Moments after news broke that shots were fired inside the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on April 25, a small Wisconsin brewery rushed to social media with a promotion that has now drawn the attention of federal law enforcement.

Minocqua Brewing Company, owned by Kirk Bangstad in Minocqua, Wisconsin, posted on Facebook at 9:15 p.m. that Saturday night that the brewery almost got “#freebeerday.” The post referenced a “brother or sister in the Resistance” who needed to work on their marksmanship, floated the conspiracy theory that Trump may have faked another assassination attempt for a positive news cycle, and declared the brewery stood ready to pour free beer the day the president dies.

The post also promoted T-shirts reading, “I wish it was free beer day at Minocqua Brewing Company,” and promised the “celebration of life” would be legendary.

The man accused of the actual attack, Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, allegedly traveled cross-country by train before storming a Secret Service checkpoint near the ballroom with a loaded 12-gauge shotgun and other weapons. Allen now faces federal charges including attempting to assassinate the president, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and transporting a firearm across state lines. A judge ordered him held without bail.

That is the real-world backdrop against which a brewery owner decided to turn political violence into a merchandise opportunity.

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Fox News reported Thursday that both the FBI and the Secret Service confirmed they followed up on Bangstad and conducted further investigative steps, including a voluntary interview:

The FBI and Secret Service confirmed they followed up after Minocqua Brewing Company advertised a free beer promotion upon President Trump’s death following the alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. The Secret Service said it follows up on perceived threats against the president and protectees. Federal agents conducted further investigative steps, including a voluntary interview with the individual.

Bangstad livestreamed Thursday evening while two men in suits questioned him about whether he knew anyone who wanted to harm Trump or supported anyone who wanted to harm Trump. The brewery’s original Facebook post promoted shirts reading, “I wish it was free beer day at Minocqua Brewing Company,” and promised a “celebration of life” event that would be “legendary.” The same source material said the brewery later posted a text transcription of a voicemail from someone Bangstad identified as a Secret Service agent, included the agent’s phone number, and urged people to call the number and tell the agent to “stand down.” Cole Allen, 31, faces federal charges including attempting to assassinate the president after allegedly storming a Secret Service checkpoint with a loaded shotgun and other weapons.

That last detail is where this story crossed from ugly political speech into something federal agencies apparently take far more seriously. Bangstad didn’t just celebrate the prospect of a president’s death. According to reporting, he allegedly posted the personal phone number of a Secret Service agent online and encouraged the public to pressure that agent.

Townhall reported on the escalation, noting that Bangstad allegedly shared the voicemail transcript with the agent’s number and wrote that people should ask the Secret Service agent to stand down and “honor his oath”:

Bangstad allegedly shared the voicemail from someone he identified as a Secret Service agent, including the agent’s personal phone number, on social media. He wrote that people should call the number and tell the Secret Service agent to stand down and honor his oath. Multiple conservative commentators flagged the post as potential doxxing of a federal law enforcement officer.

The Heartland Post highlighted the alleged posting of the Secret Service phone number on April 30, and reactions from Robby Starbuck, Ben Yount, and Patrick McIlheran followed on May 1. The concern was not merely that the original post was offensive. The concern was that a federal protective agent’s personal contact information had allegedly been distributed alongside a direct request for people to pressure that agent to back off. That allegation shifted the story from outrage over political rhetoric into a more serious question about interference, intimidation, and federal protective work.

Consider what Bangstad is alleged to have done in sequence. A man with a loaded shotgun tried to kill the president. Within minutes, Bangstad’s brewery celebrated and promoted merchandise tied to that president’s death. When federal agents followed up, as they are obligated to do, Bangstad allegedly responded by posting one of those agents’ phone numbers online and rallying his audience to call and pressure the agent to back off.

The FBI’s Milwaukee Division said in a statement that hateful rhetoric and speech are “despicable” and that threats of violence or terrorism will be investigated. The Secret Service said it was aware of the social media post and does not discuss protective intelligence because of operational security.

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Even the Wisconsin Democratic Party denounced the assassination-related post, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

No charges have been filed against Bangstad as of this writing, and the matter is reportedly ongoing. But there is a meaningful difference between ugly political speech, which is protected, and conduct designed to interfere with federal agents doing their jobs, which is not. Posting a Secret Service agent’s personal phone number and directing people to pressure that agent to “stand down” from a protective investigation sits squarely in the territory that federal prosecutors take very seriously.

A man tried to kill the president with a shotgun. A brewery owner turned it into a T-shirt sale and a public campaign against the agents investigating the threat. Federal law enforcement is now involved. This story is not over.

 

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