California Governor Gavin Newsom has been referred to the Secret Service over a tweet posted by his press office, which one MAGA attorney took offense to.
“Kristi Noem is going to have a bad day today,” Newsom’s press office wrote on Saturday. “You’re welcome, America.”
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli did not see the funny side and appeared to immediately pick up the phone to the Secret Service, allegedly interpreting the wry tweet as a genuine threat.
“We have zero tolerance for direct or implicit threats against government officials,” Essayli wrote on X. “I’ve referred this matter to [the Secret Service] and requested a full threat assessment.”
Essayli, a lawyer and former Republican state assemblyman, is a die-hard MAGA acolyte. Appointed to the acting position by Attorney General Pam Bondi in July, Essayli has said he intends to use his power to “implement the President’s mission.”
Newsom’s mysterious comment was made shortly before signing new legislation that would ban ICE officers from wearing face coverings in California. The “No Secret Police Act” also offers additional protections from ICE agents for students and patients.
“The impact of these policies all across this city, our state and nation are terrifying,” Newsom said at the signing ceremony.
“It’s like a dystopian sci-fi movie. Unmarked cars, people in masks, people quite literally disappearing. No due process, no rights, no right in a democracy where we have rights,” he continued.
The Secret Service has acknowledged receipt of Essayli’s complaint and appear to be taking it seriously. In a statement, the department said that they “must vigorously investigate” any perception of threat to government officials, “especially in a politically charged climate, such as this.”
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin also appeared to interpret Newsom’s comments in a negative light.
“This reads like a threat. This is ugly, [Gavin Newsom],” she wrote on X. “Your keyboard warrior team may hide behind their laptops and spew this kind of vitriol but you would never have the guts to say this to her face.”
Newsom, meanwhile, has hit back with his own Secret Service referral.
Mimicking the language used by Essayli, Newsom’s press office claimed in a later tweet that they have referred President Donald Trump for investigation over a 2020 tweet in which Trump made a similarly vague reference about Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.
Newsom has been on the warpath against the Trump administration for several months, taking to social media to parody, mock, and mimic the president’s entire lineup. Newsom has adopted Trump’s all-caps, erratic social media tone and often refers to himself as “America’s favorite governor.”
Noem, who has spearheaded the controversial DHS immigration crackdown, is a frequent source of Newsom’s mockery. California has been the epicenter of ICE’s ramped-up operations.
“Immigrants have rights and we have the right to stand up and push back,” Newsom said at the signing on Saturday. “That’s what we’re doing here today.”
The Daily Beast has contacted Newsom for comment.
