Podcaster Candace Owens outed herself on Tuesday as the political commentator who allegedly received threats from a New Jersey Jewish man.
“Following my viral debate with Rabbi Shmuley, my family endured a series of attacks led by deranged zionists,” the far-right commentator claimed on X, referencing a Sept. 4, 2024, episode of the “Piers Morgan Uncensored” online talk show that featured Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.
“On the 21st of that month, we were contacted by the FBI and informed that their department had ‘apprehended a suspect’ in relation to a crime involving a threat against me,” Owens’s social media post continued.
She confirmed that “Haim Braverman was arrested for planning to kill me. In addition to publicly posting his intention to kill me, he similarly posted his plans in a group chat complete with photos of knives.”
According to the podcaster, Braverman, who has since agreed to a plea deal on interstate communications for ransom charges, wanted to kill her because she insulted the memory of “the dead Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, who many Jews viewed as a messiah” on “Piers Morgan.”
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson—the last Rebbe, or leader, of the Chabad-Lubavitch Orthodox sect—died in 1994. Some of Schneerson’s followers have claimed he had the potential to be the Jewish messiah.
Braverman, 47, of Morris Plains, N.J., pleaded guilty in U.S. district court to threatening to kill a political commentator, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey stated in a May 6 announcement.
Braverman, who ran a group chat on messaging platforms called “real Jewish,” posted a video on social media on or about Sept. 10, in which he threatened to use a “steel bat” against the female commentator.
“I wouldn’t even stop. I’d kill you. Dead,” the Jewish man warned in the video, per the complaint. He added, “I’m threatening a death sentence.”
The defendant wrote in the group chat at various points, “Please note we will be discussing weapons. Please leave if this upsets you,” and wanted to burn Palestinian flags and photos of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
In mid-May, Braverman allowed police officers to enter his home to question him, per the complaint. The latter “observed a stun gun, knives, a machete-style knife and a black steel baseball bat near the entrance to the residence,” it stated.
The complaint didn’t specify which political commentator or rabbi was allegedly being referenced by him. Sentencing is scheduled for Sep. 15.