Man Arrested For Stalking Administration Official

A 26-year-old Maryland man has been arrested for allegedly stalking and attempting to kill Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, according to court documents and local authorities.

The suspect, identified as Colin Demarco, was arrested on Jan. 22 and booked into the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office. He is facing serious charges, including first- and second-degree murder, wearing a mask in public, and carrying a concealed weapon. The arrest sent shockwaves through Washington, particularly given the apparent political motivations behind the alleged plot.

According to reporting from local media, Demarco told authorities that he wanted to kill a government official with the initials R.V., described as a presidential appointee. Investigators later determined that he was referring to Russ Vought, a high-profile figure in the Trump administration. Vought has played a central role in shaping fiscal policy and was instrumental in spearheading the federal workforce reduction initiative in 2025. He also negotiated through the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, making him a frequent target of political hostility.

Court documents indicate Demarco’s motivation was rooted in fearmongering surrounding Project 2025, a policy framework developed by the Heritage Foundation that has been relentlessly portrayed by left-wing activists and media outlets as an existential threat to democracy. That narrative appears to have had real-world consequences. Authorities say Demarco believed violence was justified based on what he had consumed about the project and its supporters.

The case has drawn immediate comparisons to a chillingly similar incident involving Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. In 2025, Nicholas John Roske, then 29, traveled to Kavanaugh’s home armed with a firearm, allegedly intending to kill the justice over political grievances fueled by media hysteria. Roske was later sentenced to eight years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release.

Once again, the pattern is hard to ignore. Inflamed rhetoric, constant demonization of political opponents, and exaggerated claims of impending catastrophe have moved beyond angry tweets and cable news panels. They are now showing up in criminal charging documents.