A St. John’s man says the RCMP questioned him about an alleged Facebook threat against U.S. President Donald Trump and warned that he could face a permanent ban on entering the United States.

Alex O’Driscoll told CBC/Radio-Canada reporter Patrick Butler that he does not remember writing the comment and cannot check it because he deleted his Facebook account about a year and a half ago. No travel ban was confirmed in the reporting.

O’Driscoll said he found an RCMP investigator’s business card taped to his front door on Oct. 30. When he called, the officer told him the U.S. Secret Service had flagged a comment from his former account.

During a 10-minute interview on Nov. 2, O’Driscoll said, the investigator described a Facebook post asking what Canadians would do if Trump tried to take over Canada. The officer told him he had responded, “shoot him [Trump] on sight.”

O’Driscoll said he does not deny writing the words but does not recall doing so. He said he asked for proof and was told the investigator did not have it.

The dog groomer, who said he does not own a gun, told CBC/Radio-Canada that the officer concluded he was not a threat but warned he might be barred from entering the U.S. permanently.

The Secret Service did not respond to Radio-Canada’s request for information about how often it refers social media comments about Trump to Canadian police. The RCMP declined to provide a referral count and could not say how many such investigations had resulted in charges.

“The RCMP takes all threats against public officials seriously,” national spokesperson Camille Boily-Lavoie said in a written response.

O’Driscoll said he understood why police had to investigate and viewed his experience as a warning to be careful about posting online.

Sources