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NATCHEZ — A now ex-employee of U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, is being investigated by federal agents after making social media posts that seem to encourage the shooter of former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally on Saturday.

Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said he received a call from United States Secret Service agents around 11 a.m. Sunday needing assistance locating Jacqueline Marsaw of Natchez, who resigned from her position shortly after what transpired Saturday.

Marsaw made several posts on her personal Facebook page after the Trump shooting that sparked national criticism, including “That’s what your hate speech got you!!” and “I don’t condone violence but please get you some shooting lessons so you don’t miss next time ooops that wasn’t me talking.”

She has since taken the posts down, but not before screenshots of them were shared by critics of her and of the congressman.

“I got overwhelmed in the moment. I am a diehard Democrat,” Marsaw said Saturday evening. She added her post was meant for its comic value and not to be taken seriously.

Marsaw was formerly a case worker and field office manager at Thompson’s Natchez office that services Adams, Amite, Franklin, and Wilkinson counties.

Thompson, a Democrat, represents Mississippi’s Second District in the U.S. House of Representatives and is the former chairman of the House Jan. 6 Select Committee. He also in April — in the midst of Trump’s criminal hush money trial — sponsored H.R. 8081 which calls for the termination of United States Secret Service protection for felons.

Thompson issued a statement on X shortly after Trump was injured in the shooting.

“There is no room in American democracy for political violence. I am grateful for law enforcement’s fast response to this incident. I am glad the former President is safe, and my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved,” Thompson wrote.

Patten said Marsaw fully complied with the federal agents who came to investigate her Sunday and seemed remorseful.

“She came to my office but the agent requested that we go to her residence,” Patten said. “That is normal procedure, that way they can do a site visit of the home of the individual who made potential threats.”

When asked if he thought Marsaw bore any malicious intent toward the former President, Patten said, “I do not. Anybody who knows Jackie knows she is passionate about what she does and gets emotional, sometimes to the point where she makes outbursts like she had when she made the post on social media. She was very remorseful and told the agents that what she did was unwarranted and uncalled for. She continued to apologize throughout the entire 45-minute interview.

“Marsaw let the agent know she had reached out to the congressman and that she had resigned her position.”

Patten said Marsaw’s social media post included a “veiled threat” on the former president or implied threat using indirect language that violated U.S. Code 879, which is punishable with up to five years in prison.

Marsaw’s case “will be turned over to the Attorney General and sent up to Washington, D.C.” to decide whether charges are pursued, Patten said. He added Marsaw does not possess any weapons and “I don’t think she has the means, ability, funds or is physically in any position to make an attempt on any current or former president’s life.”

All threats or potential threats made to officials on social media or other means are investigated seriously and not just from people employed by officials or who are in leadership positions, Patten said.

“Do not go on social media talking recklessly or making threats on past or present presidents, the congressmen or anybody,” he said. “If you’re thinking it, don’t put it online and don’t say it. The government takes this seriously. They will show up, you will get questioned, and there is a chance you will go to jail taking your exercise of freedom of speech too far. If they question you about one incident, if you make a false statement to a federal agent, you can get up to five years in federal prison for that. You don’t want the feds showing up to your door.”

Patten added the political unrest in the country has ramped up too far long before the attempted assassination of former President Trump.

“I don’t condone violence on any side from anybody, Democrat, Republican or Independent. Our current political environment has ramped things so high that people seem to have lost their civility dealing with politics. We don’t need people to turn violent. We need them to get out and vote. … We as a community, state and nation need to dial it back. … It is not your right to take someone else’s life. America should realize that we are better than that as a nation.

“We need to pray and go vote. I’m glad the former president survived this incident because there’s no telling what would happen to this country if he didn’t.”

Trump was injured Saturday with blood on his cheek and his ear but his campaign has said he is “fine” and all events would continue as scheduled.

One rally attendee sitting behind Trump, identified as 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, was killed and two others were critically wounded when a shooter opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

FBI suspects 20-year-old Pennsylvania native Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was also killed by returned fire. Agents are calling the shooting an assassination attempt. Explosives were also reportedly found in a van nearby.