REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk
A white nationalist is battling a civil assault and battery lawsuit by claiming that Donald Trump incited him to riot. Matthew Heimbach, the leader of the white supremacist Traditional Youth Network, is accused of assaulting an African-American woman at a March 2016 Trump campaign rally in Louisville, Kentucky. Video footage of the rally shows Heimbach pushing Kashiya Nwanguma while Trump encouraged the crowd to eject Nwanguma and other protesters, telling his supporters to “get ’em out of here!” Nwanguma and two other protesters have filed a civil suit against Heimbach and the Trump campaign. But in a federal court filing Monday, Heimbach claimed that he “acted pursuant to the directives and requests of Donald J. Trump and Donald J. Trump for President” and that “any liability must be shifted to one or both of them.” Heimbach denied “physically assaulting” protesters and said he “acted, if at all, in self defense.” He added that Trump is “a world famous businessman” who “relies on various professionals including attorneys and other professional advisors” and that therefore he trusted Trump’s judgment and followed his orders.