A longshot Democratic congressional candidate found himself in handcuffs this weekend after a chaotic confrontation at a popular Maui beach turned ugly.
Video emerging from the confrontation suggests the cuffs were the least of his problems.
Kirill Basin (D), who is challenging incumbent Democrat Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-2) in the Aloha State's upcoming primary on August 8th, was arrested Saturday and charged with two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening.
According to police and witnesses, the trouble started when a 61-year-old man had the audacity — nay, the temerity — to ask Basin to turn down his loud music.
The Democrat responded calmly and rationally, and the two engaged in a meaningful dialogue to resolve the issue. Just kidding.
Basin countered the reasonable request by threatening to shoot the man’s wife, then escalated further by grabbing a knife and brandishing it toward bystanders before tossing the weapon into the ocean.
He is a charmer. Boy, is he a charmer.
Video circulating online shows the bulk of the sequence, with the congressional hopeful attempting to demonstrate his skills as a third-degree black belt in Beach Chair Jiu-Jitsu. Sadly for him, his opponent was a first-degree master of “Take a Seatkwondo."
The clip eventually shows Basin getting knocked out cold on the grass, after which officers took him into custody. His bail was set at an eye-popping $1 million.
WARNING: Language and mild violence.
This is proof you can’t take Democrats to the beach! A Democratic congressional candidate running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda was arrested Saturday after a violent altercation at Keawakapu Beach in South Kihei.
— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) August 4, 2026
Kirill Basin, 40, was charged with two counts of… pic.twitter.com/iTu3E39iLq
Embedded tweet continues:
... first-degree terroristic threatening, and his bail was set at $1 million.
Why is the bail so high, you might be asking? Most likely because of the seriousness of the current charges combined with recent similar conduct on the Democrat's part.
The action portion of the video is actually pretty tame compared to the threats coming out of Basin's mouth. First, he threatened to shoot someone's wife — allegedly — then he physically menaced those around him with a knife.
In Hawaii, first-degree terroristic threatening is a serious felony, and he could face a maximum of 10 years (five years on each count) in prison if convicted. That depends on the classification.
But wait, there's more.
Basin was arrested, according to police, for the same type of charge after allegedly brandishing a gun during a confrontation with Maui County workers inside a government building back in May.
He also has a string of other recent arrests for assault and property damage, plus multiple temporary restraining orders filed against him, including by a Maui County Council member who said Basin threatened violence against police and staff.
I told you he was a charmer, folks.
Tokuda issued a statement decrying the violence. By the way, she is a pro-illegal alien lawmaker who once drew all over her outfit to protest President Trump's State of the Union address.
Hawaii Congressman Jill Tokuda drew on her jacket to protest Trump at the joint session of Congress tonight... pic.twitter.com/hUUsasG2SG
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 5, 2025
What is going on in Hawaii?
“Violence has no place in our communities or in public service. Anyone holding or seeking office, at any level of government, should be held to a higher standard," Tokuda said. "Our communities deserve leaders who bring people together, not those who contribute to further division or violence.”
At the very least, they deserve candidates who are mentally stable.
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