Nathan Howard/Reuters
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.
.@BennieGThompson should FIRE his field director for condoning the attempted assassination of President @realDonaldTrump!!!“please get you some shooting lessons so you don’t miss next time”.@msdemocrats must repudiate these despicable statements!!!@WLBT @16WAPTNews @WJTV… pic.twitter.com/QVWu4OtUI2
— Mississippi GOP (@MSGOP) July 14, 2024
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."
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.
— Bennie G. Thompson (@BennieGThompson) July 13, 2024
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.