Glenn Kirschner, a legal analyst for MSNBC and a former federal prosecutor, floated the idea that President Trump could be charged with on "some level of negligent homicide or voluntary/involuntary manslaughter" because of the U.S. government's response to COVID-19, also known as the Wuhan coronavirus.
Kirschner explained in a Twitter thread on Tuesday that when he worked Chief of the Homicide Section at the D.C. US Attorney’s Office, "I was always on the lookout for novel ways to apply homicide liability in an attempt to appropriately and ethically hold accountable those who were responsible for taking the life of a fellow human being."
"I think it’s fair to observe that there’s nothing more devastating to a family then losing a loved one to ether violent crime or to an illness that could have been prevented or mitigated. I’m trying to assimilate all available evidence (rapidly developing and being reported every day) to fairly assess whether Trump and his administration may have acted/failed to act in a way that could give rise to homicide liability," he said.
I spent 22 of my 30 years as a federal prosecutor handling murder cases in Washington, DC. I served as Chief of the Homicide Section at the DC US Attorney’s Office, overseeing all murder prosecutions in the city. I was always on the lookout for novel ways to apply homicide ...
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) March 17, 2020
an illness that could have been prevented or mitigated. I’m trying to assimilate all available evidence (rapidly developing and being reported every day) to fairly assess whether Trump and his administration may have acted/failed to act in a way that could give rise to ...
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) March 17, 2020
homicide liability by his negligent/grossly negligent (and/or possibly intentional) mishandling of the Coronavirus crisis in the US is a more nuanced and thorny issue and deserves careful consideration. But the homicide liability issue MUST be addressed because ...
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) March 17, 2020
ALL criminal charges will have to be investigated and, if the evidence dictates it, prosecuted come Jan. 2021. Stay tuned ... #TrumpCrimesCommission #TCC #JusticeIsComing
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) March 17, 2020
Trump's administration has ramped up its response to the Wuhan coronavirus in recent days as new cases are being identified in the U.S., with cities asking its residents to stay at home and only leave if it is absolutely necessary. The Center for Disease Control is also recommending no one holds gathering of more than ten people.
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