A Gretna, Louisiana police officer posted on social media last Thursday suggesting that Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should be shot.
Charlie Rispoli, who has been a part of the Gretna police since 2005, posted an article titled “Ocasio-Cortez On the Budget: ‘We Pay Soldiers Too Much'” on his personal Facebook page Thursday. His added the caption, “This vile idiot needs a round…….and I don’t mean the kind she used to serve,” according to the Times-Picayune. This specific claim was rated as false by Snopes.
Rispoli’s comment is directed at the fact that Ocasio-Cortez was a bartender prior to her election.
“I will tell you this: This will not go unchecked,” Police Chief Arthur Lawson told the Times Picayune. “I’m not going to take this lightly and this will be dealt with on our end. It’s not something we want someone that’s affiliated with our department to make these types of statements. That’s not going to happen.”
“Whether you agree or disagree with the message of these elected officials and how frustrated you may or may not get, this certainly is not the type of thing that a public servant should be posting,” he added.
The comment comes as she and other members of Congress have claimed to face death threats.
Earlier this month, the Philadelphia Police Department culminated a weekslong investigation in alleged anti-Muslim and racist social media posts by officers. They are expected to fire more than a dozen officers over the offensive posts.
Rispoli was placed on administrative leave without pay, according to WWLTV, a local network. Ocasio-Cortez also weighed in on the matter, tweeting, “This is Trump’s goal when he uses targeted language & threatens elected officials who don’t agree w/ his political agenda. It’s authoritarian behavior. The President is sowing violence. He’s creating an environment where people can get hurt & he claims plausible deniability.”
