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  • 2 days ago
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00:00Another man charged with making threats against President Trump
00:03Derek Lopez, a former Illinois State University teaching assistant, was arrested for allegedly
00:09making threats against President Donald Trump following a month-long FBI and Secret Service
00:13investigation. Lopez had gained attention after a viral campus incident involving Turning Point
00:19USA. He appeared in court Wednesday after being taken into custody in a joint operation with
00:25Federal and University Police. FBI Director Kash Patel called the alleged threats heinous
00:30and stressed that violence or threats against Americans, especially public officials, will
00:35not be tolerated. The threats against President Trump allegedly posted by this individual are
00:41heinous and have no place in American society, Patel said. Let this be a message to all who
00:47consider threats of violence not just against public officials, but any American, that this
00:52FBI will find you and bring you to justice. I want to thank our local partners, the El
00:58Paso PD in Illinois, as well as the Secret Service, who assisted us with this case. Lopez first
01:04gained attention this fall in a viral video showing him approaching a Turning Point USA
01:08table promoting political comedian Alex Stein, referencing the Bible, and then flipping it
01:13over. Well, you know Jesus did it. So you know I gotta do it, right? He said. After flipping
01:20the table, he added, thanks guys, have a great day, before walking off. After the viral table
01:25flipping video, Illinois State University removed Derek Lopez as a graduate teaching assistant
01:30and charged him with disorderly conduct and property damage. Authorities have now brought
01:35more serious federal charges for alleged threats against President Trump, though details have not
01:40been released. Lopez remains in custody as the FBI and Secret Service continue their investigation,
01:46with more information expected soon.
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