Right-wing operative Rhein Amacher, whom the New York Post described as a “2024 Trump campaign aide,” unsettled onlookers Wednesday after allegedly publishing — then quickly deleting — an online post that one prominent influencer described as a “death threat” against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
In the alleged online post, which was shared by prominent liberal influencer Brian Krassenstein, Amacher posted violent video game footage of a player killing other players with an automatic firearm, along with the caption: “Can we hunt down a specific Somali politician?”
Given that Omar is the first and only Somali member of Congress, and that she’s often a target of President Donald Trump and his followers, Krassenstein argued it appeared to be a clear threat against the Minnesota Democrat.
“Will [FBI Director] Kash Patel and the FBI investigate this, or will they look the other way?” Krassenstein asked.
Amacher actually responded to Krassenstein’s post, appearing to admit to publishing it but denying that it was a threat against Omar, whose home was raided by federal agents this week.
“Brian, context matters. The deleted post referenced video game footage and a purely fictional character, not an actual plan to harm anyone,” Amacher wrote.
“There was no real-world target, no stated intent to commit violence, and no plan of action. You can criticize the wording without deliberately misrepresenting the context or attributing intentions to me that I never expressed. Have a wonderful day, sir!”
Krassenstein then pressed Amacher on why, if the post wasn’t a threat, he had deleted it.
“So why was it deleted?” Krassenstein asked in a follow-up post. “You do realize that it is still illegal to threaten a congressperson even if you don’t intend to carry out that attack, right? I think any rational person knows exactly who you are talking about, and your vagueness would not protect you from the law.”
Krassenstein’s question remained unanswered an hour later.
Amacher has faced scrutiny in recent days for promoting the unsubstantiated claim that Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico was admitted to a psychiatric facility, a claim that has since been debunked. Amacher has also pulled out of a scheduled interview amid the fallout.
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