By ANN E. MARIMOW | The Washington Post | Published: March 12, 2021
WASHINGTON — A U.S. Coast Guard officer who kept a cache of firearms and a target list of prominent Democratic lawmakers and media personalities is appealing his prison sentence this week in a case that could complicate how the government handles accused domestic terrorists who have not acted on alleged violent plans.
Christopher Hasson, a former lieutenant arrested at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C., was convicted last year on firearms and drug charges. Prosecutors also convinced the sentencing judge in Maryland to ratchet up his punishment with a terrorism-related penalty, presenting evidence that Hasson had researched and planned an attack on U.S. officials in support of white nationalism.