A Louisiana police officer has come under intense scrutiny for a Facebook post stating that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) “needs a round… and I don’t mean the kind she used to serve.”
Officer Charlie Rispoli reportedly posted the message about “vile idiot” Ocasio-Cortez with a link to a piece of fake news headlined “Ocasio-Cortez on the Budget: ‘We Pay Soldiers Too Much.’”
Mediaite Reports:
Chief Arthur Lawson told the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate that the post is “disturbing” and said, “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.”
The report said that Rispoli’s Facebook page was taken down on Saturday.
This afternoon, Ocasio-Cortez quote-tweeted a link to a report on the message and said, “The President is sowing violence. He’s creating an environment where people can get hurt & he claims plausible deniability.”
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. https://t.co/GuYKPGzSLm
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 22, 2019
Per multiple reports this afternoon, Rispoli has been placed on leave amid the investigation:
BREAKING: Gretna officer who posted congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ‘needs a round’ put on leave from departmenthttps://t.co/QtJaycCGCe
— NOLA.com (@NOLAnews) July 22, 2019
UPDATE: Officer Charles Rispoli is now on administrative leave without pay, pending an investigation. Chief Lawson is expected to give more info in about an hour @wdsu https://t.co/BUyufzKocq
— Christina Watkins (@CWatkinsWDSU) July 22, 2019
BREAKING NEWS @wwltv: Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson says Officer Charlie Rispoli placed on administrative leave without pay following Facebook post suggesting U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @AOC should be shot. More details coming up at 5:00 and 6:00.
— David Hammer (@davidhammerWWL) July 22, 2019
Both Rispoli and another officer who liked the Facebook post have been fired.
From Mediaite
