Democrats call for disbarment of Trump lawyer who made death threats
"These comments are beyond reprehensible. DiGenova should be arrested and disbarred. Period,” said Rep. Kathleen Rice.
Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) called on the Office of Disciplinary Counsel to formally investigate one of President Donald Trump‘s campaign lawyers Joseph diGenova for his threats against Chris Krebs.
According to The Guardian, diGenova appeared on The Howie Carr Show, a podcast that streams on YouTube, where he called for violence against Krebs with no pushback nor immediate disapproval from the show’s host.
“Anybody who thinks the election went well,” he said, according to the report, “like that idiot Krebs who used to be the head of cybersecurity, that guy is a class A moron. He should be drawn and quartered. Taken out at dawn and shot.”
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After his comments, the Gridiron Club president, Craig Gilbert, announced that the organization asked diGenova to step down from membership. diGenova claimed the comments were made in jest; however, he has “no ill will” toward the prestigious organization, according to the Washington Post.
“We were dismayed by his comments and we felt that they were, on top of everything else, just antithetical to what the club is about,” said Gilbert. “It’s a social club — we’re all about fellowship and goodwill.”
Although he claimed to have been joking, the comments against Krebs were not lighthearted, and as former prosecutors, Rep. Rice and Lieu hope he is held accountable. Rice shared her initial reaction on Twitter before she formally issued the call for an investigation.
“These comments are beyond reprehensible. DiGenova should be arrested and disbarred. Period,” she posted Monday.
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The move to reprimand diGenova came on Wednesday.
“In the United States, we cannot and will not allow death threats — especially from those acting on the president’s behalf — to silence discourse, dissent and honesty,” the Democrats wrote in their letter tweeted by Rep. Rice and available on her website. The letter did not explicitly call for disbarment, however, it stated how diGenova violated the District of Columbia’s Rules of Professional conduct.
“Mr. diGenova’s conduct is also in direct violation of Rule 4.4: Respect for Rights of a Third Person, which states: “(a) In representing a client, a lawyer shall not use means that have no substantial purpose other than to embarrass, delay, or burden a third person, or knowingly use methods of obtaining evidence that violate the legal rights of such a person.”Calling for Mr. Krebs’ death serves no legitimate or substantial purpose other than placing a grotesque burden on him and his family.”
It is also highlighted that diGenova’s statement followed a pattern by Trump associates in calling for violent action against their criticizers and opponents.
“This egregious statement by a former U.S. attorney and lawyer for the President of the United States first and foremost puts Mr. Krebs’ life in jeopardy. The continued use of violent rhetoric from President Trump, who has openly encouraged his supporters to engage in violent physical acts against his political opponents, has fostered a climate in which Mr. diGenova’s statements may well be taken as an implicit green light – especially by those who look for hidden meaning and direction in the President’s words.”
theGrio reported Dr. Anthony Fauci said he is constantly surrounded by special security after Steve Bannon called for him to be beheaded.
“I don’t socialize.” he said. “It’s my wife and I and the federal agents. We’ve sort of become like a new family unit.
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