Donald Trump’s campaign rallies have maintained a consistent edge of implied violence, but so far Trump has failed to take responsibility even for the explicit bursts of aggression, like the supporter who sucker-punched a protester at a North Carolina rally last week. The man who threw the punch, 78-year-old John McGraw, has been charged misdemeanor assault and battery along with disorderly conduct. On Wednesday, five officers were disciplined for their role in the assault of Rakeem Jones, who was being led out of the Fayetteville rally when McGraw walked down the aisle of seats and delivered a blow to Jones’ face.
Cumberland County Sheriff Earl “Moose” Butler said the officers involved witnessed the assault and did not take action against McGraw, which amounted to an “unsatisfactory performance and failing to discharge the duties and policies of the office of the sheriff.” “The actions of the deputies and their failures to act in situations such as that which occurred during the Trump rally at the Crown Coliseum have never been and will never be tolerated under the policies of this office,” Butler said in a statement.
Here’s more from Sheriff Butler:
“We regret that any of the circumstances at the Trump rally occurred, and we regret that we have had to investigate all of these matters,” Butler said. “It is our duty and responsibility to do justice, and to carefully examine not only the actions of others, but our own actions to ensure that the law and our policies are justly and fairly enforced…[the officers] have been reprimanded and placed in a probationary status for the next 12 months, and admonished not to fail to act and directed to comply with the requirements of Sheriff’s Office policies concerning proper response to apparent criminal activity.”
Along with the 12-month probation, three of the officers were demoted and all five were suspended without pay for up to a week. The punishments were handed down on Wednesday as details of another potential assault of a black protester at the Fayetteville rally trickled out.
