Many of you will remember John Schneider as the mild-mannered Jonathan Kent in Smallville. The actor, also known for his work in Dukes of Hazzard, appeared in a total of 114 episodes between 2001 - 2011, but now finds himself in potential hot water with the Secret Service.
Deadline reports that the agency has opened an investigation into comments the actor made on social media yesterday. Schneider called for both United States President Joe Biden, and his son Hunter, to be hanged for treason in an X post which he deleted shortly after sharing it.
It started when Biden shared a post which read, "Trump poses many threats to our country: The right to choose, civil rights, voting rights, and America's standing in the world. But the greatest threat he poses is to our democracy. If we lose that, we lose everything."
To that, Schneider responded, "Mr. President, I believe you are guilty of treason and should be publicly hung. Your son too. Your response is.? Sincerely, John Schneider."
While the White House and Secret Service have yet to comment publicly on the matter, the trade points out that a probe into the Smallville alum's comments is in the preliminary stages. An insider explains that what Schneider said is considered a threat and, if criminal charges were ever filed, it could lead to a guilty party facing five years behind bars and a $250,000 fine.
It's doubtful this would ever get that far due to the burden being on the government to prove this was a credible threat Schneider intended to act on. That was something the actor alluded to when was asked for his comments on the investigation:
"Seriously, folks? This is my final comment on this. I neither said nor implied any such thing. Despite headlines claiming otherwise, in my post, I absolutely did not call for an act of violence or threaten a U.S. president as many other celebrities have done in the past. I suggest you re-read my actual post and pay attention to the words before believing this nonsense."
"It’s my position, which I am entitled to have, that some of our nations [sic.] leaders in Washington have lost their way, and corruption runs rampant, both on our nation’s borders and abroad. Transparency and accountability must happen in order for our constitutional republic to survive. There is no threat implied or otherwise in that statement."
Schneider was previously sentenced to three days behind bars over an alimony dispute with his ex-wife. He was released after a few hours due to overcrowding. Since Smallville ended, he's appeared on Dancing with the Stars and in several minor roles across film and television.
Stay tuned for updates.