Trump Calls for Incitement Charges Against Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries

US President Donald Trump has called for criminal charges against House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, citing comments made by the lawmaker in relation to election maps. The remarks were made during a news conference on April 22, where Jeffries discussed the partisan fight over redistricting following voters’ approval of an electoral map favoring Democrats in Virginia.

Jeffries had referred to the situation as “maximum warfare everywhere all the time,” while also pledging that Democrats would respond in states they control. Trump shared a social media post on Thursday attempting to link Jeffries’ comments to the White House correspondents’ dinner shooting incident, which prosecutors say targeted President Trump.

However, it is worth noting that Jeffries’ remarks and poster were not about political violence. The House minority leader was discussing efforts to draw partisan electoral maps in response to Republican-drawn maps that favor the party’s chance of retaining control of the legislative chamber in the midterm elections.

Trump has been pressuring state Republican officials to draw US House maps that boost the party’s chances, and Jeffries had pledged that Democrats would respond in states they control. The alleged gunman who attempted to run through a security checkpoint at the White House press dinner was said to have targeted President Trump, but there is no evidence linking Jeffries’ comments to the incident.

Trump has previously pushed for criminal charges against political opponents, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey. The US president’s call on Thursday for charges against Jeffries comes after federal prosecutors secured a grand jury indictment against Comey over accusations that he threatened to kill Trump.

Source: Al Jazeera