Feds charge Ohio man with election night Twitter threat against Trump
FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio -- An Ohio man is facing a federal charge after allegedly tweeting an election-night threat against President-elect Donald Trump, reports Cleveland.com.
A criminal complaint unsealed Monday says that Zachary Benson of Fairview Park posted the tweets early Wednesday, just before Donald Trump was declared the winner of the election.
According to the complaint, the tweets read:
“Diplomacy. F---ing fools. I hate you all. I want to bomb every one of your voting booths and your general areas.”
“My life goal is to assassinate Trump. Don’t care if I serve infinite sentences. That man deserves to decease existing.”
A U.S. Secret Service agent reportedly interviewed Benson Wednesday, and federal investigators say he admitted to making the threat. According to CBS affiliate WOIO, Benson said he made the threats after watching the election returns, having a few drinks at a restaurant and thinking about how the President-elect’s policies would affect his job.
Benson reportedly said he knew he “went too far” and deleted the tweets when he woke up in the morning. He told investigators he’s not a violent person, but rather anti-social and introverted.
Benson is charged with making a threat to a successor to the presidency, reports Cleveland.com. He reportedly turned himself in Thursday and made his first appearance in front of a federal judge Monday.
John Gibbons, Benson’s attorney, didn’t return a call for comment from Cleveland.com.
