Left: Tristan Langston (Lubbock County Jail). Right: Current and former U.S. Secret Service agents for the Carter detail accompany the hearse bearing the flag-draped coffin of former President Jimmy Carter, at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Ga., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Carter passed away on Dec. 29 at the age of 100. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool).
A man from Texas issued severe threats against two Secret Service agents and their families, saying he intended to “slit” their throats, after becoming upset with them for looking into a comment he allegedly made regarding the assassination of Barack Obama.
In a February 2025 post on X, previously known as Twitter, Tristan Langston, 37, declared “2nd Amendment in full effect.” This resident of Lubbock was found guilty last Thursday for conveying threats across state lines and intimidating a federal law enforcement officer, following his arrest and indictment in March, revealed the Department of Justice.
Court records and filings by federal prosecutors detail how Langston purportedly menaced former President Obama on social media in June 2023, prompting an investigation by two Secret Service agents.
Langston allegedly announced, “I’m going to kill former President Barack Obama and any of his security personnel.” Though he was ultimately not prosecuted for making threats against Obama, as authorities concluded he posed no real threat to the ex-president or his security team, Langston continued to lash out on social media, the prosecutors stated.
The DOJ, in a press release, explained that during the trial, it was shown that on February 21, 2025, Langston posted on X.com attacking two Secret Service agents, stating, “2nd Amendment in full effect. Gonna slit the throats of agents and their families.” Evidence presented demonstrated that Langston’s words transcended mere political discourse and constituted authentic threats aimed at specific federal officials, according to the department.
Throughout his trial, jurors heard evidence that Langston — who identified himself on X under the username “17” — “became angry with the two specific Secret Service agents” after they investigated the alleged Obama threat.
After targeting one of the agents and his family in his online posts, Langston “memorialized the anger and resentment he harbored against the agents in videos and notes he maintained on his cellphone over a period of years,” per the DOJ. Court testimony showed that Langston knew the agents would perceive his threat as “retaliation for their investigation,” but he went through with it anyway, according to prosecutors.
“Under his username 17, [Langston] referenced his encounter with Secret Service in June 2023 and claimed that Secret Service agents threatened to kill him,” his federal complaint said. Langston also harbored hate for the agency for what he described as “covering up attacks against America in the Homeland and overseas,” per the complaint.
In addition to threats, Langston was also known to post “conspiracy theories” online about the government allegedly covering up terror events. He attempted to contact the Secret Service about the conspiracies but said on X that he was “blown off” by them.
“We commend the jury’s decision in finding Tristan Langston guilty of threatening to kill United States Secret Service agents and their families,” said Christina Foley, deputy special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service Dallas Field Office, in a statement Monday.
“Targeting federal agents and their families with threats of violence is not protected speech — it is a federal crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson. “This verdict reaffirms our office’s commitment to take all threats seriously and to hold accountable those who try to intimidate and terrorize our law enforcement partners.”
Langston, who faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison, is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 6.
