President Donald Trump is calling for the House of Representatives’ top Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, to be charged under a federal statute that makes it unlawful to “solicit, command, induce, or otherwise endeavor to persuade” anyone to engage in a crime of violence. This demand comes after Jeffries called for Democrats to engage in “maximum warfare” on redistricting prior to last month’s assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Trump's Social Media Attack
Early on Thursday, Trump posted an image on social media showing New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic Leader, speaking at a press conference during the second to last week in April. In the image, Jeffries is shown calling for “maximum warfare” related to Democratic-led states’ efforts to counter GOP redistricting. The image was juxtaposed with a still from security camera footage of the attempted shooting at the Washington Hilton. Trump wrote: “This lunatic, Hakeem ‘Low IQ’ Jeffries, should be charged with INCITING VIOLENCE” and added that “The Radical Left Democrats actually want to Destroy our Country.”
Context of Jeffries' Remarks
The Democratic leader’s comments were made during a press conference following Virginia’s special election to approve a new congressional district map that heavily favored Democrats. State legislators had proposed the new map to counteract Republican-led states’ efforts to rig the upcoming midterm elections in their favor by eliminating seats held by Democrats in majority-minority areas. At the time, Jeffries stated: “We are in an era of maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.”
Assassination Attempt and Aftermath
Three days after Jeffries’ press conference, a gunman attempted to storm the Hilton ballroom where Trump was attending the annual fundraising dinner for the first time in his six years as president. Jeffries defended his remarks at a press conference the following Monday, telling reporters: “As it relates to the comment related to ‘maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time,’ in connection with the redistricting battle that Republicans launched, I stand by it.”
White House Press Secretary's Comments
Trump’s latest call for a high-profile Democratic official to be prosecuted for ordinary political rhetoric appears to ignore comments made by his own White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, shortly before the shooting. During an interview with Fox News on the red carpet as she arrived for the dinner, Leavitt told the right-wing network that Trump’s planned speech would be lighthearted and joke-laden. “It’ll be funny. It’ll be entertaining. There will be some shots fired tonight in the room,” she said. Although her comment was a clear reference to the long tradition of the president roasting the White House press corps at the annual dinner, it took on a more chilling tone when actual shots were fired—one from the alleged gunman and five from a Secret Service Uniformed Division officer—just minutes after Trump sat down for dinner that evening.
