DOJ says Trump protesters could face RICO charges for yelling at him while he was 'trying to enjoy dinner'

Source: The Independent

DOJ says Trump protesters could face RICO charges for yelling at him while he was ‘trying to enjoy dinner’

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defends Trump’s threat to charge protesters for using ‘vile words and vile anger’

Alex Woodward
in New York
Wednesday 17 September 2025 17:19 BST

The No. 2 official at the Department of Justice was so aghast at the idea of anti-Trump demonstrators protesting the president while he was “trying to enjoy dinner” that they could face federal anti-racketeering charges that were designed to bust up organized crime.

In recent days, the Trump administration has threatened to prosecute demonstrators and groups that support them as part of a wider campaign against left-wing opposition, raising alarms that it will crack down on dissent by infringing First Amendment rights.

Asked Tuesday how, exactly, a protester could be charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN that the law is “available to all kinds of organizations committing crimes.”

“Is it sheer happenstance that individuals show up at a restaurant where the president is trying to enjoy dinner in Washington, D.C., and accost him with vile words and vile anger?” Blanche asked CNN host Kaitlan Collins.

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Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/todd-blanche-trump-protesters-rico-b2828408.html

Alternate link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/doj-says-trump-protesters-could-161921572.html