Fresno State Professor Apologizes For Anti-Trump Tweet
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A history professor at Fresno State university has apologized for a tweet that said President Donald Trump "must hang" to save American democracy.
The Fresno Bee reports Thursday that professor Lars Maischak was "prepared to take full responsibility" for the February 17th tweet that he said was never intended to go beyond his 28 Twitter followers.
Several days later he tweeted, "Has anyone started soliciting money and design drafts for a monument honoring the Trump assassin, yet?"
Maischak's tweets gained national attention last week after they became the subject of an article on the far-right website Breitbart.
In an emailed statement, Maischak apologized for the tone and content of the tweet, saying he was voicing personal despair over actions by the current U.S. government and not trying to incite violence. He has deleted his Twitter account.
University President Joseph Castro says he appreciated Maischak's apology, calling it "a first good step" in calming critics.
He added the university was taking the matter seriously and cooperating with federal investigators looking into the tweets.
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