A Philadelphia man has been charged with threatening to kill Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and his family.

A two-count complaint and warrant was filed today accusing Norman Leboon, 33, of threatening to kill Cantor and his family in a YouTube video posted online this month, according to U.S. Attorney Michael L. Levy and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jan Fedarcyk.

“The Department of Justice takes threats against government officials seriously, especially threats to kill or injure others,” Levy said in statement. “Whether the reason for the threat is personal or political, threats are not protected by the First Amendment and are crimes.”

Cantor spokesman Brad Dayspring said the congressman was notified over the weekend by authorities that a credible threat was made against his life, and that an arrest had been made.

“At this time, the Congressman will have no further comment on this threat or the investigation, and asks that inquiries be directed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Dayspring said in a statement. “The Congressman is deeply grateful for, and would like to dearly thank all local and federal law enforcement involved, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Attorney’s Office in Virginia and Philadelphia, U.S. Capitol Police and the Henrico Police Department in Virginia.”

(Source: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/)