New York Dem backtracks after calling for Trump to be ‘eliminated’

A Democratic state assemblyman from New York walked back comments he made on Twitter calling for President Donald Trump to be “eliminated,” saying he was speaking rhetorically and was referring to the president's impeachment. The state assemblyman, Dov Hikind, sparked outrage on Thursday when he tweeted: “It’s time for Trump to be eliminated.” He was responding to a tweet on the president's plan to use the military to crack down on protests nationwide. Hikind, who has served in the state assembly since 1983, later took to Facebook and said that he was not calling for physical harm to the president but instead was referring to impeachment. In a statement on his Facebook page, Hikind wrote: “I take every opportunity to speak out against Donald Trump. That includes calling for Trump’s impeachment. To be clear: I absolutely did not urge anyone—not even rhetorically—to harm the President.” He continued: “My position remains that Trump should be removed from office through the power of our votes, or—if necessary—through the impeachment process spelled out in the Constitution.” Hikind's comments follow the revelation that federal prosecutors are investigating death threats made against Trump and other public figures.