Overview

• President Trump asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to explore RICO charges against protesters he labeled paid agitators after a small group interrupted his dinner at Joe’s Seafood in Washington.
• Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN there could be potential federal investigations if protest actions are part of an organized effort to inflict harm, terror or damage, and he rejected the idea the dinner incident caused no harm.
• Video showed a handful of demonstrators chanting “Free DC, free Palestine, Trump is the Hitler of our time” before they were removed, and Blanche said peaceful protest is not the target.
• Bondi later clarified that hate speech is protected unless it becomes a threat of violence, as legal critics including Rep. Daniel Goldman argued RICO cannot be used to charge people for yelling.
• The administration has also floated designating antifa as domestic terrorists and revoking tax-exempt status for liberal nonprofits, but no RICO indictments tied to the protests have been announced.