Idaho police officer fired for viral TikTok mocking LeBron James
Nate Silvester tells 'Hannity' he is the 'latest victim of cancel culture'
An Idaho law enforcement officer who was placed on leave following a viral TikTok video targeting NBA star LeBron James was fired on Thursday for what the mayor described as "his failure to follow clearly laid out well-established policies."
"I am the latest target of cancel culture, Sean. That's all it is," former Bellevue deputy marshal Nate Silvester told "Hannity" on Thursday. "None of my other videos that depicted me in my uniform or involving body camera footage, none of those mattered. They didn't care about those. It wasn't until my LeBron James TikTok struck a political nerve that they started to pay attention and complain about it and came up with forms of discipline."
IDAHO POLICE OFFICER SUSPENDED FOR VIRAL TIKTOK MOCKING LEBRON JAMES
Silvester was initially suspended for one week after he posted a video on April 24, where he pretended to talk on the phone with NBA star LeBron James as a fictional stabbing took place outside his police vehicle, seemingly mocking the tweet James posted, and later deleted, criticizing the White Columbus, Ohio police officer who shot and killed Black teenager Ma'Khia Bryant on April 20 as she attempted to stab another Black woman during a dispute.
The video received millions of views, but led to the Bellevue Marshal's Office eventually fired Silvester, he said.
The "Hannity" host encouraged the former officer to "sue their a--es off."
"I am still trying to wrap my head around that. I was just fired this morning," Silveseter said, but revealed that he planned to speak to his attorney to consider legal retribution.
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As for his future in law enforcement, Silvester said, "I have considered that. I got offers from different agencies and elected officials from across the country. It's not off the table."
Silvester said in another video he posted following the suspension that the working title of his book is "Never Off Duty."
He also explained to KTVB-TV that the whole purpose of his TikTok account was to "humanize the badge."