Bellarmine University Instructor on Leave Following ‘Offensive’ Trump Assassination Comments

A Bellarmine University instructor was placed on unpaid leave Monday following an "offensive and unacceptable social media post" he made regarding the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

The employee was English faculty member John James, a university spokesperson told WHAS11 News.

"Words and actions that condone violence are unacceptable and contrary to our values, which call for respecting the intrinsic value and dignity of every individual," the university said. "We strive to create an inclusive community that welcomes and models a spirit of goodwill."

In his social media post, James wrote, "If you're gonna shoot, man, don't miss," next to a screenshot of an article about the attempted assassination that took place over the weekend in Pennsylvania. The post was widely shared by Libs of TikTok on X.

Hours following the university's announcement of James' suspension, a bomb threat was emailed to dozens on campus claiming explosive devices were placed in the cafeteria and library "in the name of Donald Trump," according to WDRB News. A partial evacuation was ordered, but Louisville police ultimately deemed the threat "not credible" after conducting a sweep of the school.

James isn't the only one to come under scrutiny for comments about the shooting in recent days.

The University of British Columbia in Canada is also investigating a social media post by a professor of medicine that seemed to express regret that the shooter's assassination attempt had failed.

Additionally, an Oklahoma cop is facing an internal investigation over a controversial Facebook post he made following the shooting.