near misses

KKK Member Planned to Use Death Ray on Gov. Cuomo

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo addresses the media while announcing a new bill with tougher penalties for texting while driving at a press conference at the Javits convention center on May 31, 2013 in New York City. The governor proposed additional penalties for young and new drivers ahead of the summer school break.
Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

A federal criminal complaint filed this week accused Ku Klux Klansman Glen Crawford of plotting to use his death ray (not the technical term, but yeah, death ray) on a Muslim group, a political party, and “a political figure.” Though he doesn’t seem like the politician most likely to raise someone’s ire to “assassinate with futuristic radiation gun” levels, the Daily News reports that the target was Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The paper says it’s unclear why Cuomo was singled out, but notes, “As U.S. housing secretary under President Bill Clinton, Cuomo brought multiple cases against the Klan related to housing and other types of discrimination.” Sure, it’s possible that Crawford constructed a death ray to take out the housing secretary from the nineties, but there’s a more plausible explanation: Crawford was one of hundreds of plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging Cuomo’s gun control legislation. Considering that Crawford is also accused of trying to encourage local Jews to murder all the Muslims, perhaps we shouldn’t spend too much time pondering his motives.

KKK Member Planned to Use Death Ray on Cuomo