This cop shared an apparently threatening post about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after reading a bogus headline

Donald Trump continues to vilify the four freshman members of Congress who’ve recently been referred to as The Squad. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib have been in the spotlight after their viral moments holding Trump administration officials accountable in congressional hearings and for their outspoken statements demanding the closure of immigration detention centers where children and families are being held in inhumane conditions.

As the de facto leader of The Squad, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has faced a significant number of threats from right-wing enthusiasts. She’s also been the target of a plethora of sexist and racist memes, a growing and troubling trend as she and the other members of The Squad appear poised to become the prime target of the right-wing smear machine heading into the 2020 election cycle.

And now there are calls for a Gretna, Louisiana police officer to be fired after he shared a Facebook post saying Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez "Is a vile idiot who needs a round and not the kind she used to serve,” a reference to her past as a bartender. His boss is not happy. From The Times-Picayune:

Charlie Rispoli, who has been on the Gretna police force since 2005, could not be reached for comment, but Chief Arthur Lawson called the post "disturbing" when it was shown to him Friday.

“I will tell you this: This will not go unchecked," Lawson said. "I’m not going to take this lightly and this will be dealt with on our end. It’s not something we want someone that’s affiliated with our department to make these types of statements. That’s not going to happen."

Chief Lawson said he didn’t think the post was a threat, but was a violation of the department’s social media policy. The Times-Picayune notes Rispoli doesn’t have a history of excessive force complaints. But, alluding to shooting a member of Congress seems to be a strong indicator this person does not have the temperament to be a member of law enforcement.

And for what it’s worth, Rispoli’s comments were in reference to actual “fake news,” the kind of lies and misinformation that stokes division and hatred and is frustratingly common on Facebook, especially in conservative circles.

Rispoli's comment referred to a fake news story he posted to his personal Facebook page on Thursday at 1:51 p.m. The story's headline attributed a fabricated quote to Ocasio-Cortez saying, "We pay soldiers too much." The photo on the post is marked as "satire" and it had been labeled "false" by the website snopes.com on Wednesday, but Rispoli appeared to be upset by it.

For the sake of the The Squad, I sincerely hope their security has been greatly increased. Especially since he-who-shall-not-be-named is doing full-speed ahead with his attacks.