Congressman Bennie Thompson has fired a staffer for controversial statements posted on social media following the assassination attempt on former U.S. president and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump on Saturday.
Thompson, the Democratic U.S. Representative of Mississippi’s 2nd congressional district, has confirmed that Jacqueline Marsaw, a case manager and field director for the congressman, has been terminated from her position after taking to Facebook to share questionable rhetoric in the aftermath of the former president being shot at a Butler, Pa. rally.
On Saturday, the Mississippi GOP called for Marsaw’s firing, highlighting a now-deleted post from her Facebook that 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.” Marsaw had also posted other controversial messages on the social media platform that have since been taken down.
While Thompson did not condemn or disavow the rhetoric espoused by Marsaw, he said, “I was made aware of a post made by a staff member and she is no longer in my employment.”
Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten confirmed that he received a call from the U.S. Secret Service agents on Sunday, July 14, in response to comments Marsaw, a Natchez resident, made about the assassination attempt. Per a report from the Natchez Democrat, the sheriff said federal agents needed assistance locating Marsaw. Thompson’s former staffer is said to have fully complied with law enforcement. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s office will now determine whether or not to pursue charges against Marsaw.
Thompson, who denounced the assassination attempt on Trump, also faced scrutiny from the public on Saturday for legislation he introduced in April to strip the former president of Secret Service protection ahead of Trump being found guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actor.
Trump and Thompson had been political foes long before the congressman’s legislation seeking to deny the former president Secret Service detail. Thompson was tabbed as the chairman of the House committee tasked with investigating Trump’s alleged role during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and maintained a stance that the former president was responsible for the events that occurred in Washington D.C. that day.
Officials have identified the shooter who attempted to take Trump’s life as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa. Crooks was spotted on video atop a structure, believed to be a shed, roughly 300 feet from the rally, and was allegedly armed with an AR-style rifle. He was shot and killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper after opening fire on Trump, per reports.
