Fox News host tells MAGAts to go after Fauci: "Now you go in with the kill shot - deadly."

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:

Ron Filipkowski
@RonFilipkowski
The incendiary, dangerous, violent rhetoric against Dr. Fauci continues at AmericaFest. Fox News host Jesse Watters tells them how to go after him to harass him in public: “Now you go in with the kill shot - deadly. Because, with an ambush, he doesn’t see it coming.”


Watch on Twitter
2:14 PM · Dec 20, 2021

[rockfordfile]

1. The un-American fox news pos should be arrested

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

2. I haven't (fortunately) heard anything about Watters for quite a while.

Watters is a smarmy, odious creep who desperately needs a good ass-kicking.

Hopefully, Dr. Fauci has protection of some kind because Watters' rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible.

[COL Mustard]

49. He Does Have Protection

It's unfortunate that a public health professional needs protection, but there we are.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

54. I agree but I am also thankful he does.

Come to think of it, I now remember him talking his family getting threats so I am doubly thankful he has protection.

This man has served his country honorably for decades and thanks to Trump and his cadre of assholes, he has to worry about his and his family's safety. It just makes me hate these RW f***s even more.

[LoisB]

3. How does this not warrant a visit from the FBI?

[Rebl2]

19. Exactly

[GoCubsGo]

22. Excellent question. nt

[Alexander Of Assyria]

32. First amendment apparently protects all hate speech in America so no hate speech laws.

[hadEnuf]

38. This is bullshit. Fox needs to be held responsible for allowing these types of threats on-air.

And no more hiding behind the 1st Amendment for this shit. They are open threats of violence and murder aimed at government officials. We might as well surrender and bend over to the extremist right if we allow this to continue.

What the hell country are we living in? Is this America or not?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

41. I believe these were remarks delivered at the Turning Point USA convention, not remarks

made over the satellite- and cable-distributed Fox News system.

I gather that Jesse Watters is a person who appears on Fox News. I wouldn't know.

[hadEnuf]

48. Either way it is an outrage and it is startling to think that they can get away with this type of

rhetoric. They believe that we are pushovers and will do nothing about it. They laugh at us.

[LoisB]

39. Beyond hate speech to me. Sounded more like an open invitation to kill Dr. Fauci. "kill shot"

In all fairness, I did not listen, just read what was reported as said.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

60. Demon said...approach Dr. Fauci on the street and kill shot him with made up propaganda shit.

But the entire context was one of violence, and incitement of scholastic violence was plain.

Thinking might be able to make “incitement to scholastic violence” as an end around to the blanket constitutional protection of hate speech.

[KS Toronado]

35. My first thought also

[vanlassie]

4. That should be reported to authorities.

Unacceptable.

[berni_mccoy]

5. Can Biden direct the FCC to revoke their license?

[AngryOldDem]

9. I logged on to ask just that.

The airwaves are regulated by the government and are a privilege, not a right, to use. This is abuse of that privilege and an incitement to violence.

Good God — does someone actually have to die before something is done? It’s beginning to look that way.

I’m genuinely concerned for Fauci now. The mob has gotten its marching orders from its overlords, and with the insanity at full boil.. .

[monkeyman1]

26. people already are dead , called insurrection on the U.S. CAPITOL !!!!

[COL Mustard]

50. They're A Cable Network

I'm not sure the FCC regulates them. Unfortunately.

[LastDemocratInSC]

13. Fox "news" is a cable-only operation.

No FCC license required because they don't use the over-the-air broadcast spectrum.

[berni_mccoy]

16. The FCC does regulate cable according to their online description

Have no idea of to what extent though.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

18. Just technical issues.

[TimeToGo]

27. There have been attempts to rewrite the law to allow that

But none have taken. And as much as I want Fox to go, I do fear a Trumpish dominated FCC.

[RandiFan1290]

62. Fox runs their 'news' breaks on AM radio stations to spread their propaganda

They are not "cable only"

[spanone]

6. Isn't it illegal to incite people to murder?

[HariSeldon]

31. And isn't it federal (FBI) when it's a federal employee? nt

[Cracklin Charlie]

7. Arrest him now.

Hire the biggest, baddest bodyguards you can find to surround Dr. Fauci.

A death threat to the President’s top medical advisor is a threat to the nation.

[LW1977]

8. Cuff 'em and stuff 'em!

This should not be tolerated! Grow a pair authorities!

[samsingh]

10. Does the Justice Department want to do anything about these threats?

[berni_mccoy]

11. I'm starting to wonder

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216166981

[milestogo]

12. He needs to get Secret Service protection

from violent idiots.

[iemanja]

14. the face of evil.

[malaise]

15. And he's still on air?

WTF?

[Alexander Of Assyria]

33. Evil. Yes, you can see it and he revels in it. Fox only gives jobs to demons.

[LuckyCharms]

20. Charge Watters him and arrest him.

Enough of this bullshit "well, it was a figure of speech, I didn't mean that literally".

ENOUGH!

[Hortensis]

28. Advocating illegal government persecution of political opponents

empowers them and undermines us.

If you watched the video you could see clearly that there is no crime to arrest him for. If Fauci were murdered by someone who claimed to be instructed by this inflammatory rhetoric, it's unlikely that even a sympathetic jury would be able to convict him of whatever he was charged with.

[LuckyCharms]

37. I watched the video.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2331

The term “domestic terrorism” means activities that—
(A)involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;
(B)appear to be intended—
(i)to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii)to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
(iii)to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping;

My comment: In addition, the Supreme Court has ruled that incitement is not covered by the first amendment under freedom of speech. In order for speech to be considered as "incitement", the speech must meet the following criteria:

1) Be intended to provoke a lawless action, and

2) Be likely to cause such action

I believe that a jury would make a decision based on the current environment that the jurors themselves are experiencing at the time of a trial.

I'm not sure what you mean by "illegal government persecution of political opponents", seeing as how this could be prosecuted as a veiled death threat against a government official considering Dr. Fauci's current personal environment and the fact that it is public knowledge that he and his family have received death threats for quite some time.

At this point, Watters' comment has nothing to do with "political opponents".

[hadEnuf]

43. And that is exactly why this stuff escalates. It seems like we look for ways not to confront

this blatantly obvious call to assassinate Fauci and other calls to violence by Fox and the right. They openly want to murder Democrats and anybody else they don't like but we are worried that they might try to paint us as "Advocating illegal government persecution of political opponents?"

With all due respect, that is hogwash. We are undermining ourselves.

[yardwork]

65. +++

[Hortensis]

53. Almost all RW media openly behave this way. Let me know

when someone at one of them slips and is prosecuted by any jurisdiction for a provable crime. So far even civil suits aren't successful.

There's no real doubt about what they're doing. But until it's a prosecutable crime, demanding the government kidnap and lock them up is the same thing those who demanded Hillary be locked up for running against Sanders and tRump for president did.

You may remember how appallingly enraged and sincere those people were. Fortunately for them, they didn't have to worry about being locked up themselves, no matter how despicable they really were or how dangerous they would have been if they could have turned their vicious passions into action. No provable crime to be prosecuted for.

[LuckyCharms]

61. What Watters said is a crime and can be prosecuted.

Hillary did not commit a crime.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

55. Yeah just like Simple Sarah Palin "didn't mean it" when

she placed target crosshairs over Democratic candidates pictures on a states map.

[PatSeg]

21. These people are friggin' insane

[ashredux]

23. Thinly veiled call to shot the good Doctor.....

[Hortensis]

29. Yes, trolling for assassins as it was called when RW media,

including Fox, were trying to incite violence against Obama.

[Initech]

24. Is it wrong for me to wish that these assholes would get the worst posisble case of it?

[raccoon]

40. If it is, I absolve you. Nt

[Emile]

25. Dr Fauci should sue the pants off him!

[Caliman73]

30. Violent rhetoric to advance a really stupid and easily defeated question.

The answer from Fucci:

"I completely disagree with your premise. None of that is true and is a right wing talking point. Come back when you have a real question"

Boom!!! Right wing premise destroyed.

Watters is such an amateur. They think that they are intelligent but they show how stupid and corrupt their point of view is.

[2naSalit]

34. He needs a visit from...

Some of our security services.

[TeamProg]

36. Dr. Fauci, being neither a politician or celebrity should be ABLE TO SUE the living daylights

out of Jessie Waters and event host.

[oldsoftie]

42. Being neither doesnt stop you from being a public figure.

But Watters is still an idiot asshole for saying it

[colorado_ufo]

44. Vomit-inducing.

[NoMoreRepugs]

45. I can only hope watters dies of Covid.

[Takket]

46. is it legal to ask a crowd to kill someone?

Honest question............

or does 1A protect that?

[caraher]

47. In context it's quite clear he's talking about ambushing Fauci with "gotcha" question

Yes, opening with rhetoric about a "kill shot" is completely unnecessary, and reflects the violent fantasies the fascists like to appear eager to play out in real life.

But all the talk about bringing in the FBI and what a jury might think seems unwarranted when Watters goes on to make it very clear that the ambush he is inciting consists of have someone setting up and asking a question that the credulous right-wingers think will destroy Fauci's reputation for all time.

Most MAGAts feed off "triggering" the "libs." I refuse to take the bait on this one.

[LuckyCharms]

52. I'm sure a few Q members won't refuse to take the bait.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

56. That is what's scary.

It only takes one unhinged person with a weapon and a grudge.

[DFW]

51. Fox Noise is pushing the envelope--not randomly, but with an agenda

They are seeing what they can get away with. This is not rash rhetoric. This is a rehearsal.

The moment one of their crazies actually acts out their fantasy, they will throw up their hands in horror and say, "this is OF COURSE NOT WHAT WE MEANT!!" Then they will see what consequences blow back on them. If there are little to none, they will really go to town.

There are only two things that will put the brakes on this kind of brinksmanship. The country can only survive one of them intact. The survivable one is that a legal way is found to charge people who make these statements in public responsible, and I mean with arrests in handcuffs and a fifteen year jail term if an attempt on the life of a targeted public official is really made (maybe five years without parole if not).

The other is the doomsday scenario: a successful attempt is made on the life of one of their targets, the inciter gets off Scot free, but is then shot down in retaliation. Then it is open season on public officials AND media personalities of both right and left, and we start to look like St. Petersburg in the early days of Putin consolidating his power. I was in Russia in the winter of 1998, and it really WAS like that, if a little one-sided (kiss Putin's ass and live, or oppose him and die). I know WE don't want the USA to acquire that reputation. I sometimes wonder if many Republicans wouldn't welcome it, with their guns and wild west fantasies.

[Brainfodder]

57. Dialing up supreme a$$hole mode to 11 Je$$e?

That was way too far, I hope he gets his KARMA visit, very soon!



The whole of Fools News needs a KARMA visit!

[Progressive Jones]

58. What do you call a van full of Fox "personalities" driving off a bridge into a watery grave?

A Great Fucking Start !

[I_UndergroundPanther]

59. Fucking sociopaths.

Wish all the ,sociopaths
Authoritatians and narcissists were dead.

Every last one.

[634-5789]

63. Jesse Watters...why the fuck isn't he in jail for this obvoius threat?

[yardwork]

64. Why is this not followed up by law enforcement?

[BComplex]

66. HOW is this any different than screaming "fire" in a crowded theater?

This type of hate speech should be against the law! They are calling for the murder of a much beloved scientist! WTF is wrong with the justice department that they don't do shit???