Jemele Hill, a reporter for The Atlantic, found herself in hot water Wednesday for tweeting a reference to civil rights leader Malcolm X’s assassination with regard to President Donald Trump.
Hill tweeted on Wednesday that she wished New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had yelled, “Getcho hand out my pocket,” at Trump during his State of The Union speech. Those exact words were infamously yelled at Malcolm X right before he was assassinated by members of the Nation of Islam. (RELATED: Jemele Hill Doesn’t Think Calling Trump A Racist Is ‘Controversial’)
Hill — who previously accused the president of being a white supremacist — said her tweet was not a call for violence.
Glad you asked. When I tweeted “GETCHO HAND OUT MY POCKET,” in no way was I suggesting any physical harm to the president. I have used this phrase many times in my Twitter history, always in lighthearted ways, and removed from the context of the movie. https://t.co/2uVVCvVfAr
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) February 6, 2019
“In no way was I suggesting any physical harm to the president,” Hill said. “I have used this phrase many times in my Twitter history, always in lighthearted ways.”
Hill provided examples of other tweets where she has used the phrase.
So, FYI .. i literally have used GETCHO HAND OUT OF MY POCKET a bunch of other times on Twitter, and always in a manner where you want to escape or distract from a situation. Never in a way that was harmful or malicious. pic.twitter.com/Hk7JLvwrdV
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) February 7, 2019
Donald Trump Jr. criticized The Atlantic for not taking action against Hill.
“Is this acceptable from one of your writers,” Trump Jr. asked. “Do you condone it? Or will your inevitable inaction speak for itself? Asking for rational Americans.”
The Secret Service is aware of Hill’s tweet, according to a report from the Washington Examiner.