Tag

#2016-election

3 incidents

Grade 1 of 5: Significant Democratic Concern

2016 Campaign Rally Violence: Rhetoric Encouraging Supporters Against Protesters

Trump's 2016 campaign rallies were sites of documented violence against protesters, often preceded by Trump's encouragement from the stage. Trump offered to pay legal fees for supporters who assaulted protesters, described violence against protesters nostalgically, and encouraged crowds. Multiple protesters were punched, kicked, shoved, or sprayed with mace. A lawsuit by protesters shoved at a Louisville rally survived a motion to dismiss in 2017, but in 2018 the Sixth Circuit ordered the incitement-to-riot claim against Trump dismissed, holding his words protected by the First Amendment.

Grade 1 of 5: Significant Democratic Concern

Trump Tower Moscow: Active Negotiations During 2016 Campaign, Covered Up

The Trump Tower Moscow project involved Cohen emailing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's office in January 2016 seeking Putin's personal assistance advancing the project. Trump signed a letter of intent in October 2015. Negotiations continued through June 2016. Cohen testified to Congress in 2017 that negotiations ended in January 2016 — a lie he later admitted under oath. The project would have been the largest Trump deal ever, potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars and requiring Russian government approval. Throughout this period, Trump repeatedly denied any Russian business dealings and publicly advocated for lifting sanctions on Russia.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Catch and Kill: National Enquirer's AMI Suppressed Stories to Protect Trump's 2016 Campaign

The National Enquirer's 'catch and kill' program operated by buying the rights to stories from people with negative accounts of Trump — paying them for exclusives and then killing the stories. AMI purchased stories involving alleged sexual affairs and other damaging material. Federal prosecutors concluded the scheme constituted illegal campaign contributions; AMI entered a non-prosecution agreement admitting this. David Pecker's cooperation was central to the conviction of Michael Cohen and the eventual conviction of Trump himself.