• News & Politics
  • Culture
  • Food
  • Science & Health
  • Money
  • Life Stories
  • Video
  • Reviews
    • Lifestyle
      • The New Sober Boom
      • Getting Hooked on Quitting
    • Education
      • Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous
      • Is College Necessary?
    • Finance
      • Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear
      • Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset
    • Crypto
      • Investing
        • SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters
        • 'Dark' Personalities Drawn to BTC
Profile Log In/Sign Up Saved Articles Go Ad-Free Logout
subscribe
Help keep Salon independent
Newsletter
Profile Login/Sign Up
Saved Articles Go Ad-Free Logout
  • News & Politics
  • Culture
  • Food
salon logo
  • Science & Health
  • Money
  • Video

"This is an actual incitement": Legal experts alarmed after Trump pushes "citizen's arrest"

Trump shared a post on Truth Social calling for "citizen's arrest" of NY AG Letitia James, Judge Arthur Engoron

By Gabriella Ferrigine

Published November 14, 2023 12:43PM (EST)

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on Wednesday, Nov. 08, 2023, in Hialeah, FL. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on Wednesday, Nov. 08, 2023, in Hialeah, FL. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
--

Shares

Facebook
Twitter
Reddit
Email

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday reposted a Truth Social post calling for a "citizen's arrest" of New York Attorney General Letitia James and Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing his fraud trial. Trump shared a post by a user describing his "fantasy": "I WOULD LIKE TO SEE LITITIA JAMES AND JUDGE ENGORON PLACED UNDER CITIZENS ARREST FOR BLATANT ELECTION INTERFERENCE AND HARASSMENT."

Legal experts expressed alarm over the post. "Sometimes he says incendiary things that his followers act on, as in 'will be wild.' This is an actual incitement to break the law and it greatly endangers the judge and AG," tweeted former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman. George Washington University Law Prof. Jonathan Turley, who frequently defends Trump in the media, also warned: "Just in case anyone is taking such a statement as more than a fantasy, there is no basis for a citizen’s arrest and such an effort to physically hold either the judge or the attorney general would most certainly constitute a criminal act."

New York state Sen. Mike Gianaris, a Democrat who previously pushed to change the law, argued that the statute allowing for a citizen's arrest should be eliminated. "Citizen's Arrest is bonkers to begin with, and it shouldn't be used by aspirational despots to go after perceived enemies. We must get rid of it once and for all," he wrote.


MORE FROM Gabriella Ferrigine

Advertisement:
  • Home
  • About
  • Staff
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Service
  • Archive
  • Go Ad Free

Copyright © 2025 Salon.com, LLC. Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. SALON ® is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. Associated Press articles: Copyright © 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


DMCA Policy