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Major League Baseball umpire Rob Drake looks into the dugout during the sixth inning of the game between the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers on June 13, 2015, at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. (Leon Halip / Getty Images)

MLB Investigating Longtime Umpire Over Trump Civil War Tweet

By Joe Setyon October 24, 2019 at 2:40pm

Major League Baseball umpire Rob Drake is under fire for a tweet in which he suggested there could be a civil war if President Donald Trump is impeached.

ESPN was the first outlet to report on the substance of Drake’s Tuesday tweet, which he has since deleted.

The MLB umpires union acknowledged the tweet was in fact from Drake, while MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said Wednesday the league would be investigating the matter.

The tweet referenced House Democrats’ ongoing impeachment inquiry, which has been criticized by Trump and Republican lawmakers.

Major league umpire Rob Drake tweeted “I will be buying an AR-15 tomorrow, because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR!!! #MAGA2020”, according to a copy of the tweet obtained by ESPN. MLB says it is aware of it. News: https://t.co/Qf7VMAXEoJ

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 23, 2019

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

According to ESPN, that post followed another one from earlier in the night that read: “You can’t do an impeachment inquiry from the basement of Capital Hill without even a vote! What is going on in this country?”

The MLB Umpires Association did not deny that Drake had posted the controversial tweets.

Do you think Drake's tweet went too far?

“The #MLBUA is aware of Rob Drake’s posting on social media earlier today,” the union said in a statement Wednesday.

“Rob is a passionate individual and an outstanding umpire,” the union added.

“He chose the wrong way to convey his opinion about our great country. His posting does not represent the view of the MLBUA or reflect those of the umpires we represent.”

According to USA Today, Drake has previously posted tweets criticizing former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Drake, 50, became a major league umpire in 2010.

He has worked various playoff games since then, as well as the 2013 All-Star Game and the 2017 World Baseball Classic, according to his bio on MLB.com.

Drake, who co-founded a professional umpire ministry — Calling For Christ — is an Arizona resident.

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Tags:

Donald Trump, Impeachment, MLB, Sports, U.S. News

Joe Setyon

Deputy Managing Editor, Editorial

SummaryMore Biographical InformationRecent PostsContact

Joe Setyon was a deputy managing editor for The Western Journal who had spent his entire professional career in editing and reporting. He previously worked in Washington, D.C., as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine.

@JoeSetyon

Joe Setyon was deputy managing editor for The Western Journal with several years of copy editing and reporting experience. He graduated with a degree in communication studies from Grove City College, where he served as managing editor of the student-run newspaper. Joe previously worked as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine, a libertarian publication in Washington, D.C., where he covered politics and wrote about government waste and abuse.

Birthplace

Brooklyn, New York

Topics of Expertise

Sports, Politics