A Democratic candidate for Ohio Attorney General is receiving backlash after making comments about killing President Donald Trump through legal conviction and “capital punishment.”
Elliot Forhan is a former state representative who is set to appear on the Democratic primary ballot for Attorney General against John Kulewicz in May. Kulewicz is a longtime member of the Columbus-based law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease.
Forhan started a firestorm on social media Tuesday after saying he planned to “kill Donald Trump.”
“I want to tell you what I mean when I say I am going to kill Donald Trump,” Forhan said in a video posted to his Facebook page. “I mean I’m going to obtain a conviction, rendered by a jury of his peers, at a standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, based on evidence presented at a trial, conducted in accordance with the requirements of due process, resulting in a sentence, duly executed, of capital punishment.”
In a statement posted on social media, Kulewicz condemned Forhan’s comments.
“The comments today from my potential primary opponent are disgraceful,” Kulewicz said. “The AG is the chief law officer of our state, a serious responsibility, not a political game. The AG must take the law and judicial process seriously.”
Forhan did not walk back his statements when asked about them on Wednesday.
“If Donald Trump tries again to end American democracy, then as Ohio Attorney General, I will hold him accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Forhan told the Capital Journal.
In comments to Gongwer earlier on Wednesday, Forhan pointed to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to interrupt the 2020 presidential election certification process. Forhan told the outlet the president “did not face justice for that.”
Charges in the election interference case against Trump were dismissed at the request of federal prosecutors because after Trump had been elected president a second time and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that presidents hold constitutional immunity for official acts.
Republican members of the Ohio legislature, along with other Republican elected officials, rushed to social media to denounce the comments.
State Auditor Keith Faber, a Republican candidate for Attorney General, called on Democratic candidates and leaders to “call (Forhan) out for such conduct.” He also called for “political calm” in a video statement posted to X.
“Tamp down the rhetoric, let’s keep everybody safe,” Faber said. “Ultimately, if we keep inflaming tensions, somebody’s going to get hurt.”
Forhan didn’t respond to Faber’s comments about him, instead criticizing an opinion piece Faber wrote (and referenced in his video post) on ICE presence in Minnesota, where two people have been killed by federal agents amid protests.
“Mr. Faber is telling Ohioans that, if elected, he will let Trump get away with murder,” Forhan said. “Ohio voters should take Mr. Faber at his word.”
Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou posted a statement to X saying he was shown an “outrageous and extreme post,” referencing the Forhan video, one which he called “unhinged rhetoric.”
Some social media comments on the Republican statements called for Forhan’s arrest. He told the Capital Journal he feels he was within his rights to make such statements.
“I broke no law,” Forhan said. “The core of the protections of the First Amendment is political speech.”
The former representative said he’s grateful to have received support from Democrats in Ohio on Tuesday and Wednesday.
When asked for comment on Forhan and the social media posts, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde simply said “there’s no place for political violence of any kind.”
Forhan had his share of controversy as a state representative and after losing his bid for re-election, leading to an ongoing defamation suit he filed against the current Ohio Attorney General, along with former and current legislators.
Originally published by the Ohio Capital Journal. Republished here with permission.