Heavy Secret Service officer
According to multiple reports, the Secret Service has opened a probe into actor John Schneider, who rose to fame playing Bo Duke on “The Dukes of Hazzard” in the 80s. The actor has since starred on “Smallville” and in multiple made-for-TV rom-coms, including several Hallmark movies.
On December 21, 2023, Deadline reported that an investigation into Schneider had been launched over a tweet he posted earlier that day, calling for President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, to be “publicly hung.” It was a significant turn of events for the actor and musician, whose tweet was posted just hours after he’d been revealed and celebrated as the second-place contestant on FOX’s “The Masked Singer.”
Here’s what you need to know:
John Schneider Under Investigation for Reply to Tweet from President Biden
GettyJohn Schneider in 2019
On the morning of December 21, TMZ shared a screenshot of Schneider’s tweet, which was response to a tweet sent by Biden.
Biden’s December 20 tweet stated that former President Donald 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.”
Schneider replied to that tweet by writing, “Mr. President, I believe you are guilty of treason and should be publicly hung. Your son too. Your response is..? Sincerely, John Schneider.”
Deadline reported that the White House and the Secret Service didn’t provide any official statement on an investigation of Schneider, but that “sources close to events confirm a probe is in the preliminary stage.”
“We look at all threats against our protectees and, due to intent, this falls under the definition of a threat,” an inside source told Deadline.
TMZ reported that a representative for the Secret Service said that while they don’t comment on “matters involving protective intelligence,” the agency “investigates all threats related to our protectees.”
According to Deadline, a “credible” threat against the president is a federal Class D felony, subject to up to five years behind bars and a $250,000 fine. Judges can also impose restrictions on online activity and order “supervised release” of those convicted. The law “prohibits knowing and willful threats to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm against” the President, Vice-President, their predecessors, potential successors and their immediate families.
John Schneider Insists He Did Not Intend to Threaten President Biden
Michael Becker / FOXNick Cannon and John Schneider in season 10 finale of “The Masked Singer,” which aired on December 20, 2023.
Schneider has since released two statements to both TMZ and Deadline, insisting that his tweet was not a threat.
“Seriously, folks?” Schneider wrote in his first statement. “I said no such thing. Despite headlines claiming otherwise, I absolutely did not call for an act of violence or threaten a U.S. president.”
The star then expanded his response in a second statement, both outlets reported.
He wrote, “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.”
Schneider continued, “It’s my position, which I am entitled to have, that some of our nations 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.”
Hours before Schneider wrote the tweet that got him in such hot water, he was revealed on the season 10 finale of “The Masked Singer” as the Donut, placing second behind NE-YO. Another Hallmark star, Janel Parrish, took third place.
In an interview with People Schneider said he agreed to be on the show in honor of his late wife, Alicia, who died of breast cancer in February and had always wanted him to appear on it.
“What an amazing opportunity to be able to honor Alicia, to be able to honor people who are grieving, maybe educate people who are grieving a little bit, in front of millions of people,” he said. “I’m a pretty strong guy but I’m also a very emotional guy. Being out there on that stage dressed like a donut, singing some of the greatest songs ever written and having people respond to the songs and the performance with no notion that it was me, really, really helped John Schneider.”
Schneider appeared in Hallmark movies including 2012’s “Come Dance at My Wedding” and 2015’s “Love By the Book.” His most recent acting role was in “Jingle Smells,” released in early December on the conservative streaming outlet Rumble, according to Fast Company.