‘Don from State College’ Threatens to Shoot CNN Reporters During C-SPAN Call

A man identified as ‘Don from State College, PA,’ threatened to shoot CNN reporters Brian Stetler and Don Lemon during an on-air phone call to C-SPAN on Friday.

The caller made the remarks during C-SPAN’s ‘Washington Journal,’ when host Greta Brawner took viewer calls about President Donald Trump’s remarks about the media, which he has repeatedly called ‘the enemy of the people’ and has claimed fabricates stories about his administration.

‘It all started when Trump got elected,’ the caller said, before claiming that Stetler and Lemon had called all Trump supporters racists. ‘They don’t even know us. They don’t even know these Americans out here and they’re calling us racists because we voted for Trump. 

‘Come on, give me a break. They started the war. If I see them, I’m going to shoot ’em. Bye.’

State College police said they had received no formal report about the remarks, only calls from media asking if the department was aware of it.

A C-SPAN spokesperson told the Huffington Post that the network reported the call to the FBI.

Stetler aired the call during CNN’s ‘Reliable Sources’ on Sunday as an example of rising threats against reporters resulting from attacks on the media. 

Stetler said he didn’t believe he was in extreme danger and that colleagues at CNN and other outlets have received worse threats.

‘People at Fox News and other outlets have to deal with this garbage too,’ Stetler said. ‘But these kinds of threats are coming in more often.’

The CNN host further said neither he nor Lemon had ever called all Trump supporters racist and that the comments by ‘Don from State College’ were ‘predicated on a lie.’

Stetler said he didn’t know why the caller believed that but noted on Thursday night Fox News’ Sean Hannity aired an old clip of Stetler asking if racial anxiety was a factor in Trump’s election.

‘Obviously researchers have proven that, yes, racial anxiety and resentment was a factor. But that’s not the same as calling all Trump supporters racist,’ Stetler said. ‘I don’t know if the C-SPAN caller watched Hannity. I’m not blaming Hannity.I just thought the timing was odd.

‘Friday’s phone call on C-SPAN is just a tiny illustration of the threats that are out there.Many journalists who cover politics say they are receiving more and more threats nowadays in the Trump era.’

On Sunday, Trump reiterated in a Tweet on Sunday morning his claim that journalists are ‘the enemy of the people,’ adding, ‘They purposely cause great division & distrust. They can also cause War! They are very dangerous & sick!’