Secret Service grills comedian Tom Arnold over anti-Trump tweets that could ‘trigger others to commit violence’

In a subsequent tweet, that has since been deleted, Arnold invoked comedian Kathy Griffin’s controversial photo shoot in which she held a fake severed head that resembled Trump. “Next time Kathy won’t be holding his fake head!” the deleted tweet said.

Days later, on Oct. 25, two Secret Service agents visited Arnold at his home to question him about the tweets.

Mother Jones posted video of a portion of the hourlong interview, which had been recorded by Arnold. The agents, whose faces are blurred, were aware that he was recording the conversation with a camera that was visible to them, he told the news outlet.

“In your type of case, what we’re concerned with a lot, too, is the audience it could reach, that it could incite somebody,” one of the agents said.

The second agent reiterated how social media posts from prominent people, including posts intended to be in jest, “can trigger others to commit violence.”

In a statement Monday, Arnold said he heard the message “loud & clear,” then said such a warning would also be appropriate for the president the agents are tasked with protecting.

“Words matter. Tone matters. Words can incite violence. Be responsible. I’m sorry Donald Trump hasn’t listened to you all the times you’ve had this exact conversation with him,” Arnold said. “I’m sorry the President & White House say things that they know could incite violence on the media & US Citizens almost daily. I’m sorry because Secret Service agents are more at risk than anyone.”