Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party suspended deputy communications director William Davis for a week without pay in response to his "unacceptable" social media post that spoke of bringing Republicans to the "guillotines."
Davis responded to a Facebook post that said "11.6 We take back our country" with "11.7 Bring them to the guillotines."
"It is completely inconsistent with the standards we hold our employees to," DFL executive director Corey Day said of Davis' post. "I have spoken with Will and about our social media standards and our expectation that he use appropriate judgement when commenting and posting. He regrets the post and has deleted it."
Day also said Davis' comment, in which he referenced the preferred execution method of the French Revolution, was "an inside joke among former co-workers."
A spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, Preya Samsundar, said the comments made by Davis exacerbate a volatile political climate in which Republicans have been targeted with violence.
"In a time where Republicans are being targeted for their stance on the issues, the comments made by the Minnesota DFL’s deputy communications director seemingly perpetuate the belief that violence against one’s opponent – especially if they are conservative – is acceptable," Samsundar said.
Davis' comment came shortly after former Attorney General Eric Holder offered a revised version of Michelle Obama's "When they go low, we go higher," saying last week, "When Republicans go low, we kick them."
Rep. Steve Scalise (R., La.), who was shot in 2017 by a gunman targeting Republicans, said Holder's comments were a threat to democracy.
"When Democratic leaders like Eric Holder call for violence, that is a direct threat to our democracy," Scalise said. "I hope [Holder] and others think long and hard about the world they are creating and the impact they are leaving on this country."
Members of the DFL include lawmakers Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn), Rep. Keith Ellison (D., Minn) and Sen. Tina Smith (D., Minn.).