The U.S. Secret Service is investigating one of Donald Trump’s most outspoken supporters, a New Hampshire state representative who said this week that Hillary Clinton should be shot for treason.
“The U.S. Secret Service is aware of this matter and will conduct the appropriate investigation,” said Nicole Mainor, a spokeswoman for the Secret Service, about the comments from Al Baldasaro. The investigation was first reported by The Daily Beast.
Baldasaro, a Republican from Londonderry, New Hampshire, is a former Marine who calls himself Trump’s “veteran adviser.” Trump gave him a key role during a crucial moment in this campaign: in May, when Trump criticized the news media for its coverage of his promise to give $1 million to veterans groups, Baldasaro was given a speaking role and a place in the background when Trump spoke.
This week, as Republicans at the party convention in Cleveland called for Clinton to be jailed, Baldasaro went further.
“Hillary Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason,” Baldasaro said earlier in the week on “The Kuhner Report,” a conservative radio show hosted by Jeff Kuhner.
On Wednesday, Baldasaro stood by those comments, in an interview with radio station WBUR. He said the death penalty was appropriate for Clinton’s handling of government emails. “As far as I’m concerned, it is treason and the penalty for treason is the firing squad – or maybe it’s the electric chair now,” Baldasaro said.
Baldasaro did not immediately respond to email sent seeking comment on Wednesday afternoon. The Trump campaign also did not respond to an email, asking if Baldasaro was still associated with the campaign.
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