Rally crowd chants ‘lock him up’ as Trump calls Biden family ‘a criminal enterprise’

by Brooke Seipel - 10/18/20 8:17 PM ET

Supporters at a campaign rally for President Trump on Sunday chanted “lock him up” as Trump attacked Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

The chant erupted after Trump accused the former vice president of using millions of dollars to help his son escape trouble in Ukraine by ousting a top Ukrainian prosecutor — a familiar refrain for Trump on the campaign trail and one that has been repeatedly debunked.

“They’re corrupt people. But Joe Biden is from a failed and corrupt political class,” Trump continued before repeating allegations against the Bidens printed in a controversial story by the New York Post.

President Trump claims “the Biden family is a criminal enterprise.” pic.twitter.com/FvYpl5596I

— The Hill (@thehill) October 18, 2020

The New York Post published several stories about emails allegedly discovered on a laptop at a Delaware repair shop discussing Joe Biden’s and Hunter Biden’s activities in Ukraine. Social media platforms have blocked the spread of the story, and other media outlets have published stories raising concerns that the sourcing in the report is suspect.

Federal authorities are investigating whether the emails were connected to a foreign intelligence operation attempting to sway the election.

The alleged emails included one that hinted at a meeting between Joe Biden and Vadym Pozharsky, an adviser for the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, where Hunter Biden served on the board. The Biden campaign has maintained the meeting did not occur.

Trump repeated the claims made in the Post story at his rally on Sunday as he attacked the Biden family.

“Joe he’s corrupt. And you know what, they found the laptop. They call it the laptop from hell,” Trump later said. “Let’s see what happens with it.”

The “lock him up” chant comes after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) was the subject of a similar chant on Saturday. The chant originated in 2016 about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.