GOP lawmaker hit with lawsuit after man receives death threats over 'illegal alien' claim

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) is facing a lawsuit from Denny Loudermill after the lawmaker wrongly accused the Kansas man of being an "illegal alien" and committing a mass shooting.

The defamation lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas and pointed to a social media posting Burchett made following a mass shooting at the Super Bowl victory parade, the Tennessee Lookout reported.

Following the mass shooting, Loudermill said he was detained by police for "moving too slow." He was later released, and no charges were filed, according to the report.

Burchett posted an image of Loudermill in handcuffs and said he was an "illegal alien" who committed the crime. The post on X was eventually deleted. Burchett replaced the post with another explaining the mistake. The new post included an image of Burchett's original.

"Defendant published that Plaintiff was an 'illegal alien' and a 'shooter' at an event in Kansas City, Missouri celebrating the Super Bowl victory of the Kansas City Chiefs," the lawsuit said. "Plaintiff is not and never has been an illegal alien, having been born and raised in the United States of America. On February 14, 2024, Plaintiff was not the 'shooter' and was not in any way involved in the shooting."

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The filing said Loudermill had received death threats following Burchett's post. Loudermill asked for $75,000 in damages for "willful, wanton, reckless and malicious" acts.

"Sometimes I'm afraid to go outside of my house," Loudermill explained to the Missouri Independent, "or think that somebody who's going to come into my house because some people probably don't even see that I was innocent."

Burchett's office declined to comment.

"Our office is not able to comment on pending or active litigation," a spokesperson for Burchett told the Lookout.