woman, was arrested at the US Capitol for allegedly attempting to kill United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. English also had expressed an intention to kill Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth, Speaker Mike Johnson, and President Trump.”
Echoing her point, courageous investigative journalist Andy Ngo posted a screenshot of the documents used to charge the unhinged activist. In the caption to his post, he stated, “A Trantifa militant radicalized by @Reddit named Ryan Michael “Riley Jane” English has been federally charged for allegedly trying to kill members of Trump cabinet and/or burn down a conservative think tank.”
Providing additional context, he said, “From Massachusetts, English traveled to the capital on Jan. 27 and used Reddit for inspiration on which “Nazi” cabinet member to target by use of an explosive device or stabbing. He also allegedly had a short handwritten manifesto stating that he ‘can’t do nothing while nazis kill my sisters.'”
Supporting his assertion with evidence, Ngo posted screenshots of court documents related to the case. The letter read, “Ryan Michael English (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) planned and took significant steps to kill multiple members of the new presidential administration. She did so, in her words, in order to “depose” the United States’ political offices and “send a message.” The criminal conduct for which she is before the Court is not a momentary lapse in judgment; rather, it was a premeditated and calculated attempt to commit violence.”
Continuing to explain the background, the document declared, “One day before her arrest, the Defendant traveled from her home in Massachusetts to the District of Columbia, and along the way, purchased bottles of vodka to create Molotov Cocktails. Her plan, as she described to United States Capitol Police Officers, was to kill the Secretary of Defense, kill the Speaker of the House, or burn down a conservative think tank located in the District,” adding, “On the way to the District, she switched her target, this time to the nominee for Secretary of the Treasury.”
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Concluding the account, the document stated, “She described her plan to officers – to either throw her Molotov Cocktails at the feet of the nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, or otherwise stab him to death using a knife she carried on her person. When she arrived to the Capitol (on foot and without her phone so law enforcement could not track her, as she admitted), she spent around an hour surveilling the Capitol to determine”