The Secret Service launched an investigation into John Schneider after the Dukes Of Hazzard star called for Joe Biden to be publicly hanged

EXCLUSIVE: John Schneider can now insist that he never threatened President Joe Biden’s life, but the Secret Service disagrees.

The federal agency tasked with protecting POTUS, the vice president and their immediate families, as well as major political candidates and senior government officials, launched an investigation into the former’s statements. Dukes of Hazzard The star lashed out at the president and his son Hunter Biden online today, Deadline has learned.

Hours after he publicly came up short in the Season 10 finale The masked singerThe outspoken conservative Schneider called for the president guilty of “treason” and his accused descendants to be executed by hanging. In a now-deleted post (yes, he deleted it pretty quickly), longtime Biden critic and Smallville The actor has made no secret of his belief that a Donald Trump who criticizes POTUS should be dead, as a screenshot of this now-deleted post on X/Twitter shows:

“Seriously, guys?” Schneider told Deadline today in the second of two statements about his Biden comments. “This is my last comment on this. I said or implied nothing of the kind. Despite headlines to the contrary, my post did not at all call for an act of violence or a threat against a US president, as many other celebrities have done in the past. I suggest you read my actual post again and pay attention to the words before you believe this nonsense.

“It is my position and my right to believe that some of our nation’s leaders in Washington have lost their way and that corruption is rampant, both at our nation’s borders and abroad,” Schneider continued. “Transparency and accountability must be ensured if our constitutional republic is to survive. There is no threat whatsoever in this statement, implied or otherwise.”

Officially, the White House and the Secret Service, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security, say nothing about investigations against Schneider. However, sources close to the events confirm that an investigation is in the preliminary stage.

“We review all threats against our protected subjects and based on intent, they fall within the definition of a threat,” a law enforcement insider told Deadline.

A Class D federal felony of making a “credible” threat against the president is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. At sentencing, a judge can also impose online restrictions and three years of supervised release . The law “prohibits intentional and deliberate threats to kill, kidnap, or physically harm the president, the vice president, their predecessors, potential successors, and their respective “immediate family members.”

If the government believes the threat was real, any “prosecution . . . will require not only evidence that the statement could reasonably be construed as a threat, but also some evidence that the maker intended the statement to be a threat.” threat,” it said. the statutes. .

A loser up Dancing with the stars in 2018, and this year he served a very short prison sentence for not paying alimony to his ex-wife Elvira Castle, and singer Schneider was on the donut Masked singer this season. Schneider’s third wife and manager, Alicia Allain, died of breast cancer earlier this year.