County official: No 'ill intent' after calling for military coup against Obama

By Jeremy Diamond, CNN

updated 2:48 PM EDT, Wed October 15, 2014

Washington (CNN) -- A county official in Missouri is scaling back her latest suggestion that American troops should overthrow President Barack Obama.

Jefferson County Recorder of Deeds Debbie Dunnegan called President Barack Obama "our domestic enemy" and suggested the U.S. Constitution would give the U.S. military the authority to oust the president in a coup d'état, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday.

"I cannot and do not understand why no action is being taken against our domestic enemy. I know he is supposedly the commander in chief, but the Constitution gives you the authority. What am I missing?" Dunnegan, a Republican, wrote in a since deleted Facebook post.

Military recruits pledge to defend the United States against "all enemies, foreign and domestic" when joining the armed forces.

And despite calling for a military insurrection to depose Obama, Dunnegan insisted she "meant no ill intent toward the president" in an interview with the Post-Dispatch.

Dunnegan is up for reelection in November, but said the suggestion of a military coup could just as easily help as it could hurt her chances of retaining her position.