Springfield Man Charged Federally With Making Social Media Threats Against Donald Trump, Republicans, Police

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – A Springfield man is facing federal charges after he posted threats on TikTok against Donald Trump, other Republicans and police.

According to federal court documents, on July 31, Justin White posted a video on TikTok in which he said:

“This goes for every Republican. If you don’t start playing fair with these votes, I’m going to start showing up with guns, I promise you. I’m going to show you what real (EXPLETIVE) violence is, and I’m not afraid to kill you or a (EXPLETIVE) cop. So if you want to play dirty with the votes this year, in 2024, remember where I come from, we’re blue collar. So if you Republicans don’t start playing fair, this year there’s going to be guns and violence.”

The caption under the video read: “This is a message to Donald Trump and Republicans. If you don’t play…”

Investigators say White posted three similar, explicit messages on his Facebook page on Aug. 22, threatening to kill police officers. One of the posts included a photo of a gun and ammunition.

Federal investigators say White is known to Springfield police because he has posted similar videos in the past.

On Aug. 29, federal investigators searched White’s home and arrested him. Authorities recovered the gun and 100 bullets.

During a post-Miranda interview, White told investigators that his hatred of police began with TikTok and YouTube videos of officers being aggressive or brutal. He also recalled being involved in a shootout with a police officer when he was a teenager in St. Louis.

According to the FBI, White posted on Facebook because he was angry after he believed he saw a police officer pull up to his home and look at his cars. White said he got into an argument with someone about politics on TikTok before he posted the video.

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