Sheriff Clarke: 'Pitchforks and torches time'

This story was originally published on Oct. 15, 2016. 

David A. Clarke Jr. — Milwaukee County’s law-and-order sheriff — lit up social media over the weekend by saying it’s “pitchforks and torches time.”

On Saturday, Clarke, who criticized Black Lives Matter as “an anarchist movement,” posted the tweet calling for popular revolt along with a picture of angry professionals wielding clubs and torches.

“It's incredible that our institutions of gov, WH, Congress, DOJ, and big media are corrupt & all we do is bitch,” Clarke wrote. “Pitchforks and torches time.”

It was one in a string of fiery tweets by Clarke, a surrogate for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. 

On Friday, Clarke pushed a similar theme, tweeting, "The federal gov has lost its healthy fear of the masses and WE THE PEOPLE. It is pitchfork & torches time in America."

Clarke, a Democrat elected four times, also said the government is “infected by corruption” and the “system of justice broke down & ceased to be legitimate” when Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton “destroyed evidence and lied to (FBI) agents.

These posts came as Trump has begun complaining in speeches that the election is rigged and that the media and the Clinton campaign are working in tandem.

Asked Saturday to explain the tweets, Clarke said via email: “Follow on my blog for best up-to-the-minute news and to be sure to cite for readers” where you’re getting your information. He has not addressed the tweet on his blog on Patheos.com.

But he did say late on Saturday that he was being contacted by national media outlets about his call for “pitchforks and torches.”

“Big Media @abcdigital, @GuardianUS and @CNN called,” he wrote. “Should be as interested in reporting on Wikileaks and Clinton corruption than my tweets.”