Brandon Griesemer, a 19-year-old grocery store clerk from Novi, Michigan, made at least 22 threatening calls to CNN’s Atlanta headquarters. Beyond threatening to shoot and kill CNN employees, he used racial and ethnic slurs for black and Jewish people. CNN correspondent Don Lemon made it known there was "nothing random" about this occurrence and said President Donald Trump should be held accountable.

“Fake news. I’m coming to gun you all down,” Griesemer allegedly said during one call to the network’s Atlanta headquarters, according to the affidavit. In another call, he said, “I am on my way right now to gun the f‑‑‑in’ CNN cast down. F‑‑‑ you.”

Lemon said, “The caller who threatened to kill CNN employees made his threat using these words: ‘Fake news. I’m coming to gun you all down.'” He then paused before reflecting: “Fake news. I wonder where he got those words.”

According to The Washington Post, Trump has tweeted the term “fake news” at least 50 times since his 2017 inauguration. He even tweeted the term Tuesday morning despite news of the threats against CNN becoming public Monday evening.

“People take that message seriously,” Lemon said. “And if one of us is hurt . . . it won’t be a fake injury or, sadly, a fake death. It’ll be real. And how will you answer those questions then, not only from journalists but from our loved ones? Because you’re going to have to do it. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen. Let’s hope you see the error of your ways.” 

Brandon Griesemer has since been arrested and released (sounds about white), being charged, arrested, and released all in a single day. According to The Intercept, Griesemer is a bigot who has made his way around the bigotry block a time or two. Last September, he was reported to have made similarly ugly calls to an Ann Arbor Islamic center. 

Despite Trump inserting his unwanted two cents into everything with a tweet, he has yet to make a public statement about Brandon Griesemer. 

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