Government employees including a Democrat congressional staffer and a purported FBI employee took to social media to express dismay that Saturday’s assassination attempt against former President Trump was unsuccessful.
After a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania political rally on Saturday, social media posts expressed sentiments like “don’t miss next time” and “so close.”
FBI Staffer: ‘So Close’
Jenna Howell, who is a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employee, according to a former FBI analyst who spoke with The Federalist, took to Facebook to express apparent regret that the gunman failed to assassinate Trump.
“The memes…the memes are gold,” Howell wrote in a Facebook comment. She shared an image depicting the grim reaper attempting to pick Trump out of a claw machine captioned “AWWW SO CLOSE.”
Howell appeared to criticize social media users expressing grief and outrage over the political violence, writing, “Y’all gun-toting, 2nd Amendment-loving hillbillies better just sit down and stay quiet unless you’re gonna change your mind on gun control.”
Law enforcement has provided no official information on how Crooks obtained the firearm.
Former FBI analyst Chris Toompas told The Federalist that Howell is a former NICS Firearms Background Check Unit employee, the unit that decides whether Americans are permitted to obtain firearms. She is now assigned to the FBI’s Identity Research Department, according to Toompas.
Toompas, who said he worked with Howell before the Covid-19 pandemic, spoke with The Federalist about her history.
“The only thing leftists love to do is hate those who disagree with them, and in this instance, wish for their death,” Toompas said, adding that he was terminated from the FBI for refusing to comply with the Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
“I went to Facebook during my suspension to voice my disdain for the mandate and share my suspension story,” Toompas explained. “When I did so, [Howell] threatened to report me to the FBI for violating the FBI’s Facebook policy. The irony.”
Howell’s posts have since been removed from her Facebook page.
Congressional Staffer: ‘Get Shooting Lessons’
Jacqueline Marsaw, who was hired as a field representative by Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson in 2023, shared her disappointment that Trump was not killed in a series of Facebook posts Saturday night.
“I don’t condone violence but please get you some shooting lessons so you don’t miss next time,” Marsaw wrote. The post was apparently directed at alleged gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was shot and killed by law enforcement after opening fire.
Crooks, 20, wounded Trump and killed a local father, whose daughter said he died shielding her from the gunfire. Crooks seriously injured two others.
“That’s what your hate speech got you!!” Marsaw posted. She later criticized Trump supporters who spoke out against her posts, claiming they “can’t see the wrong that he does.”
Marsaw identified herself as a “CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST” and listed Thompson’s office as her place of employment. She deleted the posts, captured by the Magnolia Tribune, later that evening. Her account appeared deleted as of Sunday afternoon.
Marsaw was fired following the posts.
“I was made aware of a post made by a staff member and she is no longer in my employment,” Thompson said in a statement on Sunday.
Thompson also tweeted a response to the assassination attempt on Saturday evening and expressed he was “glad the former President is safe.”
The congressman, however, had previously introduced a bill to terminate Trump’s Secret Service protection. Thompson introduced the “DISGRACED Former Protectees Act” in April to ensure the former president would receive no “special treatment” following potential felony convictions resulting from Democrats’ lawfare.
Thompson did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment regarding how he views his DISGRACE Act in light of Saturday’s assassination attempt against former President Trump.
