The Secret Service has responded to a joke from comedian George Lopez about assassinating President Donald Trump.
Responding to the news on Instagram that Iran is allegedly offering an $80 million bounty on Trump’s head, Lopez commented, “We’ll do it for half.”
The remark immediately generated outrage online, even forcing Instagram to delete the comment for violating its platform rules.
Check out how @georgelopez responded to the news that Iran put an $80 Million Bounty on President Trump’s head.
This is absolutely sick. pic.twitter.com/Kky1c6JC18
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 6, 2020
The Secret Service told the Washington Examiner that it is “aware” of Lopez’s remark, but declined to comment further.
“The Secret Service is aware of the Tweet (sic) made by Mr. Lopez,” the agency said. “The Secret Service takes all threats against the President and or any of our protectees seriously, and as a matter of practice, we do not comment on matters involving protective intelligence.”
The agency did not say whether it had made contact with Lopez, although interviewing the source of potential threats is a routine part of Secret Service investigations.
TMZ similarly reported that Lopez will likely be interviewed by Secret Service agents promptly.
Representatives for Lopez said the Instagram comment was simply “a joke.” Lopez himself has not commented on the matter.
