How Did the White House Respond to a Petition Asking to Arrest Trump ‘For Incitement to Violence’?

We the People Petition Breaks 100,000 Signature Threshold, Forcing White House Response

In 2011 the Obama administration created the We the People petition section on the White House website. Those petitions can be highly-effective, as The New Civil Rights Movement proved when we backed one asking the Obama administration to “Enact Leelah’s Law to Ban All LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy.” On January 27 last year it had 67,259 signatures. NCRM readers pushed it over the 100,000 threshold in just days – earning a White House response.

And respond they did, denouncing the use of “reparative” or “ex-gay” so-called therapy, and calling on every state legislature across the nation to enact laws banning the harmful process for children.

The White House has now responded to another petition.

“Arrest and prosecute Donald J. Trump for incitement to violence,” a White House We the People petition asks.

Created on March 13, the petition broke the 100,000 signature threshold quickly, reaching 101,491 before the White House responded.

“Donald J. Trump has been inciting violent acts amongst his supporters,” it charges. “He should be arrested and prosecuted for this. Legal precedent: Brandenburg v. Ohio. To wit, the Court held that government cannot punish inflammatory speech.”

UNLESS that speech is directed to inciting, and is likely to incite, imminent lawless action.

Clearly, he is doing exactly that.

How did the White House respond?

Is Attorney General Loretta Lynch having the GOP frontrunner placed in handcuffs? Has a federal warrant been issued for his arrest? Are U.S. Marshals tracking him down? 

No.

“We decline to comment on the specific request raised in the petition, which falls outside the scope of the We the People Terms of Participation,” the Obama administration’s response reads.

You can read the full Terms of Participation to get a better sense of why We the People is designed the way it is, and to learn more about its guidelines for use.

We encourage you to use the We the People platform to petition the Administration to take action on the policy issues you care about. If a petition gets enough support, White House staff will review it, ensure that it’s sent to the appropriate policy experts for their review, and issue an official response.

Thanks again, 
— The We the People Team

Amusingly, they opted to respond on April 1. 

 

Image via Wikimedia