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Donald Trump Says Protesters Are Violating His First Amendment Rights
Yahoo News ^ | 3 hours ago | Dylan Stableford Senior editor

Posted on 03/20/2016 2:01:02 PM PDT by drewh

Donald Trump is once again shrugging off the escalating violence at his rallies, saying the people protesting his presidential campaign are largely to blame for incidents.

“These people are very disruptive,” Trump said on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” on Sunday. “These are not innocent lambs.”

The Republican frontrunner said the demonstrators who shut down an Arizona highway leading to the Phoenix suburb where he was scheduled to speak were violating his right to free speech — and the rights of his supporters to come hear him.

“They’re really stopping our First Amendment rights,” Trump said. “If you think about it, George, they block … they blocked a road, they put their cars in front of a road. We had thousands and thousands of people wanting to come. They were delayed for an hour because of these protesters.”

Trump continued: “These are professional agitators, and I think that somebody should say that when a road is blocked going into the event so that people have to wait sometimes hours to get in, I think that’s very [unfair] and there should be blame there, too.”

He added: “I think it’s very unfair that these, really, in many cases professional, in many cases sick protesters can put cars in a road blocking thousands of great Americans from coming to a speech and nobody says anything about that.”

The brash billionaire also refused to condemn one of his supporters who punched a protester as he was being removed by security.

“He or his partner was wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit,” Trump said of the protester. “This happened to be an African-American man who was very — a person at the rally, who was very, very incensed at the fact that somebody, a protester, would be wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Frankly, that was, you know, it was a tough thing to watch. And I watched that. But why would a protester walk into a room with a Ku Klux Klan outfit on?”

“We don’t condone violence, and I say it,” he said. “And we have very little violence, very, very little violence at the rallies.”

Trump even applauded his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, after a video appeared to show Lewandowski grabbing the collar of a protester at a rally in Tucson.

“I give him credit for having spirit,” Trump said. “He wanted them to take down those horrible, profanity-laced signs.”

Lewandowski came under fire earlier this month after he allegedly assaulted Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields after a press conference in Florida. Trump’s campaign denies her claims.

“When signs are put up, lifted up with tremendous profanity on them — I mean the worst profanity, and you have television cameras all over the place and people see these signs — I think maybe those people have some blame and should suffer some blame,” Trump said.


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events; US: Arizona; US: New York
KEYWORDS: 2016election; arizona; bananarepublic; donalddrumpf; dylanstableford; election2016; newyork; poordonny; stephanopoulos; transcript; trump; trumpertantrum; youtubeproof
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To: TornadoAlley3

Let them deal with his supporters who are really PO’d that they’re blocking the road, and have no chance at all at stopping him from talking, because he comes in by chopper.


141 posted on 03/20/2016 5:39:37 PM PDT by Eleutheria5 (End the occupation. Annex today.)
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To: SamAdams76

And imagine a black guy beating a guy dressed in a KKK outfit at a Bernie or Hillary rally...He’d be on every morning show the next morning, honored as a hero. (As he should be at the Trump rally.)


142 posted on 03/20/2016 5:45:43 PM PDT by gg188 (Ted Cruz, R - Goldman Sachs)
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To: jstaff

He should receive NO jail time. As a Person of Color, that hood represented Fighting Words, and he can not be held responsible for anything he did after the hood came into his view. Got it?


143 posted on 03/20/2016 5:48:20 PM PDT by ichabod1 (Spriiingtime for islam, and tyranny. Winter for US and frieeends. . .)
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To: Iowa David
I agree the protesters are interfering with his free speech rights. But Trump complaining about profanity? Give it a rest.

You don't know what you are talking about. We had to cross through "anti-war" protesters in DC with our kids back in 2003 and their signs were so vile and what they said was so vile, our son who was 10 was in tears by the time we got through them to our hotel lobby. You could feel the hate and evil emanating from them. These are the same mix of radical groups once again being mobilized, LA Raza, Cair, Code pink, now BLM, etc. These people are scary. We went to a Trump rally, same scary people agitating & disrupting. I wouldn't worry about Trump offending my family, but these people can scare the heck out of some. Unless you have seen it first hand, don't dismiss it or equate it to anything Trump has ever publicly said.
144 posted on 03/20/2016 5:48:23 PM PDT by TimPatriot
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To: drewh

Stephanopoulos is a true full blown ahole.


145 posted on 03/20/2016 5:55:41 PM PDT by Randy Larsen (Aim small, Miss small.)
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To: TimPatriot
I have seen it first hand. I agree that no one should have to put up with it. And there is not buts to what I have said. btw my confrontations came with radical homosexuals and pro choicers when I lived In California

But Trump has been incredibly crude, and he complains about profanity. To be fair he has cleaned it up lately, I just wish he would keep it clean.

146 posted on 03/20/2016 5:57:12 PM PDT by Iowa David
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To: major-pelham

Are there any activists here any more? When was the last time you saw an after Freep report? Sad.


147 posted on 03/20/2016 6:01:42 PM PDT by ichabod1 (Spriiingtime for islam, and tyranny. Winter for US and frieeends. . .)
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To: Brilliant

“The right that he has to not be interrupted by protesters was also the result was of a Supreme Court ruling.”

Like most other topics relating to Trump, his statements are being grossly misrepresented; and this topic about the right to sue for slander is also being misrepresented as the improper use of the courts and the privilege of money to suppress the free speech of the press. Nothing could be further from the truth in this case. The New York Times even admitted to publishing news articles with fabricated and fictional statements that they knew before and/or after to be untrue and damaging to Trump’s reputation. All Trump is asking for is what any of us desire, and that is a right to go to a court of law and ask a jury to restore and vindicate our good name and reputation when unscrupulous people and organizations maliciously attempt to destroy us by using the most obviously false innuendo. We enjoyed the right to do so before 1964, and the nation prospered with a very vigorous freedom of the press. The balance of power was shifted by a Liberal U.S. Supreme Court to deliberately put the mainstream news media into a position where they could use destructive false propaganda and disinformation with impunity. Trump is only asking for this balance of power to be restored to a position closer to what it was before the U.S. Supreme Court denied the right. This does not in any way mean the right of truthful free speech is to be denied or suppressed.


148 posted on 03/20/2016 6:11:02 PM PDT by WhiskeyX
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To: Mechanicos
During the period immediately following the Civil War, civil rights legislation was originally enacted by Congress, based upon its power under the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to pass laws to enforce these rights.

Criminal laws for individuals based on Constitutional rights was not the issue. If a government entity passes a law which violates a Constitutional Amendment that law would be challenged directly as a violation of whatever Amendment that was involved by the courts interpretation of the Constitution. Individuals are charged under laws which are set up to protect individual rights from civilian abuse and not directly to the Amendment.

149 posted on 03/20/2016 6:40:28 PM PDT by Starstruck (I'm usually sarcastic. Deal with it.)
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To: Girlene

BTT


150 posted on 03/20/2016 6:41:43 PM PDT by Irish Eyes
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To: Starstruck

The civil rights ACTS including specifically the KKK one give us the right to sue anybody government or otherwise that violates out protected rights. This is how the KKK was taken down.


151 posted on 03/20/2016 6:43:03 PM PDT by Mechanicos
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To: Girlene

btt


152 posted on 03/20/2016 6:43:15 PM PDT by Irish Eyes
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To: drewh

153 posted on 03/20/2016 6:46:08 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion (BREAKING.... Vulgarian Resistance begins attack on the GOPe Death Star.....)
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To: ichabod1

I watched the video 4 times, there was no hood. If you know of another view that shows it I would like to see it. He acted like a thug, sucker punching, then stomping the guy while he was down. If you are defending his actions you are no better. Got it?


154 posted on 03/20/2016 7:17:22 PM PDT by jstaff
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To: Mechanicos
42 U.S. Code § 1985 - Conspiracy to interfere with civil rights

subsection (3) Depriving persons of rights or privileges

If two or more persons in any State or Territory conspire or go in disguise on the highway or on the premises of another>, for the purpose of depriving, either directly or indirectly, any person or class of persons of the equal protection of the laws, or of equal privileges and immunities under the laws; or for the purpose of preventing or hindering the constituted authorities of any State or Territory from giving or securing to all persons within such State or Territory the equal protection of the laws; or if two or more persons conspire to prevent by force, intimidation, or threat, any citizen who is lawfully entitled to vote, from giving his support or advocacy in a legal manner, toward or in favor of the election of any lawfully qualified person as an elector for President or Vice President, or as a Member of Congress of the United States; or to injure any citizen in person or property on account of such support or advocacy; in any case of conspiracy set forth in this section, if one or more persons engaged therein do, or cause to be done, any act in furtherance of the object of such conspiracy, whereby another is injured in his person or property, or deprived of having and exercising any right or privilege of a citizen of the United States, the party so injured or deprived may have an action for the recovery of damages occasioned by such injury or deprivation, against any one or more of the conspirators. [emphasis added]

155 posted on 03/20/2016 7:20:03 PM PDT by AndyJackson
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To: Peter ODonnell

Trump has numerous detailed policy statements. But you don’t know because you dont want to know. Look at his tax policy— Healthcare— immigration. Can you Read?


156 posted on 03/20/2016 7:23:44 PM PDT by WENDLE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgIhGgrhQeE)
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To: AndyJackson

Add to that RICO and Trump can destroy Soros...


157 posted on 03/20/2016 7:24:04 PM PDT by Mechanicos
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To: dp0622

You are a prophet. But we don’t care. Nobody watches msn but parasites. Trump will whip hillary like a red headed step child.


158 posted on 03/20/2016 7:27:41 PM PDT by WENDLE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgIhGgrhQeE)
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To: HarleyLady27

It is my suggestion that we meet these communists eye for an eye. They started it. We finish it. I have seen this crap before. They can dish it but they can’t take it. Bring it.


159 posted on 03/20/2016 7:30:23 PM PDT by WENDLE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgIhGgrhQeE)
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To: WENDLE

the alphabets still get a lot more viewers than cable.

I HOPE in 2016 the internet is ALSO a source of peoples’ news.

if candy crush isn’t keeping them busy.


160 posted on 03/20/2016 7:32:16 PM PDT by dp0622
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