Donald Trump supporters ‘are inspired by violence again’ (former prosecutor)

Donald Trump supporters are “inspired again to violence” after the former president’s conviction at his criminal trial in Manhattan, legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said Friday.

In a case brought before Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a New York jury on Thursday found Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a payment secret paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels by Trump. Michael Cohen, then a lawyer and fixer, shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels alleged that she had a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006, which he denies. Trump has maintained his innocence and says the case is politically motivated. Her legal team says she will fight the case, which will include an appeal if necessary.

Making history, Trump became the first former US president to be convicted of a crime and now faces prison time, which will be determined at his sentencing on July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention.

“It was a shame. It was a rigged trial by a contradictory and corrupt judge,” the former president said outside the courtroom after the verdict.

President Joe Biden on Friday called Trump’s comments questioning the justice system “reckless,” calling his rhetoric “dangerous.” He added that “it’s irresponsible for anyone to say it was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict.”

At a press conference at Trump Tower, the former president gave a speech about the trial and politics. Regarding the Biden administration’s immigration policy, he said Friday, “We have a president and a bunch of fascists” at the helm of the government, saying, “They are destroying our country.” Our country is in a very bad state. very much against me, saying these things.

In a video released Friday on his YouTube channel, Kirschner, a former assistant U.S. attorney and frequent Trump critic, said that “it’s time to put an end to letting Donald Trump induce, incite and encourage violence ” and that “it’s time to send Donald Trump to prison.”

Since Thursday’s verdict, there has been an influx of social media posts from users calling for doxing of jurors, attacks on Judge Juan Merchan who oversaw the trial, and armed insurrection on media platforms including Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform, among others. . Many posts containing violent language and images have been removed based on each platform’s policies.

According to an NBC News article published Friday, a Truth Social user wrote, “I hope every juror gets doxxed and pays for what they did,” adding, “May God strike them dead.” We will do it on November 5 and they will pay. !”

Other users reportedly posted on the site formerly known as The Donald: “We need to identify every juror. Then make them unhappy. Maybe even suicidal.” Another user wrote: “1,000,000 (armed) men need to go to Washington and hang everyone. It’s the only way. »

Kirschner also drew parallels to the former president’s rhetoric surrounding the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, during which a mob of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol building to keep Trump in power after his defeat in the 2020 election to Biden. Trump, without evidence, claimed the election was stolen because of widespread voter fraud and encouraged his supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell.”

“Just like on January 6, Donald Trump supporters are once again inspired to violence by Trump’s dangerous, reckless and violence-inciting statements, posts and rhetoric,” Kirschner said in his Friday video.

Meanwhile, some Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters have warned of a potential “civil war,” including podcast host Joey Mannarino, who posted on to start. We no longer live in a democracy. “

Tim Pool, a conservative commentator with more than 2 million followers, wrote: “war.”

In response to Kirschner’s assertion that Trump supporters are “inspired by violence again,” said Steven Cheung, communications director for the Trump campaign. News week in an email Saturday morning: “Glenn is a notorious trafficker in wild conspiracy theories and questionable legal analysis. I would expect nothing more from an influence-seeking MSNBC contributor who has been shunned by the legal community as a whole.”

News week contacted Kirschner for comment Saturday via email.

Todd Landman, professor of political science at the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, previously said: News week“For many, it (the verdict) was vindication and a demonstration of responsibility. For others, it was an example of political persecution carried out by Democrats.”

He added: “Mr. Trump’s supporters are outraged and are attacking the justice system, particularly New York’s.” It is not unreasonable to expect a violent reaction, particularly against some of the protagonists in the Manhattan trial. The violence in the first place could lead to a broader conflagration across the United States involving highly polarized actors. I sincerely hope this is not the case. »