Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider says Joe Biden should be "publicly hung" along with Hunter
Holden, Louisiana - Actor John Schneider, who rose to fame in the sitcom The Dukes of Hazzard, accused President Joe Biden of being a traitor and suggested he should be publicly executed.
The 63-year-old responded to a tweet from Biden Wednesday evening, saying: "Mr. President, I believe you are guilty of treason and should be publicly hung [sic]. Your son too. Your response is..?"
Schneider was a lead actor in the 1980s hit sitcom The Dukes of Hazzard, which centered around a pair of brothers who lived in a fictional county in Georgia. He played Beauregard "Bo" Duke, who shared his name with famed Civil War general P.G.T. Beauregard.
On the same day he posted the tweet, Schneider was named runner-up in the finale of Fox's The Masked Singer. He performed as a crooning doughnut.
Schneider's tweet was in reference to a message from Biden earlier in the day in which the president lashed out at Republican frontrunner and former president Donald Trump.
Biden said Trump "poses many threats to our country… but the greatest he poses is to our democracy. If we lose that, we lose everything."
Schneider quickly backtracks and denies accusations
Schneider's reply was viewed hundreds of thousands of times before it was deleted.
Some media outlets reported that the Secret Service, which is entrusted with safeguarding the First Family, had opened an investigation into the matter.
Secret Service spokesman Steven Kopek said the agency was "aware of the comments made by Mr. Schneider" but would not confirm or deny an investigation was underway "as a matter of practice."
"We can say, however, that the Secret Service investigates all threats related to our protectees," Kopek added.
Schneider, meanwhile, told Deadline that his comments were misconstrued.
"I absolutely did not call for an act of violence or threaten a US president as many other celebrities have done in the past," he said. "I suggest you re-read my actual post."
Schneider added that he was "entitled" to have his opinion, adding "that some of our nation's leaders in Washington have lost their way."
Cover photo: Collage: REUTERS & MATTHEW SIMMONS / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP