Donald Trump has repeatedly refused to accept any responsibility for inciting violence in American communities, dismissing critics who have pointed to his rhetoric as a potential source of inspiration for some citizens acting on bigoted beliefs. Little more than a week ago, he insisted he deserves "no blame" for what he called the "hatred" seemingly coursing through parts of the country, and outside of the White Houseon Friday, Trump accused news outlets of fomenting the very violence they have been asking him about. But a nationwide review conducted by ABC News has identified at least 17 criminal cases where Trump's name was invoked in direct connection with violent acts, threats of violence, or allegations of assault. Nearly all — 16 of 17 — cases identified by ABC News are striking in that court documents and direct evidence reflect someone echoing presidential rhetoric, not protesting it. ABC News was unable to find any such case echoing presidential rhetoric when Barack Obama or George W. Bush were in the White House. The perpetrators and suspects identified in the 17 cases are mostly white men, as young as teenagers and as old as 68, while the victims represent an array of minority groups — African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims and gay men. Federal law enforcement authorities have privately told ABC News they worry that — even with Trump's public denunciations of violence — Trump's style could inspire violence-prone individuals to take action against minorities or others they perceive to be against the president's agenda. Ed Kennedy via Reuters Cesar Sayoc's van is seen in Boca Raton, Fla. on Oct. 18, 2018 in this picture obtained from social media. While asserting that "fake" media coverage is exacerbating divisions in the country, Trump has noted that "a fan" of former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders opened fire on Republican lawmakers playing baseball in a Washington suburb two years ago. "Nobody puts ... 'Bernie Sanders' in the headline with the maniac," Trump said last week. But there's no indication the shooter mentioned Sanders while launching his attack, and no criminal case was ever brought because he was fatally shot during his assault. In identifying the 17 Trump-related cases, ABC News excluded incidents where charges were never brought and incidents of Trump-inspired vandalism. In conducting its review, ABC News did find several cases where pro-Trump defendants were charged with targeting minorities, or where speculation online suggested the defendants were motivated by Trump, but in those cases ABC News found no police records, court proceedings or other direct evidence presenting a definitive link to the president. So those cases were also excluded in the ABC News tally. ABC News found at least one case out of Chicago featuring anti-Trump rhetoric in connection with violence. On Thursday, ABC News sent a list of the cases it identified to White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders for comment. As of Sunday evening, three days later, she had yet to respond. Trump has previously told reporters he's "committed to doing everything" in his power to not let political violence "take root in America." Here are the cases identified by ABC News: Suffolk County District Attorneys Office An undated police photo of Steven Leader. AUGUST 19, 2015: In Boston, after he and his brother beat a sleeping homeless man of Mexican descent with a metal pole, Steven Leader, 30, told police "Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported." Rodriguez, however, was not in the United States illegally. The brothers, who are white, ultimately pleaded guilty to several assault-related charges and were each sentenced to at least two years in prison. DECEMBER 5, 2015: After Penn State University student Nicholas Tavella, 19, was charged with "ethnic intimidation" and other crimes for threatening to "put a bullet" in a young Indian man on campus, his attorney argued in court that Tavella was just motivated by "a love of country," not "hate." "Donald Trump is running for President of the United States saying that, 'We've got to check people out more closely,'" Tavella's attorney argued in his defense. Tavella, who is white, ultimately pleaded guilty to ethnic intimidation and was sentenced to up to two years in prison. U.S. Department of Justice One of four IEDs recovered by law enforcement at the home of John Roos in April 2016. APRIL 28, 2016: When FBI agents arrested 61-year-old John Martin Roos in White City, Oregon, for threatening federal officials, including then-President Barack Obama, they found several pipe bombs and guns in his home. In the three months before his arrest, Roos posted at least 34 messages to Twitter about Trump, repeatedly threatening African Americans, Muslims, Mexican immigrants and the "liberal media," and in court documents, prosecutors noted that the avowed Trump supporter posted this threatening message to Facebook a month earlier: "The establishment is trying to steal the election from Trump. ... Obama is already on a kill list ... Your [name] can be there too." Roos, who is white, has since pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered explosive device and posting Internet threats against federal officials. He was sentenced to more than five years in prison. JUNE 3, 2016: After 54-year-old Henry Slapnik attacked his African-American neighbors with a knife in Cleveland, he told police "Donald Trump will fix them because they are scared of Donald Trump," according to police reports. Slapnik, who is white, ultimately pleaded guilty to "ethnic intimidation" and other charges. It's unclear what sentence he received. AUGUST 16, 2016: In Olympia, Washington, 32-year-old Daniel Rowe attacked a white woman and a black man with a knife after seeing them kiss on a popular street. When police arrived on the scene, Rowe professed to being "a white supremacist" and said "he planned on heading down to the next Donald Trump rally and stomping out more of the Black Lives Matter group," according to court documents filed in the case. Rowe, who is white, ultimately pleaded guilty to charges of assault and malicious harassment, and he was sentenced to more than four years in prison. Cleveland Police Department Henry Slapnik in an undated police photo. SEPT. 1, 2016: The then-chief of the Bordentown, New Jersey, police department, Frank Nucera, allegedly assaulted an African-American teenager who was handcuffed. Federal prosecutors said the attack was part of Nucera's "intense racial animus," noting in federal court that "within hours" of the assault, Nucera was secretly recorded saying "Donald Trump is the last hope for white people." 60-year-old Nucera has been indicted by a federal grand jury on three charges, including committing a federal hate crime. Nucera, who is white, has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. He retired last year. SEPTEMBER 2016: After 40-year-old Mark Feigin of Los Angeles was arrested for posting anti-Muslim and allegedly threatening statements to a mosque's Facebook page, his attorney argued in court that the comments were protected by the First Amendment because Feigin was "using similar language and expressing similar views" to "campaign statements from then-candidate Donald Trump." Noting that his client "supported Donald Trump," attorney Caleb Mason added that "Mr. Feigin's comments were directed toward a pressing issue of public concern that was a central theme of the Trump campaign and the 2016 election generally: the Islamic roots of many international and U.S. terrorist acts." Feigin, who is white, ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of sending harassing communications electronically. He was sentenced to probation. OCTOBER 13, 2016: After the FBI arrested three white Kansas men for plotting to bomb an apartment complex in Garden City, Kansas, where many Somali immigrants lived, one of the men's attorneys insisted to a federal judge that the plot was "self-defensive" because the three men believed "that if Donald Trump won the election, President Obama would not recognize the validity of those results, that he would declare martial law, and that at that point militias all over the country would have to step in." Then, after a federal grand jury convicted 47-year-old Patrick Stein and the two other men of conspiracy-related charges, Stein's attorney argued for a lighter sentence based on "the backdrop" of Stein's actions: Trump had become "the voice of a lost and ignored white, working-class set of voters" like Stein, and the "climate" at the time could propel someone like Stein to "go to 11," attorney Jim Pratt said in court. Stein and his two accomplices are awaiting sentencing. NOVEMBER 3, 2016: In Tampa, Florida, David Howard threatened to burn down the house next to his "simply because" it was being purchased by a Muslim family, according to the Justice Department. He later said under oath that while he harbored a years-long dislike for Muslims, the circumstances around the home sale were "the match that lit the wick." He cited Trump's warnings about immigrants from majority-Muslim countries. "[With] the fact that the president wants these six countries vetted, everybody vetted before they come over, there's a concern about Muslims," Howard said. Howard, who is white, ultimately pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights violation, and the 59-year-old was sentenced to eight months in prison. NOVEMBER 12, 2016: In Grand Rapids, Michigan, while attacking a cab driver from East Africa, 23-year-old Jacob Holtzlander shouted racial epithets and repeatedly yelled the word, "Trump," according to law enforcement records. Holtzlander, who is white, ultimately pleaded guilty to a charge of ethnic intimidation, and he was sentenced to 30 days in jail. JANUARY 3, 2017: In Chicago, four young African-Americans — sisters Brittany and Tanishia Covington, Jordan Hill and Tesfaye Cooper — tied up a white, mentally disabled man and assaulted him, forcing him to recite the phrases "F--k Donald Trump" and "F--k white people" while they broadcast the attack online. Each of them ultimately pleaded guiltyto committing a hate crime and other charges, and three of them were sentenced to several years in prison. JANUARY 25, 2017: At JFK International Airport in New York, a female Delta employee, wearing a hijab in accordance with her Muslim faith, was "physically and verbally" attacked by 57-year-old Robin Rhodes of Worcester, Mass., "for no apparent reason," prosecutors said at the time. When the victim asked Brown what she did to him, he replied: "You did nothing, but ... [Expletive] Islam. [Expletive] ISIS. Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you." Rhodes ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of "menacing," and he was sentenced to probation. FEBRUARY 19, 2017: After 35-year-old Gerald Wallace called a mosque in Miami Gardens, Florida, and threatened to "shoot all y'all," he told the FBI and police that he made the call because he "got angry" from a local TV news report about a terrorist act. At a rally in Florida the day before, Trump falsely claimed that Muslim refugees had just launched a terrorist attack in Sweden. WATCH WALLACE'S INTERVIEW WITH THE FBI AND POLICE: Play FBI and police interview suspect in mosque threats Wallace's attorney, Katie Carmon, later tried to convince a federal judge that the threat to kill worshippers could be "protected speech" due to the "very distinctly political climate" at the time. "There are courts considering President Trump's travel ban ... and the president himself has made some very pointed statements about what he thinks about people of this descent," Carmon argued in court. HEAR CARMON'S REMARKS IN COURT: Play Defense attorney ties mosque threat to Trump Wallace, who is African American, ultimately pleaded guilty to obstructing the free exercise of his victims' religious beliefs, and he was sentenced to one year in prison. FEBRUARY 23, 2017: Kevin Seymour and his partner Kevin price were riding their bicycles in Key West, Florida, when a man on a moped, 30-year-old Brandon Davis of North Carolina, hurled anti-gay slurs at them and "intentionally" ran into Seymour's bike, shouting, "You live in Trump country now," according to police reports and Davis' attorney. Davis ultimately pleaded guilty to a charge of battery evidencing prejudice, but in court, he expressed remorse and was sentenced to four years of probation. MAY 3, 2017: In South Padre Island, Texas, 35-year-old Alexander Jennes Downing of Waterford, Connecticut, was captured on cell phone video taunting and aggressively approaching a Muslim family, repeatedly shouting, "Donald Trump will stop you!" and other Trump-related remarks. Police arrested downing, of Waterford, Connecticut, for public intoxication. It's unclear what came of the charge. AUGUST 2018: After the Boston Globe called on news outlets around the country to resist what it called "Trump's assault on journalism," the Boston Globe received more than a dozen threatening phone calls. "You are the enemy of the people," the alleged caller, 68-year-old Robert Chain of Encino, California, told a Boston Globe employee on Aug. 22. "As long as you keep attacking the President, the duly elected President of the United States ... I will continue to threat[en], harass, and annoy the Boston Globe." A week later, authorities arrested Chain on threat-related charges. After a hearing in his case, he told reporters, "America was saved when Donald J. Trump was elected president." He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. LATE OCTOBER 2018: Over the course of a week, Florida man Cesar Sayoc allegedly mailed at least 15 potential bombs to prominent critics of Trump and members of the media. Sayoc had been living in a van plastered with pro-Trump stickers, and he had posted several pro-Trump messages on social media. While federal prosecutors have accused him of "domestic terrorism" and filed several bomb-related and assault charges against him, he has pleaded not guilty. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/blame-abc-news-finds-17-cases-invoking-trump/story?id=58912889
This is an example of the most biased reporting ever because it doe not take into account of Leftist involvement, either directly or indirectly in the some of the events listed above. In addition, it should be mentioned the likely hundreds of organized attempts or actual initimidation, violence, and vandalism. We have seen ANTIFA initiating assaults on YouTube. Conservative Politicians had to leave restaurants do to the aggressiveness of Radical Leftist Protesters. We have seen protesters interfere with Senators in the performance of their jobs. We have seen statues torn down that had been standing for many decades. We have seen calls for boycotts against business owners for merely allowing a politician take a picture with them. We have seen calls for denying Conservatives their First amendment rights. And this is from a party that uses their First Amendment rights in destructive ways against own country through false accusations of racism, sexism, homphobia, rape or other sexual misconduct, biased reporting, and the elevation of disfunctional behaviour on the news, in sitcoms, and in movies. The Radical Leftists are franticly trying to improve their image after their Kavenaugh disaster. Don’t fall for it.
Exactly, why won't ABC News consider leftists involvement when it comes to researching people who committed crimes because of Trump's rhetoric. WTF. You used to make good arguments in the past, how did you go full retard so quickly? Your comments recently do not make any sense at all.
You really don’t seen to understand hiw America works as intended by its Forefathers. America is built upon hardwork, ethics, and freedom. As a result of these principles, The United States became the most productive nation on Earth. Hardwork and ethics encouraged business investment and freedom. Where one can control their own destiny, this tends to and has resulted in a problem solving and a can do attitude among American citizens. Why do you think why the United States is still the go to place for immigrants? Measuring by the actions of the caravans and other illegal immigration attempts, these people don’t seem to mind Trump. The KKK and other hate groups committed crimes well before Trump. Trump is not a member of these groups and has activiely denounced their actions unlike Democratic leaders with their supporters. Besides, have not the Democrats wriiten the book Rules for Radicals that many seem to live by as seen from regular tactics? The Florida inert bomb guy appears to be a ploy designed to benefit Democrats. As I asked before, how does a single guy get the protected addresses of prominent Democrats around the nation? Furthermore, is was reported that some on these pipes were hand delivered. This implies Mr. Pipe had help. Did this guy had help from the Democrats had no physical risk to themselves, but could potentiallly gain politically? This more than smells like a false flag operation by a party that was reeling from their failed Kavenaugh accusation attempt. You yourself used a misleading chart recently on “Black unemployment rates under Obama”. This chart only shows Black unemployment starting at a high rate at the start of his administration and lower at the end. It does also show new lows under Trump. It does not show many key things such as the low Black unemployment rates during the Bush Administration, The 3 Federal Reserve QEs where the balance sheet was expanded by trillions, Troubled Asset Relief Program(TARP), $750 Billion economic stimulus package that was back loaded for political purposes instead of making it immediately available for economic recovery, and zero, or near zero short term interest rates. Trump has the headwinds of 2 plus percent short term interest rates, but the economy as well as consumer confidence is still thriving. I suppose you wanted it to look like Obama was a great creater of jobs for Blacks and by implication, Democratic policies are good for the US. They are not. You need a person who understands business in a leadership position in order to create an economic boom versus the weak and multibly subsidized recovery of Trump’s predecessor. Voters must take care to avoid messing with the formula that has made America great: Personal accountability, freedom, and hard work. Part of the hard work I mentioned is defending our freedom, way of life, and our children’s future is through voting at the polls. exGOPer, why don’t you see this. You have the intelligence. Is it your mind is so full of extraneous Leftist BS that you cannot see the obvious?
Is that why the founders had slaves and had the three-fifths clause because freedom? Women weren't considered worthy enough to vote either. As for 'hardwork' - your messiah got half a billion dollars in inheritance, blew it and then ran scams like Trump university, TV shows and laundered money for russian mobsters to get where he is. Now he watches Fox News and lies and lies and lies while attacking everyone personally. That's called executive time. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk...y-alabama-highlight-slavery-lynchings-n869686
By the way, is not the record low unemployment for Blacks helping more and more of them create their own destiny, including some out of the Democratic controlled inner city slums? If we ever seriously address the rampent drug issue in the United States and people stop blindedly follow Democratic narratives, slavery will trully have ended. Should we not keep reminders of history in order to not reoeat it? The Jewish Holocost Studies are used to remind their people and the world of the attrocities that occured during WWII, for example. Ironically, the Radical Leftists seem to have used slavery and racism as a control device on minorities, effectively enslaving their minds to vote for their captors. Racism, sexism, etc. are used to divide people and to destroy Leftist political enemies through mere accusation alone. We are on to these overused Leftist ploys. How about coming up with a positive message for the American people to relate to? Racism, other than the few isolated cases the media over covers, is dead. Hopefully its utility as a political tool will die soon. Perhaps as soon as the upcoming election.
Oh Trump did that? How nice of you to notice the new low while ignoring the trend for years under Obama. There are plenty of Democratic city slums but when you got entire states that are complete shit holes who have to steal from blue states to survive, you shouldn't get all that smug about your party of scamsters and liars.
Actually, I am still a registered Democrat. I don’t take supporting Trump and the Republicans lightly. Right now, though, Trump and the Republicans are the lesser of two evils. The are several issues the Democratics can take charge of, capture voters imagination with, and provide solutions for. Unfortunately, Hilary and friends are so wrapped up in old huberis and old realities that are missing the big picture and the opportunities that go along with it. Blue states have benefitted greatly from the efficent and low cost production of the Red states. The Democratic Party needs to reinvent itself in order to align it with mainstream voters, instead of trying to get mainstream voters to align with them and their unsubtainable social, political, and economic agenda. Wouldn’t you rather I go back to supporting WORTHWHILE Democratic causes instead of Republicans?
Yea, far right Republicans with absolutely zero policy agenda other than ballwashing their lobbyist benefactors is the lesser of two evils while destroying the budget and having zero long term policy initiatives. Well done on your choice, it's was as insightful as your take on history of country's founding.
Well as the Democratic Party loves revising history, whether through propaganda and historical monument destruction, I would be curious how the Leftists might “interpret” our founding fathers. I assume, you being a foreign resident and foreign national that you would not consider yourself qualified to talk about what the US Founding Fathers intended, right? Now about the budget. Would you rather it be reduced? Are you sure? I have asked this before only to be met by silence. It is like you want to have your issue for political puposes without the cost of losing funding of the many Democratic sponsored social programs. Many see the current US budget as Trump caving into Democratic wishes. We see where that got him politically. Maybe next time we will have a budget size that you will approve of. Be careful what you implying that you are wishing for.