American billionaire Elon Musk has become the subject of scrutiny by the US Secret Service after he joked on social media about attempts on the lives of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Bloomberg reports this.
Following a possible assassination attempt on US presidential candidate Donald Trump, Musk wrote on his Platform X (formerly Twitter) account that “no one is even trying to kill Biden and Kamala.” He later deleted the post after critical comments began appearing online.
Musk said it was a joke, but the Secret Service began checking to see if he posed a threat to senior US officials. Making a threat against the president or vice president of the United States is considered a criminal offence and can have serious consequences, including a significant fine or up to five years in prison.
“We are aware of Elon Musk’s social media posts. We do not normally comment on matters related to intelligence operations, but we can confirm that the Secret Service is investigating all threats against our officers,” said service spokesman Nate Gerring.
However, as Bloomberg notes, Musk probably shouldn’t worry. According to the material, the worst that could happen is a visit from Secret Service agents, during which he would have to prove that he doesn’t pose a threat to Biden and Harris.
Recall that on September 15, a shooting occurred at the golf club where Donald Trump was staying. Secret Service agents opened fire on the gunman. The FBI later described the incident as an “attempted assassination” of Trump. The suspect was identified as Ryan Ruth, a 58-year-old Hawaii resident, who was arrested.
