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Acquittal of man who urged violence against Trump puts First Amendment in spotlight
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The First Amendment won out this week in a court case over a man who had repeatedly called for President Donald Trump’s assassination and openly fantasized about his violent demise.
A jury in Virginia acquitted the man, Peter Stinson, of one charge of soliciting a crime of violence, raising questions about when speech is protected by the Constitution and when it becomes incriminating.
A former longtime Coast Guard officer, Stinson had called for someone to «take the shot» in reference to Trump, according to court papers. «Realistically the only solution is violence,» Stinson wrote.
Stinson said he «would twist the knife after sliding it into [Trump’s] fatty flesh» and that he «would be willing to pitch in» for a hitman contract.
TED CRUZ SAYS HATE SPEECH ‘ABSOLUTELY’ PROTECTED BY FIRST AMENDMENT FOLLOWING CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump is reflected in bulletproof glass as he finishes speaking at a campaign rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
«He wants us dead. I can say the same thing about him,» Stinson wrote in another post during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A witness for the defense, Professor Jen Golbeck of the University of Maryland, said people «rooting for Trump to die online» is common.
«On one hand, I would not encourage anyone to post those thoughts on social media,» Golbeck said, according to the Washington Post. «On the other hand, I can’t count the number of people who I saw post similar things. . . . It’s a very common sentiment. There’s social media accounts dedicated to tracking whether Trump has died.»
Brennen VanderVeen, program counsel with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said that one issue with the charges in Stinson’s case was that it was not clear whom Stinson was soliciting to carry out the crime.
«Solicitation is when it’s directly tied to the crime. So, if he contacts an actual hit man and tries to arrange some sort of hit contract, that’s solicitation,» VanderVeen told Fox News Digital. «Without more . . . that probably does not meet the elements of actual solicitation.»
Stinson’s attorneys argued in court documents that their client’s posts were not threats but rather «political advocacy that the First Amendment was squarely designed to protect.»
«They lack the ‘specificity, imminence, and likelihood of producing lawless action’ required to fall outside constitutional protection,» the attorneys said.
Threats to conservative SCOTUS justices and Obama
The jury acquittal, which was handed down quickly after a two-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, came at a time when political violence has taken the spotlight, particularly in the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination and a string of recent violence toward immigration enforcement officers, and as Republican and Democratic political figures continuously face threats.
A person convicted of attempting to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh had taken concrete steps by searching the internet for mass shootings, discussing killing a Supreme Court justice in internet chats and showing up armed at Kavanaugh’s house in 2022.
A man who participated in the Jan. 6 riot was convicted by a judge in a separate case of firearms charges and making a hoax threat aimed at former President Barack Obama. He was sentenced this week to time served after he livestreamed himself driving around the former president’s neighborhood and saying he was «working on a detonator.» He was found with a machete and illegal weapons.
In a looming constitutional test, another man is facing charges of threatening federal judges by sending hundreds of ominous messages through the Supreme Court website referencing several justices’ graphic murders. He tried to have his case tossed out over First Amendment concerns, but a judge denied the request, saying a jury would need to weigh that argument.
BONDI ‘HATE SPEECH’ REMARKS SPARK TORRENT OF CRITICISM FROM CONSERVATIVES
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh watches as Taoiseach Micheal Martin speaks at a breakfast meeting in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images)
Presidents, senators, House lawmakers and members of the judiciary routinely speak about facing a range of threats, whether in public forums or through direct messages.
High court greenlights ‘vituperative’ language
One legal test in these cases came in 1969, when the Supreme Court decided in favor of a protester who allegedly had told a group of people while discussing getting drafted for the Vietnam War that if he was handed a rifle, the first man he wanted to kill was President Lyndon Johnson. His remark was political hyperbole rather than a «true threat,» the high court found.
«What is a threat must be distinguished from what is constitutionally protected speech,» the majority wrote. «The language of the political arena . . . is often vituperative, abusive, and inexact.»
Stinson was initially charged with two counts of a threat against the president, but the DOJ shifted course and brought the one solicitation charge against him.
DOJ lawyers argued that Stinson’s incessant violent comments on X and Bluesky, coupled with self-identifying as an Antifa member, met the charging criteria, but prosecutors failed to convince a jury that the speech was more than bluster.
Kirk spurs examination of ‘hate speech’
In the case of Kirk’s murder, finger-pointing ensued. Republicans blamed inflammatory rhetoric from Kirk’s political opponents for inciting his death.
Attorney General Pam Bondi stirred the conversation by saying in an interview after Kirk’s death that the DOJ would «absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.» Bondi later walked back her comment, saying speech that «crosses the line into threats of violence» is punishable by law.
Attorney General Pam Bondi. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In cases of inciting violence, according to VanderVeen, speech remains protected when there is a lacking a nexus between the words and the attack.
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«Incitement is more about the imminence. . . . How much time would have to pass between that person’s speech and the actual unlawful act of the violence?» VanderVeen said, noting that inciting violence typically involves addressing a mob.
«If someone’s saying, ‘Violence is good,’ but there’s no imminent lawless action there, someone else has to say, ‘That guy’s right, that violence is good. I’m going to start doing violence,’» VanderVeen said. «At that point, that’s on the person doing the violence.»
judiciary,justice department,supreme court,donald trump,politics
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Mexico’s most-wanted fentanyl kingpin, «El Mencho,» was captured and killed Sunday after authorities tracked his romantic partner to a secret rendezvous location over the weekend, Mexican officials revealed Monday.
The operation reportedly began Feb. 20, targeting Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as «El Mencho.» He carried a $15 million U.S. bounty and rose to power following the arrest of Joaquín «El Chapo» Guzmán, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla Trejo said during a news conference that military intelligence identified and located a trusted courier or guard connected to one of Oseguera Cervantes’s romantic partners.
The associate then transported the partner to a designated cabin for an overnight meeting with «El Mencho.»
A mughsot of Ruben «Nemesio» Oseguera Cervantes, known as «El Mencho,» beside graffiti depicting the letters of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, covering the facade of an abandoned home in El Limoncito, in the Michoacan state of Mexico. (Eduardo Verdugo/AP Images; Drug Enforcement Administration)
«On February 20, through central military intelligence work, a man of trust of one of El Mencho’s romantic partners was located, who took her to a facility in the town of Tapalpa, Jalisco,» Trevilla Trejo said.
The following day, the partner left the property, but intelligence confirmed that Oseguera Cervantes remained behind with a small security detail, prompting authorities, including Army Special Forces and the National Guard’s Immediate Reaction Force, to carry out the operation.
Security forces reportedly raided the private property after aerial surveillance spotted Oseguera Cervantes’ inner circle openly carrying illegal high-caliber weapons, including rocket launchers and long guns.
A worker sorts freshly printed copies of the newspaper PM bearing the headline «U.S. mapped ‘El Mencho’ and Mexico delivered the final blow, Caught between two fires,» following the killing of drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as ‘El Mencho,’ in a military operation, Sunday, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico,. (Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)
During the confrontation, Oseguera Cervantes’ security detail reportedly fired «very violently» on military personnel, triggering Special Forces to engage the attackers. Officials said eight criminals were killed in the initial phase — correcting earlier reports of four — and two military personnel were also wounded.
CARTELS OUTGUN POLICE: ROCKET LAUNCHERS SEIZED IN EL MENCHO RAID SPOTLIGHT CJNG FIREPOWER
Smoke billows from burning vehicles amid a wave of violence, with torched vehicles and gunmen blocking highways in more than half a dozen states, following a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as «El Mencho,» was killed, Sundya, in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. (@morelifediares via Instagram/YouTube/via Reuters)
Amid the chaos at the cabins, Oseguera Cervantes and his «close circle» fled into a nearby wooded area, officials said. After soldiers located them «hidden among the brush,» cartel suspects allegedly opened fire on the troops. Military personnel then wounded «El Mencho» and two of his escorts in the shootout, according to Trevilla Trejo.
Military medics determined that Oseguera Cervantes and his two escorts were in critical condition and required immediate evacuation by helicopter. Oseguera Cervantes and his two escorts ultimately died during transport, officials said.
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Authorities noted that 2,500 reinforcements were sent to join the 7,000 already in the state to prevent further violence in the cartel’s retaliation.
Oseguera Cervantes’ capture and subsequent death marks one of Mexico’s most significant blows to drug trafficking and organized crime since President Donald Trump called for intensified crackdowns on cartel violence.
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mexican cartel violence,location mexico,drugs,crime,world
INTERNACIONAL
Liberaron bajo fianza al ex embajador británico en EEUU, Peter Mandelson: permanecerá bajo investigación por conducta indebida
La policía de Londres liberó bajo fianza al ex embajador en Estados Unidos, Peter Mandelson en la madrugada de este martes, en el marco de una investigación sobre sus vínculos con el financista estadounidense Jeffrey Epstein.
El documento oficial informó que Peter Mandelson permanece bajo fianza “y pendiente de posteriores investigaciones”, sin proporcionar detalles adicionales “para no prejuzgar la integridad de esa investigación”.
El arresto de Mandelson, de 72 años, ocurrió días después de la detención del ex príncipe Andrés, ambos implicados en indagaciones sobre conducta indebida en un cargo público relacionadas con documentos recientemente divulgados sobre Epstein.
Mandelson, figura clave en la política británica y ex enviado del Reino Unido a Washington, fue arrestado alrededor de las 17:00 (hora local) del lunes bajo sospecha de mala conducta en un cargo público.
“Un hombre de 72 años arrestado bajo sospecha de mala conducta en un cargo público ha sido puesto en libertad bajo fianza en espera de una mayor investigación”, informó el lunes la policía metropolitana en un comunicado emitido aproximadamente nueve horas después del traslado de Mandelson a una comisaría de Londres.
Imágenes difundidas por la televisión británica mostraron a Mandelson acompañado por un hombre y una mujer al salir de su residencia en el norte de Londres, después de que la policía allanara sus propiedades a principios de mes.
El arresto se produjo pocos días después de la detención de Andrés Mountbatten-Windsor, hermano menor del rey Carlos III, quien fue liberado bajo investigación en una causa separada por mala conducta en un cargo público, también relacionada con los nuevos documentos sobre Epstein.
Mandelson está siendo investigado por presuntamente haber enviado documentos confidenciales a Epstein durante su gestión como ministro del gobierno, incluso en el contexto de la crisis financiera de 2008. Hasta el momento, la policía no detalló cuáles documentos forman parte de la investigación.
En septiembre pasado, el primer ministro Keir Starmer removió a Mandelson de su puesto como enviado a Washington, luego de la publicación de documentos que documentaban el alcance de su relación con Epstein. El nombramiento desató una crisis política en Downing Street, provocando la renuncia de dos asesores principales de Starmer.
El primer ministro pidió disculpas a las víctimas de Epstein por la designación de Mandelson y acusó al ex enviado de falsear la información sobre su relación con el financista durante el proceso de selección. “Defenderemos la integridad de la vida pública y haremos todo lo que esté a nuestro alcance y en interés de la justicia para garantizar que se haga efectiva la rendición de cuentas”, expresó Starmer.
La Comisión de Inteligencia y Seguridad del Parlamento revisa actualmente los documentos vinculados al nombramiento de Peter Mandelson, aunque los archivos completos permanecen sin publicar a solicitud de la policía para no interferir con la investigación en curso.
El pasado 8 de febrero, la policía metropolitana informó que agentes del equipo de delitos especializados ejecutaron órdenes de allanamiento en dos direcciones del área de Londres: una en Wiltshire y otra en Camden. Las autoridades señalaron que estos operativos forman parte de la investigación en curso contra Peter Mandelson.
La investigación también examina la posible revelación de hechos sensibles relacionados con el rescate financiero de 500.000 millones de euros que la Eurozona evaluaba en 2010. Durante ese periodo, Peter Mandelson se desempeñaba como ministro en el gobierno encabezado por el ex primer ministro británico Gordon Brown.
El Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos difundió el 30 de enero más de tres millones de archivos vinculados al caso Epstein. Entre los documentos figuran tres pagos a Peter Mandelson de 25.000 dólares cada uno, enviados entre 2003 y 2004 desde cuentas bancarias del multimillonario.
(Con información de AFP)
International,Relations,Diplomacy / Foreign Policy,Europe
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