Ted Nugent, 'Motor City Madman,' had 'solid' meeting with Secret Service
Nugent, who told NRA supporters in St. Louis last week that he would be 'dead or in jail' next year if Obama was reelected, said in a statement that he had 'met with two fine, professional Secret Service agents' in Oklahoma.
Ted Nugent performs at a concert at the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada in this file image from 2007.
Steve Marcus/Reuters
OKLAHOMA CITY
Musician and gun-rights advocate聽Ted聽Nugent聽said on Thursday he had a positive meeting with聽U.S. Secret Service聽agents investigating his recent criticism of PresidentBarack Obama, and the agency confirmed the issue had been resolved.
Nugent, who told NRA supporters in聽St. Louis聽last week that he would be "dead or in jail" next year if Obama was reelected, said in a statement that he had "met with two fine, professional Secret Service agents" in聽Oklahoma.
"Good, solid, professional meeting concluding that I have never made any threats of violence towards anyone. The meeting could not have gone better," the 63-year-old singer and guitarist said. He was due to perform a concert in聽Ardmore,聽Oklahoma聽on Thursday.
The Secret Service, which is tasked with protecting the U.S. president, senior officials and other figures, confirmed the meeting with聽Nugent.
"The Secret Service interview of聽Ted聽Nugent聽has been completed," agency spokesman聽Brian Learysaid. "The issue has been resolved. The Secret Service does not anticipate any further action."
Earlier Leary said the agency respected freedom of speech, but also had a responsibility to "investigate intent."
Nugent, a聽Michigan-born conservative who has endorsed Obama's presumed Republican challenger in the November elections, Mitt Romney, drew Secret Service attention with his blunt remarks about Obama and administration officials at the NRA event.
"We need to ride into that battlefield and chop their heads off in November,"聽Nugent聽said at the convention.
U.S. Representative聽Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Convention, responded earlier this week, saying "threatening violence - or whatever it is that聽Nugent's threatening - is clearly beyond the pale."
A Romney spokeswoman said the Republican candidate believed "everyone needs to be civil," but stopped short of condemning聽Nugent's original remarks.
Nugent聽is best known for hit 1970s songs such as "Cat Scratch Fever" and "Motor City Madhouse."聽