John Washington III Says Threats Are Not the Answer and the Government Must Answer to the People
Responding to the charge against a Michigan man accused of threatening FBI Director Kash Patel, John Washington III, a 2028 presidential candidate, said he does not support threats or violence against anyone, and argued that declining trust in government institutions is itself a problem leaders must address.
John Washington III, a 2028 presidential candidate, has responded to the case of a Michigan man charged with allegedly threatening to kill FBI Director Kash Patel by drawing a line between challenging the government and threatening a life. "There is a big difference between standing up for your rights and threatening someone's life," he wrote. "I do not support threats, violence, or intimidation against anyone, whether they're an ordinary citizen, a police officer, an FBI director, or the president of the United States."
John Washington III argued that the case should also prompt a harder question about trust. "When citizens become frustrated with their government, we should be asking why," he wrote. "Why are so many Americans losing trust in the very institutions that were created to serve and protect them?" Government, he wrote, "is supposed to work for the people, not the other way around," and he said he does not support "a government that expects respect without accountability."
John Washington III called for protecting freedom of speech, upholding due process, demanding transparency and holding public officials accountable without resorting to violence. "The answer is not to threaten the government," he wrote. "The answer is to make the government answer to the people." He closed by saying Americans deserve "a government they can trust, not one they fear or feel powerless against."
