Trump calls for writers of leaked Supreme Court draft overturning Roe v Wade to be put in JAIL

Donald Trump has called for the authors and publishers of the leaked Supreme Court draft of Roe v. Wade to be threatened with prison unless they reveal the source of their bombshell scoop.

Addressing a rally in Robstown, Texas, on Saturday night, the former president said that the person who provided the draft decision to Politico for their May 5 story should be rooted out.

He said the way to get the reporters, Josh Gerstein and Alexander Ward, to reveal their sources – a fundamental violation of journalistic ethics – was to threaten them and the publishers of Politico with jail. 

‘You know in this country they leak all over the place – even on the Supreme Court,’ he said.

‘By the way, you have to find the leaker.’

He then called for them to be imprisoned if they refused to say who handed them the draft document. 

Trump supporters are pictured at the rally in Robstown, Texas, on Saturday

‘You know how you find the leaker?’ Trump continued.

‘They say you can’t find the leaker. He leaked all about Roe v. Wade.

‘This person leaked from the Supreme Court – never happened.

‘And they don’t want to mention this as they think it’s so terrible.

‘You take the writer – they say they’re never going to find it, they’re going through phone records, it’s been a long time – you take the writer and the publisher of the certain paper. And you say, who is the leaker?

‘National security. And they say we’re not going to tell you.

‘And you say, OK, you’re going to jail.

‘And when this person realizes they are going to be the bride of another prisoner very shortly, he will say: I’d very much like to tell you exactly who that leaker was. It was Bill Jones, I swear he’s the leaker!

‘They don’t want to do that. But that’s the only way.’

Locking up journalists for refusing to reveal their sources would put the United States in the same category of countries as China, Myanmar, Egypt and Belarus. 

The Committee to Protect Journalist’s annual report found that, as of December 1 2021, 293 journalists were imprisoned in 37 different countries – up from 280 in 2020. 

China was far and away the worst offender, holding 50 journalists prisoner.

There were no journalists in behind bars in the United States, Canada or Mexico. 

Gypsy Guillén Kaiser, CPJ’s advocacy and communications director, told VOA there is a common theme across countries jailing journalists.

‘Authoritarian governments are portraying journalists as unfair liars and criminals,’ she said at the time. 

‘That narrative serves political polarization plaguing the world and is also a critical component in erosion of trust in the free and independent media worldwide.’

Gerstein and Ward’s story reverberated around the world and sparked immediate response – with both pro-life and pro-choice activists taking to the streets.