US actors union to decide whether to expel Trump

LOS ANGELES - The American actors union will hold a meeting to consider expelling US President Donald Trump from its ranks.

SAG-AFTRA, which represents some 160,000 actors, journalists and other media professionals, said in a statement that it had ordered a meeting of its disciplinary committee regarding Trump’s role in the Jan 6 mob attack on the US Capitol.

“Donald Trump attacked the values that this union holds most sacred – democracy, truth, respect for our fellow Americans of all races and faiths, and the sanctity of the free press,” said Gabrielle Carteris, president of SAG-AFTRA.

“There’s a straight line from his wanton disregard for the truth to the attacks on journalists perpetrated by his followers,” she added in a statement.

Trump earned his SAG membership from his appearances as himself in a slew of Hollywood films and TV shows ranging from “Home Alone 2” to “Sex and the City” in the early 1990s.

He cemented his celebrity status as host and producer of the TV reality series “The Apprentice” and spinoff “Celebrity Apprentice” from 2004 - 2015.

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The union cited what it said was Trump’s role inciting the attack by his supporters on the Capitol and said he had kept up “a reckless campaign of misinformation aimed at discrediting and ultimately threatening the safety of journalists”.

It did not say when the disciplinary meeting would be held. The disciplinary committee can impose measure ranging from fines to expulsion from the union.

The US House of Representatives voted last week to impeach Trump on charges of incitement over the attack which followed the president urging his supporters to fight the election victory of Democrat Joe Biden.

The Senate has yet to schedule a trial to determine Trump’s guilt or innocence. Trump, who leaves office on Wednesday (Jan 20), falsely claims he lost the November election due to widespread voting fraud.