Former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens has claimed that an advert for his senate campaign in which he hunts RINOs (Republican In Name Only) was meant to be humorous and that no one in the state took it seriously.

       Mr Greitens, 48, served as the governor of Missouri between 2017 and 2018 before resigning amid allegations of sexual assault and campaign finance violations.

       In the ad released on Monday, Mr Greitens storms a house alongside soldiers to hunt Republicans considered false conservatives – usually meaning critics of Donald Trump – by others in the party.

       “I don’t think there is a real person in Missouri who thinks about it literally. Not one,” Mr Greitens told KFTK radio on Tuesday. “What you’re seeing is a tremendous amount of faux outrage from leftists and RINOs.”

       In the video, Mr Greitens holds a shotgun with the soldiers carrying assault rifles and grenades.

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       “Join the MAGA crew,” the former Navy SEAL says in the campaign video. “Get a RINO hunting permit. There’s no bagging limit, no tagging limit, and it doesn’t expire until we save our country.”

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       Joining KCMO talk radio in Kansas City on Tuesday, Mr Greitens said the video was “clearly a metaphor”.

       “Every normal person around the state of Missouri saw that,” he claimed.

       The ad, which lasted 38 seconds, has been slammed by Democrats and Republicans alike, as well as by outside organisations.

       The conservative Eagle Forum PAC said the video was “deeply disturbing”.

       Chair Anne Schlafly Cori said that “advocating violence is a disqualifier for public office” and that “Eric Greitens is not fit to serve the voters of Missouri”.

       The Missouri State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police is supporting Attorney General Eric Schmitt in the Republican Senate primary.

       “This deplorable video has no place in our political system and sends a dangerous message that it is somehow acceptable to kill those who have differing political beliefs,” they said.

       Mr Schmitt’s campaign responded by tweeting an eye-roll emoji.

       Opponents of Mr Greitens, such as GOP Representative Vicky Hartzler and Missouri Senate President Dave Schatz, also criticised the video, The St Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

       Facebook removed the video and Twitter added a warning label as political violence is on the rise.

       The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that there’s been a spike in threats against members of the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. All members of the committee are now likely to be provided with a security detail.

       The panel held its fourth hearing on Tuesday, outlining the efforts of former President Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election and the violence and threats against those who didn’t cooperate.

       Illinois Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger said on 19 June that his wife had received a letter threatening to kill his family.

       Committee Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming, has had a security detail since last year.

       Many supporters of Mr Trump consider Mr Kinzinger and Ms Cheney to be so-called RINOs because of their criticism of the former president.

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       Mr Greitens also employed violent images in his victorious 2016 campaign for governor and said on Tuesday that critics were missing the point of the new ad.

       “It has a sense of humour,” he told KTFK radio.