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A screenshot of a social media post that appeared to show a California Lutheran University professor calling for the death of Donald Trump went viral on Monday, but all was not be as it seemed.
Officials at the school say the post is fabricated.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the university said that the post, which was attributed to exercise science professor Louise Kelly, is a fake.
"Needless to say, remarks like this are entirely inappropriate and intolerable," spokesman Mark Berry wrote in a press release. "Professor Kelly has contacted the police regarding her legal options. Cal Lutheran is also in communication with local authorities regarding this egregious action and ensuing comments against Professor Kelly and the institution."
A Simi Valley Police officer confirmed to the VC Star that the agency was investigating the post, but that no further updates were available at this time.
Berry said that Kelly would not be conducting interviews or offering comment regarding the alleged comments.
The screenshot showed what appeared to be Kelly's Facebook profile and a number of comments on a news story, one of which — allegedly made by Kelly — hoped that the Saturday assassination attempt on Trump would not be the last, and that she would have tried to kill him herself if she "wasn't so far away."
On Saturday, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired several shots at Trump during the former president's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump's ear was damaged during the attack and a 50-year-old attendee was killed.
Crooks was killed by Secret Service snipers moments after his volley of shots.
On Monday, the right-wing extremist social media account Libs of TikTok shared the image of Kelly's alleged comments, calling the threat "inappropriate and intolerable." The Libs of TikTok post went viral with 1.3 million views and spawned ire amongst right-wing social media users.
Before the university announced the comment was fake, the Ventura County Republican Party chairman John Anderson sent a letter to the college president asking for Kelly to be fired.
On Tuesday the county GOP's executive director Joe Piechowski acknowledged that the university had reached out and explained the situation.
“We appreciate hearing back from (Cal Lutheran) so quickly," Piechowski said. "Based on what they have told us, I look forward to seeing the resolution of the police investigation and having those responsible brought to justice."
