Jacqueline Marsaw, a former case worker and manager in Rep. Bennie Thompson’s office, has resigned in the aftermath of a social media post she made concerning the shooting of President Trump, which the FBI is investigating as an assassination attempt.
The Clarion-Ledger obtained a screenshot of a post written by Marsaw, which read, “I don’t condone violence, but please get you some shooting lessons so you don’t miss next time ops. That wasn’t me talking.”
The post was swiftly condemned, and the Mississippi Republican Party called for Thompson to fire Marsaw, in a post to their Twitter/X account.
“Bennie Thompson should FIRE his field director for condoning the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump!!! Please get you some shooting lessons so you don’t miss next time. The Mississippi Democratic Party must repudiate these despicable statements!!!”
According to The Clarion Ledger, the post was deleted approximately an hour after it surfaced online. Thompson, meanwhile, stated to Fox News: “I was made aware of a post made by a staff member, and she is no longer employed by me.”
Thompson,
along with several other political leaders, made his thoughts on the attempted assassination apparent following the shooting. Thompson posted a statement to his official Twitter/X account, “There is no room in American democracy for political violence. I am grateful for law enforcement’s fast response to this incident. I am glad the former President is safe, and my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved.”Despite this, Shad White, Mississippi’s State Auditor, called for Thompson to resign, accusing him of employing “nut job staffers.”
Marsaw, meanwhile, defended her statement on social media as a joke, but according to the Natchez Democrat, Secret Service officers contacted law enforcement to interview Marsaw and to visit her house on July 14. Adams County Sheriff Travis Patron told the outlet that Marsaw expressed remorse for her actions.
“She was very remorseful and told the agents that what she did was unwarranted and uncalled for. She continued to apologize throughout the entire 45-minute interview.”
According to the sheriff, Marsaw’s comments may have violated US Code 879, a statute that explicitly prohibits threats to former
presidents, which is punishable by up to five years in prison. However, it will be left up to Mississippi’s Attorney General whether or not any charges will be filed due to Marsaw’s actions.According to Newsweek, Rep. Thompson’s office has not returned multiple requests from members of the media for comment at the time of this writing.