Call it an ogre-sized overreaction.
Ohio left-wing blogger Donald “D.J.” Byrnes marked a Republican lawmaker’s exit from a state leadership contest by sending him an explicit image depicting Shrek masturbating.
Byrnes sent the graphic message to Ohio state Sen. Jerry Cirino on May 6, the same day Cirino announced he was dropping out of the race for Senate president.
“Jerry Cirino has seen Shrek’s dong,” Byrnes wrote on Bluesky that day, sharing a screenshot of the text exchange.
“Good to see you finally made your final humiliation public, Young Mussolini,” Byrnes wrote in the message to Cirino.
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Cirino replied, “I don’t know who this is but I am certain you are a moron.”
Byrnes, a former electrician and unsuccessful political candidate, publishes a Substack newsletter focused on Ohio politics.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol arrested Byrnes on June 1 in connection with the incident, charging him with telecommunications harassment. He spent one day in jail before being released after posting 10% of a $3,500 bond, according to his attorney.
If convicted, Byrnes could face up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
“This case is not about a threat, it’s not about violence, it’s about whether the government can jail a citizen for mocking a politician,” claimed Byrnes’ attorney Bill Livingston.
Byrnes received a two-year suspended sentence for his role in a 2008 robbery, according to the Columbus Dispatch. He was also found guilty of criminal vandalism and property destruction charges in 2012, public records state.
Cirino did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
