White House Politely Disses Piers Morgan Deportation Petition

The White House today surprised no one by saying it won’t be sending Piers Morgan back to the UK for his opinion on guns — despite a petition that has garnered more than 109,330 signatures. “Americans may disagree on matters of public policy and express those disagreements vigorously, but no one should be punished by the government simply because he or she expressed a view on the Second Amendment — or any other matter of public concern,” wrote Press Secretary Jay Carney today on the White House blog. “President Obama has officially decided I am NOT being deported,” wrote Morgan Wednesday on Twitter after the White House posted its response. Late last year, the Piers Morgan Tonight host sparked the wrath of radio host Alex Jones and others with his response to the December 14 Sandy Hook shooting and call for stricter gun control in America. Seeking UK-born Morgan’s deportation in an online petition, gun rights supporters accused the CNN host of launching “a hostile attack against the U.S. Constitution by targeting the Second Amendment.”

Related: ‘Deport Piers Morgan’ Petition Creator Goes Ballistic In Faceoff With Morgan On CNN

The Executive Branch’s response today was nothing more than obligatory. When the We The People online petition page was created on the White House website last year, the administration promised it would respond to petitions that got at least 25,000 signatures. The White House has also responded to petitions on marijuana legalization and granting a pardon to Chris Williams, who faces 80 years in prison for growing medical marijuana in Montana, where it is legal.

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