Cops investigating social media post that advocates lynching U.S. Rep. Wilson, report says | Miami Herald

A Des Plaines, Illinois, man is being investigated for a social media post that allegedly threatens lynching U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

Tom Keevers, 54, told the Tribune that a “meme maker” had framed him, but also said the lynching threat was “a joke as I read it.”

Des Plaines police confirmed to the Tribune that they were looking into a Facebook post under Keevers’ name. The post read: “Need 10 good men to help carry out a lynching. Must have own horse and saddle. Rope will be provided.”

After a dissent that included an expletive, another post with Keevers’ name says, “Yes, this Congresswomen is a disgusting pig. Someone should take a boot to her face.”

The Twitterverse quickly shared the post.

Wilson’s accusation that President Donald Trump told Myeshia Johnson, Sgt. La David Johnson’s widow, during a condolence call that her husband “knew what he signed up for” before being killed by an ambush in Niger on Oct. 4 set off a national spat.

Trump called Wilson “wacky” on Twitter while claiming she was hurting the Democratic Party. Myeshia backed up Wilson’s account of Trump’s call; Wilson was in the limo when he had called the widow, who placed the phone on speakerphone. Wilson, a close family friend, was accompanying family members as they awaited for the casket of the 25-year-old Johnson, a Miami Gardens native, at Miami International Airport last Tuesday.

Keevers denied to the Tribune that an investigation was taking place, then said police contacted him only to make sure his family was safe.

Keevers didn’t delete a screen shot of a post in which a woman criticized the alleged lynching post. In the screen shot, a person with Keevers’ name uses racial slurs in answering her.

Keevers’ other Facebook page had a neon “Obama Sucks” sign as the splash picture while his profile picture was a caricature of former President Barack Obama as a wailing child.

An online records search shows Keevers’ past convictions include retail theft under $300, disorderly conduct, domestic battery and violating an order of protection.

Earlier this week, a fake Facebook post supposedly from Myeshia ripped Wilson’s account of the phone call. Myeshia confirmed to ABC News that she made no such post, which had a time stamp placing it 30 minutes before the condolence call. The time stamp also was well before Wilson said anything publicly about the call.