By Michael Katz | Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 10:36 PM EDT
Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump’s envoy for special missions, said Wednesday he was rattled while giving a victim impact statement in court before a man convicted of sending a threatening message to him was sentenced to prison.
Scott Bolger, 33, of McLean, Virginia, was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in February to transmitting threats in interstate commerce.
Grenell said that on December 23 he answered a telephone call from Bolger, who referred to him as a “coward.” Bolger then sent Grenell a text message through a Google Voice account that read: “Step on U Street and get a bullet put between your eyes, loyalist pig skin [expletive].”
Grenell, the former president of the Kennedy Center, said the text message that was the basis of Bolger’s case “was not a one-time thing.” He said he received up to 30 calls that night from an anonymous number.
Government attorneys stated they were unable to trace the anonymous calls to Bolger.
The Google Voice account used by Bolger was registered with a fake email address to evade detection. After receiving a call that displayed a phone number and hearing Bolger refer to him as a “coward,” Grenell notified the FBI.
In his statement, Grenell said he is accustomed to criticism from both sides as a gay conservative but described Bolger as “unhinged” and stated his actions crossed the line.
Grenell told the court: “I don’t want there to be a victim like my friend, Charlie Kirk.” He said he forgives Bolger but added that he is “fearful of the day he gets out.”
After the hearing, Grenell described being in the same courtroom as Bolger.
“I was surprised that you walk over and you’re steps away from the guy who wants to kill you,” Grenell said. He also noted that he believed the 15-month prison sentence was adequate.
An attorney for Bolger stated in court documents that he loved the Kennedy Center and became “extremely upset” when he learned the board, led by Grenell, had voted to rename the institution “the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
In May, a federal judge ruled that Trump’s name must be removed from the center and blocked plans to close it during renovations.
Bolger also issued a statement in court apologizing to Grenell and his family, calling his actions “inexcusable,” “no matter how much politics and the Kennedy Center means to me.”
“I don’t want to silence debate, but we do need to recognize that mentally unstable people are hearing what we’re saying and taking action that you may not authorize,” Grenell said.
Grenell blamed Democrats and media outlets for fueling political violence.
“The left violence is growing in this country,” he said. “We have to admit it.”
Michael Katz has more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
