John Washington III on the Threat Against the FBI Director: 'The Answer Is Not to Threaten the Government. The Answer Is to Make the Government Answer to the People'

John Washington III drew a hard line between protest and threats on Saturday, responding to the charge against a Michigan man accused of threatening to kill FBI Director Kash Patel. Every American has the right to challenge their government, criticize elected officials and speak out against corruption, John Washington III wrote, but, he said, "there is a big difference between standing up for your rights and threatening someone's life."

"I do not support threats, violence, or intimidation against anyone," John Washington III wrote, "whether they're an ordinary citizen, a police officer, an FBI director, or the president of the United States." He paired the condemnation with a challenge to the institutions themselves: "I also do not support a government that expects respect without accountability," he wrote, adding that nobody should be above the law, "and that includes the people enforcing it."

John Washington III said the case raises a question beyond the charge itself: when citizens grow frustrated with their government, the country should ask why so many Americans are losing trust in institutions created to serve and protect them. His prescription, as he laid it out, is to protect freedom of speech, uphold due process, demand transparency and hold public officials accountable without resorting to violence. "The answer is not to threaten the government," John Washington III 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."