“It is all very reminiscent of McCarthyism,” a CodePink spokesperson said.
A side-by-side photo shows a CodePink activist (l) as she and her fellow activists chant against President Donald Trump at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab restaurant in Washington, DC on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
(Photo: Screengrab / CodePink via YouTube)
Stephen Prager
Sep 16, 2025
COMMON DREAMS
President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to jail the peace activists who disrupted his dinner with pro-Palestinian chants last week, referring to their behavior as “subversive.”
Last Tuesday, members of CodePink, a women-led antiwar group, verbally confronted the president and several top members of his administration—including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—as they dined on steak and seafood at a swanky DC eatery.
The small group of activists castigated the president for his support for Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza and its blockade on humanitarian aid, which has caused mass starvation throughout the strip.
The activists chanted, “They feast while Gaza starves,” and called Trump “the Hitler of our time” for supporting the military campaign, which an Israeli general recently admitted has resulted in over 220,000 people being killed or wounded.
On Monday, as Trump and his administration continued to map out a sweeping crackdown against left-wing speech following the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, the president suggested that the women of CodePink should also be punished for their peaceful display of dissent, referring to them as “professional agitators” and “total phonies.”
“They started to scream when I got into the restaurant,” he said, “‘Ohhh’...Something with Palestine. And I said, ‘Well, I’m doing a great job for peace in the Middle East, I should get lots of awards for that, right, with the Abraham Accords and everything else.’ But the woman just stood up and started screaming. And she got booed out of the place.”
Trump called the protester a “mouthpiece” and a “paid agitator,” before saying that he’d “asked [Attorney General Pam Bondi] to look into that in terms of RICO, bringing RICO cases against them. Criminal RICO. Because they should be put in jail, what they’re doing to this country is really subversive.”
RICO refers to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which the government has traditionally used to prosecute organized crime groups. But following Kirk’s shooting, Trump has suggested it be used to carry out what his deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said on Friday would be an effort to “dismantle” left-wing organizations in the United States.
Trump has threatened to use RICO charges against liberal nonprofits, including the Open Society Foundations and the Ford Foundation, which Vance referred to on Monday as “terrorist networks.” The vice president claimed that these groups push “messaging designed to trigger and incite violence,” with his leading example being an article published in The Nation that harshly criticized Kirk’s political views following his assassination.
Melissa Garriga, a spokesperson for CodePink, told Common Dreams that Trump’s allegations against her antiwar group are untrue.
“CodePink has a very small staff,” Garriga said. “A majority of our work is done by CodePink volunteers, who are not paid. They represent the majority of the American public and are not ‘mouthpieces’ of any foreign government or political party. They are workers, veterans, artists, and peace activists from across the country. We are committed to peaceful, nonviolent means of protest when executing our actions.”
“This is not new for us,” Garriga added. “Over the past few years, elected officials, more often Republican elected officials, have constantly called for investigations into progressive organizations such as ours. They’ve launched baseless congressional investigations over CodePink’s funding sources that their Democrat colleagues often parrot.”
Earlier this year, Senate Intelligence Committee chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) claimed that the group was funded by “Communist China” after a retired Army colonel working with the group disrupted a committee hearing with chants of “Stop funding Israel!” CodePink filed an ethics complaint against Cotton in response, calling his accusation “untrue and libelous.”
In 2024, when CodePink was castigating the Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made a similar suggestion that the group should be investigated by the FBI because, “when they advocate for a ceasefire, it’s Putin’s agenda at play.” Prior to that, when a member of the group confronted Pelosi, the congresswoman responded, “Go back to China.”
CodePink strenuously denied having received any funding from the Chinese government or any other foreign governments following calls from several Republicans for the group to be investigated over its campaign against military escalation with China.
“Our financial records are transparent and audited, and any suggestion that external governments or political entities influence us is ludicrous,” Garriga reiterated to Common Dreams. “As we have officially stated multiple times, CodePink receives no money from any foreign government, and we are funded by thousands of individual donors and US-based foundations.”
“President Trump is trying to intimidate people who speak up for peace and justice, and we won’t be intimidated,” she continued. “We represent the popular opinion in the United States: the majority who are against war and genocide.”
According to a Quinnipiac poll released at the end of August, 60% of voters across all parties said they opposed sending more military aid to Israel, compared to just 32% who said they supported it. Half of the respondents said they agreed with the international community’s growing consensus that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza.
“It is all very reminiscent of McCarthyism,” Garriga said of Trump’s threats to crack down on left-wing speech. “It’s a critical moment for other organizations to stand in solidarity, loud and clear solidarity with organizations facing repression.”
Melissa Garriga, a spokesperson for CodePink, told Common Dreams that Trump’s allegations against her antiwar group are untrue.
“CodePink has a very small staff,” Garriga said. “A majority of our work is done by CodePink volunteers, who are not paid. They represent the majority of the American public and are not ‘mouthpieces’ of any foreign government or political party. They are workers, veterans, artists, and peace activists from across the country. We are committed to peaceful, nonviolent means of protest when executing our actions.”
“This is not new for us,” Garriga added. “Over the past few years, elected officials, more often Republican elected officials, have constantly called for investigations into progressive organizations such as ours. They’ve launched baseless congressional investigations over CodePink’s funding sources that their Democrat colleagues often parrot.”
Earlier this year, Senate Intelligence Committee chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) claimed that the group was funded by “Communist China” after a retired Army colonel working with the group disrupted a committee hearing with chants of “Stop funding Israel!” CodePink filed an ethics complaint against Cotton in response, calling his accusation “untrue and libelous.”
In 2024, when CodePink was castigating the Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made a similar suggestion that the group should be investigated by the FBI because, “when they advocate for a ceasefire, it’s Putin’s agenda at play.” Prior to that, when a member of the group confronted Pelosi, the congresswoman responded, “Go back to China.”
CodePink strenuously denied having received any funding from the Chinese government or any other foreign governments following calls from several Republicans for the group to be investigated over its campaign against military escalation with China.
“Our financial records are transparent and audited, and any suggestion that external governments or political entities influence us is ludicrous,” Garriga reiterated to Common Dreams. “As we have officially stated multiple times, CodePink receives no money from any foreign government, and we are funded by thousands of individual donors and US-based foundations.”
“President Trump is trying to intimidate people who speak up for peace and justice, and we won’t be intimidated,” she continued. “We represent the popular opinion in the United States: the majority who are against war and genocide.”
According to a Quinnipiac poll released at the end of August, 60% of voters across all parties said they opposed sending more military aid to Israel, compared to just 32% who said they supported it. Half of the respondents said they agreed with the international community’s growing consensus that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza.
“It is all very reminiscent of McCarthyism,” Garriga said of Trump’s threats to crack down on left-wing speech. “It’s a critical moment for other organizations to stand in solidarity, loud and clear solidarity with organizations facing repression.”
'You have a lot of hate': Trump threatens reporter after hate speech question
U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a reporter before boarding Air Force One to depart for Washington, at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, U.S., September 14, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
President Donald Trump is facing a barrage of criticism after threatening a well-known veteran reporter who asked about his Attorney General saying that she would target people who engage in hate speech, which is largely seen by experts as a constitutionally-protected right.
“We’ll probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly. It’s hate. You have a lot of hate in your heart,” the President told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl.
Asked if that was “appropriate,” Trump replied, “Well, ABC paid me $16 million recently for a form of hate speech, right? Your company paid me $16 million for a form of hate speech. So maybe they’ll have to go after you.”
After claiming, “we want everything to be fair,” Trump went on to say that “the radical left has done tremendous damage to the country, but we’re fixing it.”
Critics blasted the President.
“Donald Trump says he will send the DOJ after the press if they say things he doesn’t like,” declared California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Totally normal behavior from a president and not at all a sign of some kind of emotional issue,” charged The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols, a retired U.S. Naval War College professor and expert on Russia and national security.
“The logical and obvious companion to turning the government loose to harass and criminalize political opposition is doing the same thing to the free press,” warned Aaron Fritschner, Deputy Chief of Staff to U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA). “People will doubt his intentions, as they somehow always do, but once again Trump is just coming out and saying it here.”
READ MORE: Greene Says Kirk Killing Sparked ‘Spiritual Revival’ for Christ — Urges ‘National Divorce’
“Trump is overtly saying that DOJ is going to use Charlie Kirk’s assassination to silence anyone he perceives as an enemy,” observed former Obama official Tommy Vietor.
“He isn’t even pretending not to play dictator. This is third world s– and I’m so tired of the MAGA excusing,” lamented “On Democracy” podcaster Fred Wellman.
“This First Amendment is under attack, and it has never been a scarier time,” warned attorney Aaron Parnas.
@2025 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com.
U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a reporter before boarding Air Force One to depart for Washington, at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, U.S., September 14, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
September 16, 2025
ALTERNET
President Donald Trump is facing a barrage of criticism after threatening a well-known veteran reporter who asked about his Attorney General saying that she would target people who engage in hate speech, which is largely seen by experts as a constitutionally-protected right.
“We’ll probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly. It’s hate. You have a lot of hate in your heart,” the President told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl.
Asked if that was “appropriate,” Trump replied, “Well, ABC paid me $16 million recently for a form of hate speech, right? Your company paid me $16 million for a form of hate speech. So maybe they’ll have to go after you.”
After claiming, “we want everything to be fair,” Trump went on to say that “the radical left has done tremendous damage to the country, but we’re fixing it.”
Critics blasted the President.
“Donald Trump says he will send the DOJ after the press if they say things he doesn’t like,” declared California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Totally normal behavior from a president and not at all a sign of some kind of emotional issue,” charged The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols, a retired U.S. Naval War College professor and expert on Russia and national security.
“The logical and obvious companion to turning the government loose to harass and criminalize political opposition is doing the same thing to the free press,” warned Aaron Fritschner, Deputy Chief of Staff to U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA). “People will doubt his intentions, as they somehow always do, but once again Trump is just coming out and saying it here.”
READ MORE: Greene Says Kirk Killing Sparked ‘Spiritual Revival’ for Christ — Urges ‘National Divorce’
“Trump is overtly saying that DOJ is going to use Charlie Kirk’s assassination to silence anyone he perceives as an enemy,” observed former Obama official Tommy Vietor.
“He isn’t even pretending not to play dictator. This is third world s– and I’m so tired of the MAGA excusing,” lamented “On Democracy” podcaster Fred Wellman.
“This First Amendment is under attack, and it has never been a scarier time,” warned attorney Aaron Parnas.
@2025 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com.
'Maybe they'll go after you': Trump makes direct threat to reporter
Travis Gettys
September 16, 2025
Donald Trump and Jonathan Karl (CNN)
President Donald Trump directly threatened a reporter with prosecution when he asked about similar comments made Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The attorney general has promised to crack down on what she calls "hate speech" against conservatives following the assassination of right-wing influence Charlie Kirk, and the president reacted ominously when veteran ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl asked about Bondi's threats.
"They should probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly," Trump said. "It's hate, you have a lot of hate in your heart. Maybe they'll come after ABC. Well, ABC paid me $16 million recently for a form of hate speech, right? Your company paid me $16 million for a form of hate speech. So maybe they'll have to go after you."
ABC agreed in December to settle a libel complaint with Trump for $16 million after a trial judge found that viewers could have been misled by on-air statements made by correspondent George Stephanopoulos, who said that he had been found liable for rape, when in fact another judge found him liable for the sexual assault of writer E. Jean Carroll decades ago.
"Look, we want everything to be fair," Trump added. "It hasn't been fair, and the radical left has done tremendous damage to the country. But we're fixing it. We have right now the hottest country anywhere in the world. And remember, one year ago, our country was dead, and now Washington, D.C., is fixed and I fixed it. The mayor was fine, the mayor was just fine, okay, the mayor had the city for many years. She's been mayor for many years. The one that fixed it was me and my people, and it is so safe."
"You should take your beautiful wife tonight and have dinner down there," he added. "You won't be shot, you won't be accosted, you won't even be looked at incorrectly by anybody. Washington, D.C. is safe now."
Travis Gettys
September 16, 2025
ALTERNET
Donald Trump and Jonathan Karl (CNN)
President Donald Trump directly threatened a reporter with prosecution when he asked about similar comments made Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The attorney general has promised to crack down on what she calls "hate speech" against conservatives following the assassination of right-wing influence Charlie Kirk, and the president reacted ominously when veteran ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl asked about Bondi's threats.
"They should probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly," Trump said. "It's hate, you have a lot of hate in your heart. Maybe they'll come after ABC. Well, ABC paid me $16 million recently for a form of hate speech, right? Your company paid me $16 million for a form of hate speech. So maybe they'll have to go after you."
ABC agreed in December to settle a libel complaint with Trump for $16 million after a trial judge found that viewers could have been misled by on-air statements made by correspondent George Stephanopoulos, who said that he had been found liable for rape, when in fact another judge found him liable for the sexual assault of writer E. Jean Carroll decades ago.
"Look, we want everything to be fair," Trump added. "It hasn't been fair, and the radical left has done tremendous damage to the country. But we're fixing it. We have right now the hottest country anywhere in the world. And remember, one year ago, our country was dead, and now Washington, D.C., is fixed and I fixed it. The mayor was fine, the mayor was just fine, okay, the mayor had the city for many years. She's been mayor for many years. The one that fixed it was me and my people, and it is so safe."
"You should take your beautiful wife tonight and have dinner down there," he added. "You won't be shot, you won't be accosted, you won't even be looked at incorrectly by anybody. Washington, D.C. is safe now."
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