Solicitaton of Murder is a Crime ... Even When Committed by "Influencers"

Published: Townhall.com September 15, 2022

A light needs to be shined upon a certain malignancy that, from time-to-time, manifests in our nation’s discourse.

That is when celebrities, politicians and other public figures—i.e. “influencers”—say things they most certainly must know could induce some among their followers to murder a specific person they would like to see dead.

To paraphrase the laws of every jurisdiction in America, the solicitation of murder is a separate and distinct crime essentially defined as: the act of offering any kind of a reward or inducement to another with the intent of encouraging them to kill a designated person.

So … why do we as a society repeatedly turn a blind eye to thinly veiled attempts to induce others to murder someone—e.g. assassinate a President˛—just because that person soliciting such a crime happens to be an “influencer?”

Consider the following glaring examples that occurred during President Trump’s first term:

• Charlie Sheen tweeted to his over 12 million followers that he would hope for God to kill President Trump;

• Celebrity Chef Anthony Bourdain told millions of TMZ viewers he would prefer using poison;

• Madonna suggested a bomb might work;

• The New York's Public Theater evidently preferred a stabbing; and

• Johnny Depp agreed it might be a good time “for another actor to kill a President”; whereas

• Snoop Dogg’s video suggested a shooting would do; while

• Kathy Griffin graphically depicted the effective finality of decapitation.

Yet, even today with Biden in office, the animus toward President Trump hasn’t stopped.

Recently, a political media advisor named Rick Wilson—founder of a company ironically named “Intrepid Media, Inc.”—uttered the following words live on MSNBC in the context of his attempt to inform his listeners about the only way he thinks President Trump’s present political momentum can be stopped: