Cal Lutheran and local police say viral comment from professor threatening Trump is fake
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – California Lutheran University officials and the Simi Valley Police Department say a viral social media post tied to a professor threatening presidential candidate Donald Trump is fake.
According to Cal Lutheran, the post came after Professor Louise Kelly's social media account was hacked and both the University and Professor Kelly are in contact with local law enforcement.
Kelly is an assistant professor in the Exercise Science Department.
Simi Valley Police Department confirmed a report of the incident was processed by their office on Jul. 15 in a press release on Thursday.
According to the Simi Valley Police Department's press release Thursday, their investigation into the allegations revealed that, "an unknown individual(s) created a fake screenshot of a comment allegedly posted on a well-known news and commentary Facebook page".
The fake screenshot went viral and caused multiple threats and messages directed at Kelly through various media platforms and police ask the public to not contact Kelly or her family about the comments explained the Simi Valley Police Department.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Simi Valley Police Department at 805-583-6950.
Interim President of California Lutheran University Dr. John Nunes issued the letter below regarding the incident:
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Other Members of the Cal Lutheran Community -
Very early this morning, we became aware of malicious activity involving one of our professor’s social media accounts. Someone falsely used Professor Louise Kelly’s identity on social media to make violent statements concerning the attempted assassination of former President Trump. Professor Kelly is in contact with local authorities, as are we, to explore legal options regarding the theft of her identity.
Since these alleged comments were publicly made, California Lutheran University has received phone calls, emails, and messages from people concerned about us employing someone like Professor Kelly. We have written the following statement that you can use to answer questions on the phone and in other relevant cases.
The social media comment attributed to Professor Louise Kelly regarding former President Trump is fraudulent. Needless to say, remarks like this are entirely inappropriate and intolerable. Professor Kelly has contacted the police regarding her legal options. California Lutheran University is also in communication with local authorities regarding this egregious action and ensuing comments against Professor Kelly and the institution.
John Andersen, the chairmen of the Ventura County Republican Party, sent a letter to Nunes Tuesday morning, prior to the university's public statement, calling on the university to fire Kelly.
After the university released it's statement, the county's GOP Executive Director Joe Piechowski said in a statement, "We appreciate hearing back from CLU so quickly and, based on what they have told us, I look forward to seeing the resolution of the police investigation and having those responsible brought to justice."
It is a violation U.S. Code 18 § 879 to threaten a former President of the United States, a major candidate for the Office of President, and/or a person protected by Secret Service.
