OAN Staff Blake Wolf
10:54 AM – Monday, November 4, 2024
JD Vance relayed Donald Trump’s frustration over the killing of internet star, P’Nut the Squirrel, a viral sensation known for his funny antics and ability to perform tricks. The squirrel was seized and euthanized by New York State officials last week.
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Owner Mark Longo ran the Instagram account @peanut_thesquirrel12, which amassed 692,000 followers. He had taken care of the squirrel for seven years, rescuing it after witnessing its mother being hit and killed by a car in New York City.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) explained that the investigation took place out of the potential for human-rabies exposure.
“DEC seized a raccoon and squirrel sharing a residence with humans, creating the potential for human exposure to rabies. In addition, a person involved with the investigation was bitten by the squirrel. To test for rabies, both animals were euthanized. The animals are being tested for rabies and anyone who has been in contract with these animals is strongly encouraged to consult their physician,” the DEC stated.
P’nut’s death reached the MAGA movement, which even “fired up” former President Trump, Vance (R-Ohio) announced.
“I know Don’s fired up about P’nut the Squirrel,” stated Vance at a North Carolina rally on Sunday.
“He was like, ‘You know, is it really the case that the Democrats murdered the Elon Musk of squirrels?’” Vance continued. “Have you seen the videos of this squirrel? He’s, like, a genius. Or he was.”
“The same government that doesn’t care about hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant criminals coming into our country, doesn’t want us to have pets. It’s the craziest thing,” he added.
Elon Musk also took part in backlash, choosing to feature an AI generated image of a Jedi Squirrel with the caption “‘If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine’ Obi PNut Kenobi.”
“Government overreach kidnapped an orphan squirrel and executed him,” Musk continued.
New York State law requires individuals to acquire a license if they wish to own a wild animal, which Longo revealed he was in the process of obtaining an educational certification for the squirrel.
“It’s not only torn my family apart, but Peanut was the cornerstone of our non-profit animal rescue,” Longo stated. “And 10 to 12 DEC officers raided my house as if I was a drug dealer. I sat outside my house for five hours. I had to get a police escort to my bathroom.”
“I wasn’t even allowed to feed my rescue horses breakfast or lunch. I sat there like a criminal after they interrogated my wife to check out her immigration status,” he continued. “They got a search warrant. Four departments and a judge signed off on a search warrant for a squirrel and a raccoon. And then they took them and killed them.”
The killing of the squirrel represented government overreach to some, prompting a state lawmaker to propose a new animal rights law titled “Peanut’s Law: Humane Animal Protection Act.”
There was also a GoFundMe page created for the owners, titled “Call For Justice for Peanut the Squirrel and NYSDEC Reform” which has garnered over $158,000.
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