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John Schneider is doubling down on his claim that he did not call for the public hanging of President Joe Biden in a since-deleted tweet that reportedly triggered the Secret Service to launch an investigation.
In a statement to ET, the Dukes of Hazzard star insists he did not threaten the life of the 46th president of the United States. The 63-year-old actor said anyone who suggests he did should “re-read” his actual post, which has since been deleted.
“Seriously, folks? This is my final comment on this. I neither said nor implied any such thing. Despite headlines claiming otherwise, in my post, I absolutely did not call for an act of violence or threaten a U.S. president as many other celebrities have done in the past,” Schneider said. “I suggest you re-read my actual post and pay attention to the words before believing this nonsense.”
He added, “It’s my position, which I am entitled to have, that some of our nations [sic] leaders in Washington have lost their way, and corruption runs rampant, both on our nation’s borders and abroad. Transparency and accountability must happen in order for our constitutional republic to survive. There is no threat implied or otherwise in that statement.”
Schneider came under fire when he replied to Biden’s tweet in which POTUS said former President Donald “Trump poses many threats to our country” when it comes to “the right to choose, civil rights, voting rights, and America’s standing in the world.”
“But the greatest threat he poses,” Biden’s tweet continued, “is to our democracy. If we lose that, we lose everything.”
Schneider replied, “Mr. President, I believe you are guilty of treason and should be publicly hung. Your son too. Your response is..? Sincerely, John Schneider.”
The Smallville actor’s reply came hours after his elimination from the season 10 finale of The Masked Singer. Schneider, an ardent Trump supporter and vocal critic of Biden, quickly deleted his reply but not before multiple media outlets took a screenshot of the tweet. Despite quickly deleting the tweet, Deadline is reporting that the Secret Service is investigating the actor’s actions.
A spokesperson for the agency charged with protecting POTUS and his immediate family members told the outlet, “The Secret Service is aware of the comments made by Mr. Schneider, and as a matter of practice, we do not comment on matters involving protective intelligence. We can say, however, that the Secret Service investigates all threats related to our protectees.”
A law enforcement official told Deadline that Schneider’s tweet “falls under the definition of a threat.”
A threat against the president is a Class D felony punishable by up to five years behind bars and a $250,000 fine.
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