Police and federal agents arrested 66-year-old retired peace studies professor Barbara Wien after a judge approved a warrant alleging she had a "coordinated plan to intimidate and harass" senior adviser Stephen Miller. Wien suspected she was being watched after spotting strangers near her Virginia home.
Investigators found a message in a group chat where Wien vowed to make "his life hell," according to reports.
Wien's father fled the Nazis, which influenced her decision to continue protesting. Federal agents took her cell phone to search for evidence.
Wien and her husband visited the neighborhood where Miller was staying and left "manila envelopes stuffed with printouts on porches." Inside were comic drawings of Miller, a photo of him with a circle and slash through it, and instructions for how to help immigrants with food bank donations.
One flier stated "Wanted for crimes against humanity" with Miller's address and "No Nazis in NOVA," referring to Northern Virginia.
"Wien said she doesn't know who made the flier and didn't realize it included his address," according to reports.
Wien was in a cul-de-sac when she saw a blacked-out SUV in front of a large white house. On the porch was Miller's wife, podcaster Katie Miller. Wien pointed at her eyes and then back at Miller as if to say "I'm watching you."
Wien and others created the Arlington Neighbors United for Humanity. The group worked together to draft a letter to the Millers stating, "Your efforts to dismantle our democracy and destroy our safety net will not be tolerated here."
They also collected signatures for a petition asking Congress to investigate Miller outside local metro stations.
Chalk messages including "Stephen Miller is destroying democracy!" began appearing on sidewalks. The White House complained about the fliers, petitions, and chalk messages, characterizing them as part of a "highly sophisticated and organized doxing campaign" accompanied by threats under state and federal review. Wien stated she did not participate in the chalking or flier distribution. Police deemed the chalk messages nonthreatening, but Katie Miller told Fox News that protesters outside her home were inciting violence and demanded more arrests.
"If we don't step up and start putting people in cuffs for these actions, what comes next?" Miller said.
A White House spokesperson stated, "There's been constant death threats against Stephen and his family, as well as a highly sophisticated and organized doxing campaign, tied with extremely violent and threatening rhetoric that is now the subject of ongoing state and federal inquiries."
Wien's lawyer, Bradley R. Haywood, said, "Sometimes the ability to speak truth to power is all you have left. That's all my client was doing."
The Millers put their house up for sale and moved into taxpayer-funded military housing at Fort McNair.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is investigating local officials for alleged "political bias" in failing to protect the Millers.
Wien has been branded a domestic terrorist online. A judge ordered her phone returned, but she fears it carries spyware. Miller allies have posted Wien's address and urged people to show up at her home.
Wien and her husband's answering machine has captured threats, including one caller stating, "We're going to do to you what Barbara did to the Miller family… that's what happens to Nazis like you. So saddle up."
Read the full report here.Read the full report here.
