The longtime shock rocker met with two “fine, professional” agents in Oklahoma, where he’s scheduled for an evening gig, he said in a statement Thursday afternoon. Mr. Nugent did not barricade himself in his dressing room. The Feds did not haul him away in handcuffs.
Instead they all had a nice chat about Nugent’s recent harsh statements, such as his assertion at last weekend’s National Rifle Association convention that if President Obama is reelected “I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.” The Secret Service apparently came away convinced that Nugent is only a threat to decorum, not the chief executive of the US.
“The issue has been resolved” and the agency “does not anticipate any further action,” Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary told the Washington Post.
Threatening the life of a president is a federal crime. Secret Service spokesman Max Milien confirmed Thursday that agents wanted to talk with Nugent. Milien said the agency respects First Amendment rights to free speech but also has a duty to protect the president.
"The issue has been resolved," another spokesman, Brian Leary, said in a statement. "The Secret Service does not anticipate any further action."
Nugent has long been a vocal advocate for hunting and gun rights. He spoke in support of dove hunting in Michigan and even suggested he might run for governor in 2006 if Democrat Jennifer Granholm won in 2002 (which she did and he didn't).
Also on Thursday, the website Talking Points Memo reported that the NRA removed the footage of Nugent's remarks about Obama from its website and YouTube channel.
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