Authorities consider charging Trump with inciting violence at rally

Authorities in North Carolina are considering whether to press charges against GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump after a protester was assaulted during one of his rallies in Fayetteville, according to WRAL.com. 

The Cumberland County sheriff’s office confirmed it is considering charges in a statement to the Washington Post. 

“We are continuing to look at the totality of these circumstances … including the potential of whether there was conduct on the part of Mr. Trump or the Trump campaign which rose to the level of inciting a riot,” the statement said. 

The sheriff’s office, while conducting an investigation into the sucker-punch and alleged threats against a protester at the Trump rally, went over the speech that Trump gave during the rally “with a fine-tooth comb,” WRAL reporter Gilbert Baez told MSNBC News.

“During their analysis of that speech, there were several instances where Trump made comments that incited the folks to continue the violent acts during that rally,” Baez said.

JUST IN: North Carolina police considering filing charges against Trump for potentially inciting a riot https://t.co/gQjG8N6tXP

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 14, 2016

Protester Rakeem Jones was being escorted out of the rally last week when he was sucker-punched.

{mosads}John Franklin McGraw was arrested the following day and charged with assaulting a protester and disorderly conduct, according to a press release from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. 

Trump said Sunday he is looking into paying McGraw’s legal fees. 

“I’m going to look at it. I’m going to see, you know, what was behind this, because it was a strange event. But from what I heard, there was a lot of taunting and a certain finger was placed in the air. Not nice,” Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” 

Trump has since denied that there is violence at his rallies. 

Updated at 4:42 p.m.