Supporters of President Trump called for local officials in Minnesota to prosecute protesters who disrupted a Trump rally earlier this month, including the son of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s 2016 running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
Protesters interrupted the March 4 rally in St. Paul, blowing air horns, tossing smoke bombs into the crowd and clashing with attendees and security.
Five of the protesters were arrested, including Linwood “Woody” Kaine, 24. The sixth protester received a citation for disorderly conduct, the newspaper reported.
{mosads}John Choi, Ramsey County attorney, decided there was not sufficient evidence to prosecute the five protesters, but said the investigation is still “active,” according to a statement to the Press.
Choi also told the newspaper that he was unaware of Linwood Kaine’s relationship to Tim Kaine when he made the decision not to prosecute.
On Saturday, Trump supporters disgruntled by the lack of charges organized a rally billed as “Protecting Civil Discourse.”
Jonathan Aansted, an organizer of the event, expressed disbelief to the newspaper about Choi’s claims of insufficient evidence.
“I don’t know how you could not charge people after all the evidence police have collected,” he said.
“It disturbs the heck out of me to see we’ve descended into lawlessness. It disturbs me beyond belief,” rally-goer James Brunsgaard told the Press, claiming the protesters swore at him and called him a “racist.”
Another asked: “For what reason are these criminals not being pursued? Is it because of someone’s last name?”
After news of their son’s arrest surfaced, Tim Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton, said in a statement: “We love that our three children have their own views and concerns about current political issues. They fully understand the responsibility to express those concerns peacefully.”