Prof goes on paid leave after saying Trump ‘must hang’

A California State University at Fresno professor who was reported to the FBI for suggesting that Donald Trump should be sentenced to death has been placed on paid leave.

As Campus Reform initially reported, Dr. Lars Maischak came under fire for stating that “Justice = The execution of two Republicans for each deported immigrant” in a February tweet, after which he continued to make inflammatory statements promoting violence against Republicans generally, and Donald Trump in particular.

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Most notably, Maischak tweeted that “Trump’s Republicanism stands in a continuity with fascism,” from which he reasoned that “in order to save democracy, Trump must hang,” a statement that promptly landed him on the radar of the FBI, Secret Service, and Homeland Security.

Now, the school has announced that, as a result of his threatening remarks, Maischak agreed to be placed on voluntary paid leave for the remainder of the semester, a move apparently made “in accordance with provisions in the collective bargaining agreement with the California Faculty Association (CFA), the union that represents all faculty.”

While the CFA’s collective bargaining agreement does allow for temporarily suspending faculty members “with pay,” it also stipulates that such a suspension “shall automatically terminate upon the service of formal notice of disciplinary action or thirty days after its commencement, whichever first occurs.”

[RELATED: Prof reported to FBI for tweeting that Trump ‘must hang’]

The statement released Tuesday by the President's office, however, neglects to specify whether the university will pursue any further disciplinary sanctions against Maischak before the termination of his suspension, merely stating that the “review of this important matter continues” and “no further information can be shared at this time.”

Although Maischak will not be teaching any classes during his leave of absence, the school's statement did assert that he "will be conducting research off campus" until the situation is resolved.

Campus Reform reached out to CFA for comment on what course of action it plans to take surrounding Maischak, who is an untenured lecturer, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @AGockowski