5 Times Politicians Got in Trouble For Threatening-Sounding Comments

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Donald Trump’s comment Tuesday that there may be something “Second Amendment people” can do if Hillary Clinton is elected president was not the first time a politician got in trouble for overheated language.

Here are five other examples:

Hillary Clinton: ‘Bobby Kennedy was assassinated’

In May 2008, then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said she would remain in the primary against Barack Obama because “We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California.” Obama was quick to criticize the remark and Clinton apologized. The remark was considered especially insensitive at the time given Obama’s status as the first likely African-American presidential nominee.

Jesse Helms: ‘Better have a bodyguard’

During an interview in 1994, then-North Carolina Republican Senator Jesse Helms said President Bill Clinton “better watch out if he comes down here. He’d better have a bodyguard.” The Senator was referring to Clinton’s ability to lead the military and said the President would need protection if he visited North Carolina’s military bases. Helms later said the comment was a “mistake.”

Sharron Angle: ‘Second Amendment remedies’

During her unsuccessful race against then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Republican Sharron Angle cited Thomas Jefferson and said it was good for the country to undergo a revolution every 20 years. Then, she added, “If this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around? I’ll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out.”

Rick Perry: ‘Treat him pretty ugly down’

As he appealed to Iowa voters in the summer of 2011, then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry said it would be “treasonous” for the Chairman of the Federal Reserve to put more money into the economy. At a campaign event, Perry said, “I don’t know what y’all would do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas.”

Al Baldasaro: ‘Shot for treason’

In July, a Trump delegate and advisor was investigated by the Secret Service for saying Hillary Clinton should be killed. Al Baldasaro, a New Hampshire representative, has been a staunch Trump supporter and critic of Clinton. During an interview where he blasted Clinton for her handling of the Benghazi attack and her private email server, he said, “Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason.”

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