Mary Trump, niece of president Donald Trump, says that her uncle should face criminal charges for his response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an appearance on The Dean Obeidallah Show on SiriusXM, the president’s niece said that he was liable for American deaths caused by his actions.
“If you have it in your power to save somebody’s life but stand by and do nothing, isn’t that negligent homicide or something like that?” she said in Tuesday’s interview.
“If you are actively withholding personal protective equipment from a state because a governor isn’t nice enough to you and people end up dying, how is that not a crime?”
The clinical psychologist has made a number of media appearances in the past month since the publication of her tell-all book about the Trump family, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.
Speaking more generally about the president being held accountable for his actions, she said: “I think we’re at this point where the executive has so much power, especially when one party predominates, that it’s as if anything goes. There’s no accountability, and there’s literally no reason for him to stop doing what he’s doing. Which is why when we get out of this nightmare, there has to be a reckoning like we’ve never seen before in this country.”
Mr Obeidallah asked her to clarify if she meant criminal charges concerning his handling of the Covid-19 response.
“Yup, I do. I believe that he needs to be indicted for his financial crimes at the state level. I think everything needs to be looked into because part of the problem with Donald has always been that he’s allowed to get away with the small stuff, and it just snowballs over time.”
Ms Trump added that violations of the Hatch Act by the president, his children, and others in the administration should also be addressed. The act prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities while on duty.
The White House did not respond when asked for comment on Ms Trump's statements.
Too Much and Never Enough sold almost one million copies on the day of its release.
