Umpire Rob Drake Says He Will Buy Gun If Donald Trump Is Impeached, MLB Investigating

Major League Baseball is investigating umpire Rob Drake after he tweeted, then deleted, what could be interpreted as a threat, saying he would buy a gun and that there would be civil war if Donald Trump is impeached, ESPN reports.

“I will be buying an AR-15 tomorrow, because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR!!! #MAGA2020,” he tweeted, misspelling “civil.”

In a second tweet, he also addressed the ongoing impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump.

“You can’t do an impeachment inquiry from the basement of Capital Hill without even a vote! What is going on in this country?” he wrote.

He has since deleted the tweets and deactivated his Twitter account.

As The Hill reports, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has stated that the League is “looking into” the matter but declined to provide further information.

Drake’s union, the Major League Baseball Umpires Association, said in a statement that Drake’s statements do “not represent the view of the MLBUA or reflect those of the umpires we represent.” The union’s statement went on to say that Drake is a “passionate individual” and “outstanding umpire,” but that he didn’t choose the proper way to convey his opinions about “our great country.”

Drake has been an MLB umpire since 1999, and has officiated post-season games in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and officiated the All-Star Game in 2013.

Prior to Tuesday’s tweet, Drake has managed to avoid controversy for anything having to do with his activities off the field. Like all officials in any sport, he’s been accused of blowing some calls here and there, or has been involved in scuffles with players. That includes an incident in 2011, in which Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals made physical contact with him and seemingly spit on him, earning Molina a five-game suspension.

As for his social media history, even though his Twitter account is deactivated, his tweeting history is still known, thanks to archives and screenshots. And this is not the first time he’s made political tweets, according to USA Today.

For example, in August of this year, he responded to a Twitter user who asked Trump supporters to name ways in which Trump is a better president than Barack Obama. Drake responded, “being born in the United States.” Similarly, in a 2018 tweet, he called Hillary Clinton a “F*cking liar” and demanded to know what really happened at “benghazzi,” misspelling Benghazi.

As of this writing, Drake has not publicly commented on his “cival war” tweet.