Bill O’Reilly says DOJ should probe and ‘charge’ Robert De Niro over Trump remarks: ‘It’s a crime’

Bill O’Reilly cited US Code 871, saying Robert De Niro’s remarks about President Donald Trump should have triggered Secret Service scrutiny
PUBLISHED FEB 27, 2026
Bill O’Reilly urged the Justice Department to question and possibly charge Robert De Niro over remarks about President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Bill O’Reilly urged the Justice Department to question and possibly charge Robert De Niro over remarks about President Donald Trump (Getty Images)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly has called on the Justice Department to interrogate and potentially charge actor Robert De Niro over his recent remarks about President Donald Trump.

During a fiery segment on his show ‘No Spin News,’ O'Reilly argued that De Niro’s repeated statement, “We got to get rid of him,” could be interpreted as a threat and should be taken seriously under federal law.

His comments came after De Niro appeared on Nicolle Wallace’s program on MS Now, where the actor criticized the Trump administration and urged the public to mobilize.



Bill O’Reilly cites US Code 871 over Robert De Niro remarks

O’Reilly did not mince words as he played the clip of De Niro’s interview and dissected it line by line.

“Now, he said the words, ‘We got to get rid of him,’ three times,” O’Reilly said. “Any interviewer other than Nicolle Wallace would have said, ‘What do you mean by that? He’s elected.

Seventy-seven million people voted for him. What’s, ‘We got to get rid of him’? Are you talking about impeachment? What are you talking about?’”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: Bill O'Reilly attends the Veterans Day Parade opening ceremony on November 11, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/WireImage)
Bill O'Reilly attends the Veterans Day Parade opening ceremony on November 11, 2019 in New York City (Photo by Noam Galai/WireImage)

He then referenced US Code 871, which makes it a crime to threaten the president and others in the line of succession.

“So, [if] I’m watching this and I’m the head of the Secret Service, USC, US Code 871, it is a crime to threaten not only the President of the United States, but the vice president and everybody else in succession. That’d be the Speaker of the House on down,” O’Reilly said.

According to him, the statement alone should have triggered official scrutiny.

Bill O’Reilly urges Secret Service probe into Robert De Niro remarks

O’Reilly went further, laying out what he believes should happen next.

“OK, so I’m the Secret Service director and I’m seeing this three times: ‘We got to get rid of him.’ I got agents pulling De Niro in for a Q&A, and he better have a lawyer,” he said.

He suggested that depending on how De Niro responds during questioning, charges could follow.

“Now, you could charge him based upon his answers to the interrogation. If he takes the fifth - a refused answer on the grounds - you could charge him! And if he were convicted, he’d get five years in prison under this code.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 18: Robert De Niro attends Netflix's
 Robert De Niro attends Netflix's 'Zero Day' World Premiere at The Plaza Hotel on February 18, 2025 in New York City (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

O’Reilly made it clear that he believes an example should be set. “But I’d make an example of this guy De Niro. And I wouldn’t do it for vindictive or politics. I wouldn’t do that. But enough’s enough on the threats!” he added.

For O’Reilly, the repeated phrase crossed a line. “‘We got to get rid of him’? What are you talking about? This is a serious situation - unlike the Gavin Newsom thing, which is ridiculous. This isn’t.”

Robert De Niro criticized Trump and urged public protest

De Niro’s original remarks came during a sit-down interview with Nicolle Wallace, where the actor became emotional while discussing the state of the country under Trump’s leadership.

: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he announces the creation of the U.S. strategic critical minerals reserve during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on February 02, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump, who was joined by manufacturing leaders, administration officials and lawmakers, announced the creation of “Project Vault,” a strategic reserve of rare earth minerals to help protect American manufacturers against potential supply chain disruptions. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump speaks as he announces the creation of the US strategic critical minerals reserve during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on February 02, 2026 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)

During the conversation, he criticized the administration and encouraged Americans to mobilize and continue protesting. The phrase “We got to get rid of him” was repeated three times during the interview, which O’Reilly interpreted as potentially dangerous language.

So far, there has been no indication of any official investigation or response from federal authorities regarding De Niro’s comments.

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