Overview
- The Minocqua Brewing Company, following Saturday's shooting outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner, posted on Facebook that it 'almost got #freebeerday' and repeated a pledge to pour free beer if President Donald Trump dies.
- The Democratic Party of Wisconsin called the post 'completely unacceptable' and urged a retraction, with several Democratic candidates and officials also issuing public denunciations.
- Owner Kirk Bangstad defended the messages in subsequent posts, attacking 'Corporate Dems' and suggesting the recent assassination attempts were 'questionably/arguable fake,' claims that lack evidence.
- Federal authorities identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, and said he faces charges that include using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer.
- The brewery has marketed merchandise tied to a 'free beer day' and Trump's death, and reporting has resurfaced on Bangstad's prior defamation judgment and alleged opaque Super PAC spending, feeding bipartisan backlash and fresh scrutiny of his political operations.