Ted Nugent Remarks On Obama Draw Secret Service Scrutiny [UPDATED]

UPDATED BELOW:

Rocker Ted Nugent has reportedly earned himself the scrutiny of the Secret Service after saying over the weekend that he would be "dead or in jail by this time next year" if President Barack Obama is re-elected.

(Above, Nugent's responds in an interview with conservative radio show host Dana Loesch)

Nugent made the comments during an interview at the National Rifle Association convention in St. Louis, comparing Obama and his administration to "coyotes" that needed to be shot and encouraging voters to "chop [Democrats'] heads off in November."

(Videos above, via Right Wing Watch)

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who Nugent has endorsed, also spoke at the NRA convention.

The Secret Service is now aware of Nugent's remarks and is taking the appropriate action, Dan Amira of New York Magazine reports. It is customary for the Secret Service to investigate any threatening comments made against the president.

While vitriolic claims about "vile," "evil," "America-hating" Obama aren't new territory for Nugent, they have sparked backlash from various Democrats and Democratically-aligned groups, who are calling on Romney to distance himself from the entertainer.

"We don't expect moderation from Ted Nugent," said Michael Keegan, president of People For the American Way. "But we do expect a major presidential candidate like Mitt Romney to rebuke a prominent supporter for spewing hate-filled and violent rhetoric against the President of the United States."

DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz also weighed in on the controversy.

"Romney surrogate Ted Nugent's comments about Pres. Obama are vile & beyond the pale -- and the Romney campaign should denounce them immediately," the Florida congresswoman tweeted.

UPDATE -- 2:40 p.m.:

The DNC followed up with an online petition encouraging people to tell Romney to denounce "Nugent's hateful speech." They also released a web video hammering Nugent's position as a "surrogate for Mitt Romney."

Romney spokesperson Andrea Saul has also weighed in the matter.

"Divisive language is offensive no matter what side of the political aisle it comes from," she said, according to Talking Points Memo. "Mitt Romney believes everyone needs to be civil."

UPDATE -- 4:45 p.m.:

Nugent gave an interview to conservative radio host Dana Loesch Tuesday, reportedly standing by his comments and calling them "100 percent positive," The New York Times reports.

Loesch also tweeted out some of Nugent's remarks from the broadcast:

@DLoesch
Dana Loesch

"The Secret Service are my buddies, they work for me. I pay their salary." - Nugent #dlrs

April 17, 2012 7:37 pm via TweetDeck Reply Retweet Favorite

@DLoesch
Dana Loesch

"I've never in my life threatened anyone's life." - Nugent #dlrs

April 17, 2012 7:40 pm via TweetDeck Reply Retweet Favorite

@DLoesch
Dana Loesch

"I think Mitt Romney's already denounced my guitar playing because it's too sexy." -Nugent #dlrs

April 17, 2012 7:46 pm via TweetDeck Reply Retweet Favorite

UPDATE -- 7:30 p.m.:

The rest of Loesch's interview with Nugent has been released:

"I'm a black Jew at a Nazi-Klan rally," the rock star complained to Loesch. "And there are some power-abusing, corrupt monsters in our federal government that despise me because I have the audacity to speak the truth."

Nugent continued: "I spoke at the NRA and will stand by my speech. It's 100 percent positive. It's about we the people taking back our American dream from the corrupt monsters in the federal government under this administration, the communist czars he has appointed."

Later in the radio interview, Nugent went after Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who condemned Nugent's remarks on Tuesday as she called on Romney to answer for the rocker's rhetoric with a DNC petition and web video.

"Wasserman Schultz is such a brain-dead, soulless idiot," Nugent told Loesch. "I could not be more proud that this soulless, heartless idiot feebly attempts to find fault with Ted Nugent, because I am on the right track and she just encourages me to stand stronger."

Nugent also compared Wasserman Schultz and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to "varmints."

"Varmints are sometimes clever, but they're really easy to outmaneuver," Nugent said, before calling Pelosi a "sub-human scoundrel."

Nugent also weighed in on Mitt Romney's campaign's response to his remarks. Romney himself has not commented, but campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul deemed Nugent's words "offensive."

"I think Mitt Romney's already denounced my guitar playing because it's too sexy," Nugent said. "Mitt Romney knows what I'm saying is true. He puts it in the words for him, I put in the words for me."

Read the whole post on his response here.

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[pipedaddy198]

04:53 PM on 09/26/2012

Old Ted IS kind of a goofball ....... But you should never underestimate a goofball ( They get elected PRESIDENT ) !!!!!!

[altfinish]

01:59 PM on 08/28/2012

Our government has mismanaged this country to the point of 16 trillion dollars and has done so in our face with a counter showing us for years and nothing has been done. Now the government does not even make a budget and we watch with out any reaction. As long as we accept this type of governing they will continue. Obama needs to be replaced is Romney the guy I ma not sure we have be told election after election that it will change and hope and every year we are lied to and we keep taking it. We all know that natural gas is cleaner, cheaper and American but for 40 years we have No energy plan. With out energy we die and yet we protect the worlds oil supply with our men and women. Why? For our security no Why?
When we replace every politician in office is a start, if we do not change all den and rep it will not change that is why voting is so important, they all must be changed do it or we will loose it. Ted Nugent is an example of frustration fight back with the vote to avoid what Syria is going through it is faster, safer, better for the Nation this is the change we must take or collaps.

Jaconi

[piperflyer]

12:55 AM on 04/30/2012

"Rocker Ted Nugent has reportedly earned himself the scrutiny of the Secret Service...."

He will appear at the secret service brothel tomorrow morning.

[alberich1]

05:27 PM on 04/28/2012

Hope springs eternal.

[lookingforintegrity]

11:27 AM on 04/24/2012

http://my.auburnjournal.com/detail/206078.html

Here's an interview with Mr. Nugent that tells us who this guy is. Republicans, this is who you are so proud of, this is the guy Romney is thrilled to have as a supporter. Scum.

[Torker]

02:19 AM on 05/28/2012

When you appeal to Republicans it is a waste of time. They ALL love people like Nugent. So sick!

[HalalHamSandwich]

12:56 AM on 04/23/2012

When I was at MEPS, going through my enlistment physical, there were a number of people who weren't even American citizens going through the same ordeal right along with me. You see, military service is a means of gaining citizenship. What does it say about the Motor City Moron and others like him that a bunch of foreigners are better Americans than they are? Of course, Nugent and friends are free to complain, thanks to the system they did NOTHING to uphold.

[frenchchampagne]

10:22 PM on 04/22/2012

Nugent has an over inflated ego who thinks all the trouble he went through to be a "draft dodger" is going to endear him to the American people. He is the most disgusting piece of feces on the planet.

[ProCommonsense]

10:09 PM on 04/22/2012

Ted, I might be only one person and my comments may not carry much weight, but I agree with you and what you say about Obama 100%. That slug has got to go before he has a chance to do any more damage to Our Country.

[Martin Labut]

03:47 PM on 04/22/2012

soldier. As the Rutland Herald reported, Here's what Nugent said he would have done if he went to Vietnam:

"... if I would have gone over there, I'd have been killed, or I'd have killed, or I'd kill all the hippies in the foxholes ... I would have killed everybody," he told the Detroit Free Press in an interview published July 15, 1990."

The Herald also noted that Nugent's efforts to avoid the draft make President Bush look like a war hero.

(Nugent claims) that 30 days before his Draft Board Physical, he stopped all forms of personal hygiene. The last 10 days he ingested nothing but junk food and Pepsi, and a week before his physical, he stopped using the bathroom altogether, virtually living inside his pants caked with excrement and urine. That spectacle won Nugent a deferment.

[Machinistscott]

07:33 PM on 04/22/2012

What a brave American patriot :)

[Martin Labut]

03:38 PM on 04/22/2012

I believe there should be a campaign to make Nugent number one trending. It should be about his Vietnam evading cowardness. To avoid being drafted he gave up bathing for a month and then crapping and peeing himself before his draft interview. What a real American.

[KevinGregg]

03:11 PM on 04/22/2012

Ted Nugent is an egomaniac, pure and simple. And like all self worshipers he's full of feces. He says If Obama is still president this time next year, Nugent will be dead or in jail. Give me a break. The Secret Service can rest easy. All Nugent will do is what he always does, make a lot of egomaniacal noise.

[Machinistscott]

07:38 PM on 04/22/2012

It's not him, it's the whacked out "patriot" that is inspired by his hateful rhetoric.
Sad thing is this a$$hat has a badge. I would love to see that and his gun ownership rights yanked for his terroristic threats.
He is apparently racking up the violations for not following the hunting laws.

[altfinish]

02:09 PM on 08/28/2012

You just dont know what Ted will do, he is mad and maybe at his wits end people are tired of the lies.

Jaconi

[gcohen8844]

07:15 AM on 04/22/2012

Agree 1000%

[yankhadenuf]

07:26 AM on 04/21/2012

This is why people have to learn to vote with their dollars, STOP BUYING NUGENT PRODUCTS!!!

[yankhadenuf]

07:05 AM on 04/21/2012

The only good thing about this, he is on Mitt Romney's side ;)

[AJMONSTER]

02:36 AM on 04/21/2012

Why is anyone listening to this draft dodging, gun addicted, "one hit wonder"? The disgusting bile that comes out of his mouth is almost as bad as his music. Almost.