Libertarian activist Jeremy Kauffman was visited by FBI agents after he wrote a controversial post suggesting that killing VP Kamala Harris would make someone an “American hero.” Kauffman later shared footage of the FBI visit, saying it was an overreaching response to his freedom of speech.
Under U.S. federal law, specifically 18 U.S. Code § 871, making threats to harm or kill the president, vice president, or presidential candidates is a criminal offense, even if claimed as free speech, and “shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.”
Jeremy Kauffman is a tech entrepreneur and advocate for decentralized technology. He invented the LBRY protocol and founded Odysee, a decentralized social media platform. Kauffman previously served as CEO of LBRY Inc. and TopScore, a SaaS company he bootstrapped to process hundreds of millions in service fees. He was an executive director of the Free State Project and holds degrees in physics and computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Kauffman’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Reuters, and Reason. Follow him at https://x.com/jeremykauffman
Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer (Ret) is a Senior Fellow and President of the London Center for Policy Research. With over 35 years of field experience, he’s a Military Operations Training Course graduate who has held key leadership positions in defense intelligence. Lt. Col. Shaffer led Task Force STRATUS IVY and played crucial roles in inter-agency operations with NSA, CIA, and FBI. He served two combat tours in Afghanistan, earning a Bronze Star. As a regular commentator on national security, he has testified before Congress on intelligence issues. Lt. Col. Shaffer retired from the Army in 2011 after 30.5 years of service. Follow him at https://x.com/T_S_P_O_O_K_Y
