US Secret Service is investigating Elon Musk’s assassination tweets about Kamala Harris
The US Secret Service said that it is ‘aware’ of the deleted posts by Elon Musk. (Getty)
The US Secret Service has said that it is ‘aware’ of a deleted tweet from billionaire Elon Musk questioning why no one has tried to assassinate Kamala Harris or Joe Biden.
The federal law enforcement agency told various news outlets that it was aware of the post made by the CEO of X/Twitter, and that it intends to investigate the matter.
The 53-year-old made the deleted tweet following a second apparent assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump on Sunday.
Following news breaking that a Secret Service agent had intercepted the gunman as he fled the scene, Musk posted: “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala.”
He then posted a subsequent tweet, also now-deleted, reading: “Well, one lesson I’ve learned is that just because I say something to a group and they laugh doesn’t mean it’s going to be all that hilarious as a post on [Twitter].”
Addressing the posts, a spokesperson for the US Secret Service said: “As a matter of practice, we do not comment on matters involving protective intelligence.
“We can say, however, that the Secret Service investigates all threats related to our protectees.”
The spokesperson did not clarify whether Elon Musk had been contacted regarding the deleted tweet.
In a statement, Vice President Harris wrote that she was “deeply disturbed” about the latest incident and condemned political violence.
“We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence,” she said. “I am thankful that former President Trump is safe. I commend the US Secret Service and law enforcement partners for their vigilance.”
The White House also condemned Musk’s deleted tweet, calling it “irresponsible rhetoric.”
A spokesperson for the White House, Andre Bates, said: “Violence should only be condemned, never encouraged or joked about. This rhetoric is irresponsible.”
Inciting or soliciting an individual to commit a crime is illegal under the US Code 373, which state that those who “engage in conduct constituting a felony” would be imprisoned for “not more than one-half the maximum term of imprisonment or fined not more than one-half of the maximum fine prescribed for the punishment of the crime solicited.”
