A federal jury acquitted a former Coast Guard lieutenant who, after calling for President Donald Trump’s assassination on social media, argued that his posts were protected by the First Amendment, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors in Virginia allege that Peter A. Stinson, a retired Coast Guard sharpshooter, repeatedly urged for the Trump’s assassination in online posts since 2020.
Stinson’s public defenders claimed the posts lacked specificity to override First Amendment protections for speech advocating violence.
According to court filings, Stinson suggested in one social media post that he would “pull the trigger” to get rid of Trump or would be the “driver” for someone else willing to assassinate him.
Stinson had also offered to “serve in a support capacity” or raise money for a “contract hit,” according to documents.
“I would do it. I would take the fall to save America. Too bad I don’t have the operational skills to pull it off,” Stinson wrote in another post, according to a government court filing. “I am willing to serve in a support capacity for someone else with the skills to take care of things.”
Stinson, who had over 3,000 followers on Bluesky, made posts calling for violence against Trump and labeled him a fascist. He was banned from Bluesky shortly after his arrest, and prosecutors noted he also made similar threats on X and Reddit.
University of Maryland professor Jen Golbeck, who studies extreme rhetoric online, told the outlet she was surprised Stinson was charged for posting what is a very common online theme.
“There’s a lot of people online rooting for Trump to die, and in that context, what he posted is so common that it feels like an alternate universe that he would be charged with anything, let alone solicitation of murder,” said Golbeck.
The judge informed the jury that the First Amendment protects “speech that merely, without more, encourages or advocates that others should engage in violence – even violence against political figures or the government – at some indefinite point in the future.”
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