Can Trump Block Money as Punishment for UC Berkeley Protests?

[struggle4progress]

FEB 2 2017, 7:45 PM ET
by JON SCHUPPE

President Donald Trump's reaction to violent protests against a right-wing speaker at the University of California's Berkeley campus was to suggest he'd rescind federal funds for blocking free speech.

The president's threat appears unprecedented, and raises questions about how Trump could halt funding ...

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, a Democrat and Trump critic who represents Berkeley, called the president's tweet an "empty threat" and "an abuse of power." A congressional aide followed up later by saying Trump did not have the power to withdraw funding from a university on his own.

But it might be possible with help from Congress ...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/can-trump-block-money-punishment-uc-berkeley-protests-n715901

[GP6971]

1. Maybe, with congressional approval

but I don't think it would stand up in this case. My understanding was the event was canceled due to safety concerns not 1st amendment issues. The repukes will try to turn it that way though.

[TrekLuver]

2. He's making a lot of threats everywhere. He's going to have to pick and choose the ones he's

going to carry out. This public unrest is not going away. He may think he's gaslighting...Bannon may think he's shocking to desensitize us...it's not going to work. It's already been over a year and a half and WE ARE NOT GETTING DESENSITIZED.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Dumb Donnie just

digs his hole a bit deeper each day.

[Jim Beard]

4. Naw.....there is no way.. I watched it last night and the cops were keeping good control........

and not letting the thugs have a run of the SCU. They busted some very thick window panes and turned over a portable streey light and lit the gasoline and it burned the tires.

For people who want to blame, I could tell many of those busting the windows were White just like the same ones doing the destruction at Trumps Inauguration. Like someone hired them some thugs hoping to start some race problems but many were whit, I could see their skin between their shirt and pants. Blame a black person.