North Carolina deputies disciplined for inaction following assault at Trump rally

Donald Trump greets supporters at a rally.
(Image credit: Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Sheriff Earl "Moose" Butler of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina announced Wednesday that five deputies have been disciplined for inaction stemming from an incident at a Donald Trump rally last week in Fayetteville.

Video footage shot at the March 9 rally allegedly shows John McGraw, 78, punching protester Rakeem Jones as he was escorted out of the venue. The video also shows deputies ignoring McGraw and taking Jones down. McGraw was arrested the following day after the video surfaced. In a statement, Butler said the deputies were disciplined for "failing to discharge their duties," and said their actions "have never been and will not ever be tolerated under the policies of this office."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.