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A Democratic staffer resigned after posting 'don't miss next time' following the attempt on Trump's life: reports

A former staffer for Rep. Benny Thompson said she was joking when she posted about 'shooting lessons' in the wake of the attempt on Trump's life.

A head-and-shoulders view of Democratic Representative Benny Thompson, seated and with his closed hand to his mouth during a  House Homeland Security Committee hearing on January 10, 2024.
Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson accepted his staffer's resignation shortly after she posted, according to local reports.
  • A Democratic staffer resigned after an inflammatory post following the attempt on Trump's life.
  • The Mississippi Republican Party demanded her dismissal after she wrote: "don't miss next time."
  • Jacqueline Marsaw apologized and was visited by Secret Service officers, per local reports.

A woman who worked for Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson has stepped down after posting an inflammatory message on social media in the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, according to multiple reports.

Jacqueline Marsaw, formerly a case worker and manager in Thompson's field office in Natchez, Mississippi, posted on Facebook soon after a shooter attempted to assassinate the former president.

At a campaign rally on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, a bullet grazed Trump's ear. Another rally attendee was killed, and two others were critically injured.

According to a screenshot saved by local outlet the Clarion Ledger, Marsaw's post read: "I don't condone violence but please get you some shooting lessons so you don't miss next time ooops that wasn't me talking."

It quickly attracted criticism, with the X account of the Mississippi Republican Party calling it "despicable" and calling for Marsaw to be fired.

The post was deleted about an hour after it appeared, the Clarion Ledger reported.

In a statement, Thompson said he was "made aware of a post made by a staff member and she is no longer in my employment," according to Fox News.

After the shooting on Saturday, Thompon had posted to X that there is "no room in American democracy for political violence."

Even so, Mississippi's state auditor, Republican Shad White, called on Thompson to resign, telling the Clarion Ledger that the congressman had hired "nut job staffers" and noting Thompson's backing of a bill that would have denied Trump, as a felon, Secret Service protection.

Speaking to local paper the Natchez Democrat, Marsaw said that she "got overwhelmed in the moment," adding: "I am a diehard Democrat."

The posts were meant as a joke, she said.

Secret Service officers contacted local law enforcement to interview Marsaw and visit her house on Sunday morning, Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten told the outlet.

"She was very remorseful and told the agents that what she did was unwarranted and uncalled for," he said, adding: "She continued to apologize throughout the entire 45-minute interview."

Marsaw's case will be turned over to the attorney general to see if any charges will be pressed, Patten told the Natchez Democrat.

Marsaw's post may have violated US Code 879, the law that prohibits threats to former presidents, he said. The crime is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Neither Marsaw nor Thompson's office immediately responded to Business Insider's requests for comment, sent outside of working hours.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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