Hillary Clinton once proposed punishing those who burned the American flag with jail time. Then-Sen. Clinton, along with Sen. Bob Bennett, proposed the “Flag Protection Act of 2005.”
The bill reads, in part:
“Any person who destroys or damages a flag of the United States with the primary purpose and intent to incite or produce imminent violence or a breach of the peace, and under circumstances in which the person knows that it is reasonably likely to produce imminent violence or a breach of the peace, shall be fined not more than $100,000, imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both.”
The bill was never considered or passed by Congress, but was thrust into public consciousness this morning after Donald Trump tweeted a very similar proposal.
Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag – if they do, there must be consequences – perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016
Swift reactions came from across the political spectrum, many of them critical.
If Trump wants to imprison flag-burners, imagine what he’ll try to do to journalists who report on his corruption
— David Frum (@davidfrum) November 29, 2016
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.