Comedian Kathy Griffin made headlines earlier this week by taking a photo with a severed head bearing the jowled likeness of climate change denier-in-chief Donald Trump. On top of the public backlash she has received since the photo made the rounds, Griffin has now said the Secret Service has got involved in the matter.
At a press conference in Los Angeles on Friday (June 2), Griffin's lawyer Lisa Bloom revealed that the Secret Service had contacted the comedian and that she had retained a criminal lawyer. Bloom accused Trump and his family of "using their power to target [Griffin]." Trump tweeted on May 31 that Griffin "should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!"
At the press conference, Griffin stood by her claims that the image and accompanying video were parodying the president. "If you don't stand up, you get run over," she said. "What's happening to me has never happened in this great country. A sitting president of the U.S. ... is personally trying to ruin my life forever."
Bloom added, "As a result of the first family bullying her, she has been vilified, getting death threats, fired from multiple jobs and had multiple events cancelled."
Since the photos emerged, Griffin has lost her co-hosting job for CNN's New Year's Eve special and has had five comedy shows cancelled. An endorsement deal with Squatty Potty was also rescinded, along with an invite to a promotional event celebrating U.S. Senator Al Franken's new book Giant of the Senate.
Bloom cited the First Amendment in saying, "Whether or not you get, or like, her artistic expression, in America, Kathy has the right to parody the president. She never imagined it would be misinterpreted as a threat of violence against Trump."
"I'm not laying down for this guy," Griffin said. "I'm going to keep making jokes about this guy."
At a press conference in Los Angeles on Friday (June 2), Griffin's lawyer Lisa Bloom revealed that the Secret Service had contacted the comedian and that she had retained a criminal lawyer. Bloom accused Trump and his family of "using their power to target [Griffin]." Trump tweeted on May 31 that Griffin "should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!"
At the press conference, Griffin stood by her claims that the image and accompanying video were parodying the president. "If you don't stand up, you get run over," she said. "What's happening to me has never happened in this great country. A sitting president of the U.S. ... is personally trying to ruin my life forever."
Bloom added, "As a result of the first family bullying her, she has been vilified, getting death threats, fired from multiple jobs and had multiple events cancelled."
Since the photos emerged, Griffin has lost her co-hosting job for CNN's New Year's Eve special and has had five comedy shows cancelled. An endorsement deal with Squatty Potty was also rescinded, along with an invite to a promotional event celebrating U.S. Senator Al Franken's new book Giant of the Senate.
Bloom cited the First Amendment in saying, "Whether or not you get, or like, her artistic expression, in America, Kathy has the right to parody the president. She never imagined it would be misinterpreted as a threat of violence against Trump."
"I'm not laying down for this guy," Griffin said. "I'm going to keep making jokes about this guy."
