The Slatest

Country Club Bartender Threatened to Poison John Boehner’s Drink

House Speaker John Boehner takes a drink during a luncheon at the Capitol.

Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Let this be a lesson to all of us: Don’t be mean to the bartender. Because sometimes a bartender will hold a grudge and blame you when things go wrong—like when there’s an Ebola outbreak. That’s what happened to House Speaker John Boehner recently, when a bartender at an Ohio country club frequented by the Republican leader showed signs of losing the plot after losing his job and held the U.S. Speaker of the House responsible.

The bartender, Michael Robert Hoyt, went so far as to call police a week after he was fired to blame Boehner. Sensing something was up, officers paid Hoyt a visit at his home. Here’s more from Cincinnati’s WCPO:

“Hoyt told the officer he was Jesus Christ and he was going to kill Boehner because Boehner was mean to him at the country club and because Boehner is responsible for Ebola,” United States Capitol Police (USCP) Special Agent Christopher M. Desrosiers said. “Hoyt advised he had a loaded Beretta .380 automatic and he was going to shoot Boehner and take off.” Officers said Hoyt told them he regretted not having enough time to put something in Boehner’s drink. It was also discovered Hoyt emailed Boehner’s wife about the plot a day before he called police, Desrosiers said.

Hoyt was charged with threatening to murder a U.S. official and indicted last week, according to court documents unsealed on Tuesday. Hoyt is currently undergoing court-ordered mental evaluation and treatment.