NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on Johnny Depp’s remarks about assassinating President Donald Trump during an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival (all times local):
8:15 p.m.
An adviser to President Donald Trump’s campaign who called for Hillary Clinton to be shot visited the White House just hours before the White House press secretary Sean Spicer denounced a play for seemingly urging violence against the president.
Al Baldasaro attended a veterans event Friday. Baldasaro, who advised Trump on veterans issues, said last summer that he believed Clinton “committed treason” for putting American lives at risk while secretary of state.
He then said “anyone that commits treason should be shot.”
Baldasaro attended an East Room ceremony Friday as the president signed a bill into law that will make it easier for the Department of Veterans Affairs to fire employees.
Spicer criticized a New York stage production of “Julius Caesar” that dressed the assassinated Roman leader like Trump. It also was the same day Johnny Depp apologized for comments he made about assassinating Trump
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5:15 p.m.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer says “the lack of outrage” over Johnny Depp joking about assassinating President Donald Trump is “a little troubling.”
Depp asked a crowd in England on Thursday when was the last time an actor assassinated a president. He answered that it’s “been a while, but maybe it’s time.” He later apologized.
Spicer during a briefing Friday suggested that artists’ attacks on Republicans are somehow deemed more acceptable than those on liberals.
Spicer said: “The president has made it clear that we should denounce violence in all of its forms.”
He added: “And if we are going to hold to that standard than we should agree that that standard be universally called out.”
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2:30 p.m.
Johnny Depp has apologized for joking about assassinating President Donald Trump and says he meant no malice.
The actor released a statement to People magazine Friday in which he called his remarks Thursday night at the Glastonbury Festival a bad joke and said it was in poor taste.
Depp’s statement said he was trying to be amusing when he asked the crowd when was the last time an actor assassinated a president. He answered that it’s “been a while, but maybe it’s time.”
Depp’s statement said he was trying to be amusing.
The Secret Service said Friday it was aware of Depp’s remark but declined further comment.
The actor’s publicist did not respond to an inquiry from The Associated Press about the report in the magazine.
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7:30 a.m.
Johnny Depp has asked a crowd at the Glastonbury Festival when was the last time an actor assassinated a president. The remarks came during a segment Thursday in which Depp was speaking about President Donald Trump.
He asked the question at the annual festival that celebrates the performing arts.
The 54-year-old “Pirates of the Caribbean” star followed by saying that he is not an actor, but someone who lies for a living.
However, he said, it’s “been a while, and maybe it’s time.”
Actor John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
Depp was at the festival to introduce a screening of his 2004 film “The Libertine.”
He played Trump last year in a Funny or Die video parody of the businessman’s 1987 book “The Art of the Deal.”
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