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Dianne Feinstein becomes target of ‘lock her up’ chant at Trump rally

He’s ’99 percent’ sure she leaked the letter.

Photo of Ana Valens

Ana Valens

Trump encouraged supporters after they chanted 'lock her up.'

Every time President Donald Trump hosts a presidential rally, he sinks to a new low. Just last week, Trump mocked Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser Dr. Christine Blasey Ford in front of his voters. This time around, he claimed Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) leaked Dr. Ford’s accusation letter, encouraging supporters who chanted “lock her up.”

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The controversy began during a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where Trump methodically listed Democratic senators and attacked them one by one. After making fun of Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), he turned to Feinstein, claiming that she purposefully leaked Dr. Ford’s letter accusing Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

“Did you leak the documents?” Trump quipped as the crowd behind him gradually began chanting “lock her up.” After he heard the chants, Trump laughed and smiled.

“Did she leak it? 100 percent,” Trump told the crowd. “No, I don’t want to get sued, so 99 percent. Now I can’t get sued.”

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Trump then compared voting Democrat to handing “matches to an arsonist” and giving “power to an angry left-wing mob.”

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“They would turn our country so fast into Venezuela—and Venezuela’s not doing too well, folks,” Trump told the crowd. “If you want to drain the swamp, you must defeat the Democrats, or you’re gonna have one hell of a swamp.”

Feinstein has since denied Trump’s statements and criticized his rhetoric.

“Dr. Blasey Ford knows I kept her confidence, she and her lawyers said so repeatedly,” Feinstein said according to the Washington Post. “Republican senators admit it. Even the reporter who broke the story said it wasn’t me or my staff. The president’s remarks are ridiculous and an embarrassment.”

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While Feinstein was the first senator to receive Dr. Ford’s letter, she has vehemently denied leaking it. Instead, she claims she received the letter in July and protected its confidentiality since then, as part of Ford’s request. The letter later leaked to the Intercept, where bureau chief Ryan Grim confirmed Feinstein did not leak the letter.

It remains unclear who leaked Dr. Ford’s original letter, which sparked one of the most contentious Supreme Court confirmations since Anita Hill’s sexual harassment accusations against Clarence Thomas in 1991. Either way, Trump’s accusations last night sparked concern across Twitter as onlookers realized Trump was more than happy to target female politicians who went against his administration’s goals.

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https://twitter.com/JessicaValenti/status/1049828884244516864

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Some hope the midterm elections will stop Trump and his supporters in their tracks and prevent his base from feeling emboldened to go after more women in politics.

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https://twitter.com/msmacb/status/1049842757131333632

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President Trump has since turned to Twitter, criticizing the media because “92 percent of stories on Donald Trump are negative on ABC, CBS, and ABC.” He went on to call these publications “FAKE NEWS!” and argue they are missing out on “positive events and victories” for the administration.

H/T the Washington Post

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The Daily Dot