An Ohio sheriff is investigating three men after a woman was tackled and punched while heckling President Donald Trump at a rally in Youngstown earlier this month. No one has been charged, despite video that Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene said shows the woman, who has been identified as Blake Miley, being struck in the face. Investigators are awaiting Miley’s medical records as they consider whether the evidence supports misdemeanor or felony charges.
Newsweek called Greene’s office seeking an update on the case on Saturday afternoon outside of regular working hours and left a voicemail. The confrontation has renewed scrutiny of how protesters are treated at the president's political events as he takes part in a campaign blitz ahead of next month's midterm elections to help maintain the GOP's majority in Congress. The president has been repeatedly heckled and interrupted by protesters during his rally appearances.
In an interview with the New York Times that was published on Saturday morning, the 29-year-old woman said she spent the night before the event cutting felt letters for a homemade shirt reading “RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES.” Halfway through Trump’s speech, she stood, revealed the message, and shouted, “Fascist, fascist!” Miley said that after she yelled, a man reached toward her neck and pushed her backward. After she regained her footing, another person appeared to drag her down, place her in a headlock, pull her hair, and hit her, video from the event shows. Miley recalled being struck twice before sheriff’s deputies reached the disturbance roughly 30 seconds later.
It is not right what they did to me.” From the stage, Trump called her “scum,” and “low-class” and made remarks about her weight. He also referred to her using male pronouns and alleged that she had been paid, a claim she denied. Deputies removed Miley from the arena while the other participants remained inside.
One man raised his fists and exchanged high-fives with nearby attendees, the newspaper reported. Outside, Miley said she shook so badly that witnesses called an ambulance. After several hours at a hospital, she drove to her mobile home north of Columbus with cuts on her face and bruising on her arms.
The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department subsequently received hundreds of calls from people who had watched recordings of the encounter. Greene said as many as 800 messages reached his office, including abusive communications. A review of body-camera footage indicated that deputies were forcing their way through the crowd and did not see the punch, according to the sheriff.
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