Democrats Seize on Andy Ogles’ Posts that Forced Local Courthouse to Increase Security

A local courthouse in Nashville beefed up its security this week after Republican Rep. Andy Ogles posted the names and photos of judges he said were to blame for a rape in the city, part of an unusual war of words that the congressman has continued to fight even after judges raised concerns about their safety.

Democrats say the rhetoric from Ogles, an electoral target of theirs in 2026, is evidence that the embattled Tennessee incumbent is trying to incite violence and should lose his reelection bid next year. Ogles and Republicans counter that he is trying to call attention to an urgent safety concern and never threatened the judges.

In an era of increased attacks on public officials and political figures, the controversy adds to the ongoing debate over the line between political rhetoric and calls for violence, this time putting a Republican congressman known for incendiary commentary in the spotlight.

“Political violence has no place in our politics, nor do politicians who stoke the flames with their rhetoric for partisan gain,” said Chaz Molder, Ogles’ likely Democratic opponent in the 5th Congressional District.

“Threatening or intimidating our judicial officers does not make anyone safer,” Molder added. “Andy Ogles is part of the problem — I’m running to be part of the solution.”

In a brief interview in the Capitol, Ogles pushed back on the criticism.

“These judges and leftists like Chaz Molder are letting criminals out on the street and Americans are tired of that crap,” Ogles told NOTUS.

The controversy began last week when Ogles posted on X about a man in Nashville, Mohamed Mohamed, who was accused of raping a Nashville woman in August. The man, who had a dozen prior charges, was not in jail because all of the judges and prosecutors in the city were Democrats and had opted to release him after prior charges, the congressman said.

“As long as local liberals are running things in Middle Tennessee, we are at war,” Ogles wrote, before posting the names and pictures of judges who he said dismissed the prior charges against Mohamed. He added that the judges should be impeached and the National Guard deployed to Nashville.

Ogles frequently posts inflammatory content online, arguing for the removal of immigrants from the state and amplifying conspiratorial websites like InfoWars.

His use of the word “war” and his decision to specifically identify the judges he said were responsible, prompted alarm within the county’s judicial branch.

The judges of the Davidson County General Sessions Court said this week that Ogles’ post “carries real and dangerous consequences.”

“We stand united in condemning any language or actions that target Judges—or any

elected officials—with threats of violence as a means of expressing political disagreement,” the judges wrote in a statement. “In light of the numerous acts of political violence witnessed in recent years, the statements made by Mr. Ogles are unacceptable.”

At the request of the judges, the courthouse also received an increase in visible security starting Wednesday, said Jon Adams, spokesperson for the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office.

Adams said the sheriff’s office has not received any direct threats on the courthouse or on the judges but has beefed up security in response to recent social media posts.

“We’re doing everything we can to make everyone feel safe,” he said.

In a post on X, Ogles was defiant about the calls for more security.

“If WOKE Davidson Judges want more security in Nashville they should join me in calling for the National guard,” he wrote. “They let a Somali rapist onto our streets over 12 times. Spare me the drama.”

Ogles’ district is one of 39 seats that are either open or held by a Republican that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the House Democrats’ political arm, has targeted for next year’s midterm election. Even though President Donald Trump won the seat by almost 18 percentage points last year, the incumbent’s lackluster fundraising has convinced some Democrats that his place in Congress might be in jeopardy.

Democrats are also bullish about their candidate Molder, a mayor in the district who out-raised Ogles nearly 13-to-1 during the third fundraising quarter.

The DCCC criticized Ogles’ response to the security concern.

“It is unacceptable that instead of taking responsibility for his actions Andy Ogles has chosen to double down on his inflammatory attacks against Tennessee judges, fueling a crisis of political violence,” DCCC spokesperson Madison Andrus said in a statement. “Members of Congress should be part of the solution — not the problem and Tennesseans deserve better.”

Ogles also faces a serious primary challenge in 2026 from Charlie Hatcher, a dairy farmer and former Tennessee commissioner of agriculture.