Rep. Keisling Apologizes for Sending Email About Fake Obama Assassination

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- Republican state Rep. Kelly Keisling has attraced national attention and been denounced by Democrats for circulating a rumor on his state email account that President Obama is planning a fake assassination attempt as an excuse to impose martial law in the United States, The Commercial Appeal reports.

The lawmaker did not respond to the paper, but he issued a statement through House Republican Caucus spokesman Brent Leatherwood:

"Earlier this week, I forwarded an email from my legislative office that should not have been sent out. The message was inappropriate for distribution. I regret the error and pledge to be more cautious regarding the information distributed from my office in the future."

The email was sent to Keisling's constituents in state House Distric 38, which includes Clay, Jackson, Pickett and Scott counties. It began with a note from his legislative assistant that said, "Representative Keisling would like to share this information with you."

The email then went on to say that Department of Homeland Security agents and other federal officials are planning a "staged assassination attempt" on the life of President Obama that would be blamed on white supremacists and used to cause black and Hispanic communities across the country to riot, the paper says.

The email continued, "The objective would be to stir up enough racial unrest to justify the imposition of martial law in major urban cities, including erecting DHS checkpoints, restricting travel, and delaying (possibly indefinitely) the November 2012 elections," according to The Commercial Appeal.

Leatherwood said Keisling instructed a legislative assistant to forward the email through to constituents through his state email account.

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