North Dakota police have reportedly issued a warrant for the arrest of Green Party nominee Jill Stein.
Stein was spotted in the wrong place at the wrong time. And this time, it wasn’t because she flew to the wrong city for a campaign event, as she did last week when traveling to Cincinnati instead of Columbus, Ohio.
Stein participated in a protest at a construction site in North Dakota, and spray-painted the words “I approve this message” onto a bulldozer.
Presidential candidate .@DrJillStein graffitis #DAPL equipment. pic.twitter.com/utKbzK7wkV— KX News – Bismarck (@KXMB) September 6, 2016
The Morton County Sheriff’s Department posted a picture on Facebook of a smiling Stein spray-painting the construction equipment as evidence of her alleged criminal act and said it was investigating her actions.
Amid the news that she could face charges for vandalism, Stein’s campaign issued a statement urging law enforcement officials to charge a different entity.
“I hope the North Dakota authorities press charges against the real vandalism taking place at the Standing Rock Sioux reservation: the bulldozing of sacred burial sites and the unleashing of vicious attack dogs,” Stein said in a statement.
“I hope they take action against the Dakota Access Pipeline company that is endangering drinking water not only for the Standing Rock Sioux, but for millions of people downstream of the reservation who depend on the Missouri River.”
The warrant for her arrest could become an additional obstacle for Stein in her quest to make the presidential debate stage, in addition to her polling well below the threshold needed to qualify.
Stein polls around 3 percentage points in RealClearPolitics’ average of polls and would need to earn 15 percent of the vote in certain polls selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates to gain a spot on stage.
Sixty-one days remain until the election.
This post has been updated since its original posting.
