Well, that was especially stupid.
Carl Nett, a former member of the U.S. Secret Service and an otherwise unremarkable Republican candidate for Kentucky secretary of state, tweeted about shooting a congressman with whom he disagreed.
The tweet in question by a @KYGOP candidate for secretary of state re: #Dems @RepJohnYarmuth. #KY03 pic.twitter.com/KvWRdK3R3Y
— Philmonger (@phillipmbailey) March 20, 2018
“Move it over just a bit,” Nett tweeted at Rep. John Yarmuth, a Kentucky Democrat wearing a pin emblazoned with an “F” to represent his rating from the National Rifle Association. “I was trained center mass.”
Nett left the tweet up for an hour before thinking better of bulls-eyeing a politician on the same day the country watched another school shooting unfold, this one in Maryland. It was all a joke, he followed up, pointing to the fact that his willingness to die for politicians he disagreed with was part of his professional career.
Friends, I protected Barack Obama, John Kerry, John Edwards, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Clinton. I voted for none of them. I would have DIED for any of them. My oath is to the Constitution. ALL politicians should keep that oath, first and foremost.
— Carl B. Nett (@realCarlNett) March 20, 2018
But that doesn’t give him cover for a bad joke. In fact, his past work experience makes the whole fiasco even worse. As a former Secret Service agent, Nett knows that threatening a government official is a felony, that some of his former colleagues sustained serious wounds confronting a gunman on a baseball field last summer, and that voters generally frown on political assassinations.
Clearly a rough-and-tumble lawman like Nett could use some campaign advice. Here’s a free pro-tip: When seeking elected office, don’t threaten a congressman’s life.
