North Carolina authorities say Donald Trump won't face riot-inciting charges


Donald Trump will not face any charges related to the violence that took place at his rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, last Wednesday.
John Franklin McGraw, 78, allegedly punched a protester in the face as he was being led out of the rally, and after video of the incident surfaced, McGraw was charged with assault and disorderly conduct. In a statement, the Cumberland County Sheriff's office said that in regard to Trump possibly inciting a riot, "the evidence does not meet the requisites of the law as established under the relevant North Carolina statute and case law to support a conviction of the crime of inciting a riot. Accordingly, we will not be seeking a warrant or indictment against Mr. Trump or his campaign for these offenses."
On Sunday, Trump announced he told his team to look into paying McGraw's legal fees, ABC News reports. Trump has said he does not condone violence, but was also filmed at an event saying he would like to punch a protester in the face. Rival Marco Rubio said only one presidential candidate has "violence at their events, and I do think Donald needs to realize and take responsibility for the fact that some of the rhetoric he has used could be contributing to this environment that is growing increasingly disturbing for a number of Americans."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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