(KMJ) A Fresno State lecturer is under fire for his fiery, and possibly criminal, tweets toward President Trump.
The social media firestorm erupted Friday night after a series of tweets from Prof. Lars Maischak, apparently calling for the assassination of the 45th President of the US, were picked up and posted by conservative websites.
The following tweets were posted on February 17:
@LarsMaischak: “TO SAVE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY, TRUMP MUST HANG. THE SOONER AND THE HIGHER, THE BETTER”.
@LarsMaischak: “#TheResitance HAS ANYONE STARTED SOLICITING MONEY AND DESIGN DRAFTS FOR A MONUMENT HONORING THE TRUMP ASSASSIN, YET?
@LarsMaischak: TheResistance #ethniccleansing JUSTICE = THE EXECUTION OF TWO REPUBLICANS FOR EACH DEPORTED IMMIGRANT.
CSUF President Dr. Joseph Castro has not spoken publicly about the controversy but did issue the following tweet on Saturday: “He is a lecturer at Fresno State. Statements on his social media accounts are his alone and do not reflect the position of the University.”
That may be debatable.
In his Twitter bio, Maischak describes himself as “Teaching American history with a German accent at Fresno State”.
Castro’s handling of the situation so far has roiled many alumni, including KMJ Commentator Mike DerManouel Jr. who called Castro’s response “terribly inadequate”. “It is disgusting to know that someone with the beliefs of Professor Maischak is on the teaching staff of our university,” he goes on to say.
Fresno State President Joseph Castro issued the following statement on Monday:
“Fresno State understands the deep concerns that have been shared as a result of personal comments made by Professor Lars Maischak, who is a lecturer in the History Department at Fresno State. In response to these concerns, we have conducted a preliminary review to ensure that it is clear that the statements made by him were as a private citizen, not as a representative of Fresno State. Professor Maischak’s personal views and commentary, with its inclusion of violent and threatening language, is obviously inconsistent with the core values of our University.
Our primary concern is for the safety of our students and with providing a conducive learning environment. We acknowledge that our faculty have an obligation to establish and maintain ethical and professional conduct, inside and outside of the classroom.
While Fresno State is committed to state and federal constitutional rights of free speech, the content of statements by Dr. Maischak warrants further review and consideration. The review of these and any other statements will be conducted in the context of rights of free expression, but also for potential direct threats of violence that may violate the law.
The University is taking this matter seriously and handling it in accordance with applicable law and policy, as well as our traditions of academic freedom and the requirements of the faculty collective bargaining unit agreement. The University will fully cooperate with any investigations conducted by Federal officials.”
– Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro
Dr. Castro confirmed to KMJ News that an internal review of the situation is currently underway.
When he realized that his tweets were going ‘viral’ Saturday afternoon, Maischak issued this tweet: “Welcome, Fascist Trolls! Enjoy your moment of self-righteousness.”
At this point, it’s unclear if Maischak will continue to teach history at Fresno State or if he’s been contacted by the Secret Service.
Click here to see Maischak’s twitter feed
