Chuck Todd: Antifa ‘Not a Giant Issue,’ Mostly a Portland Problem

Chuck Todd claimed that Antifa violence is “not a giant issue” and accused President Trump of spreading “conspiracies” during MSNBC’s MTP Daily Tuesday.

Chuck Todd read an excerpt from a speech that President Trump gave to evangelicals Monday night, warning of Antifa violence.

“They will overturn everything that we’ve done and they’ll do it quickly and violently, and violently. There’s violence when you look at Antifa–these are violent people,” Trump said in part.

In response, Chuck Todd declared that Antifa is not a big issue and that it is actually Trump who wants to “rationalize violence.”

“He’s trafficking in this part of the Republican base, it’s not fair to call it the Republican base, although that’s what it is now,” Todd said, clarifying, “The Trump voters–he’s trafficking in their conspiracies.”

“Antifa, an issue in Portland, Oregon, okay, I will grant you that, and in some place–but this is not a giant issue,” Todd continued.

“This reminds me a lot of his reaction, initial reaction to Charlottesville, this desire to talk about violence on the left as somehow equal to or perhaps greater than violence on the right…” former Jeb Bush campaign advisor Michael Steel added.

“Or to rationalize violence! I think he just wants to rationalize violence,” Todd exclaimed.

It’s unclear what exactly Todd meant by saying that Trump was spreading “conspiracies” regarding Antifa. The far-left group’s anti-police and anti-media violence, is well documented.

Breitbart News has compiled an exhaustive list of incidents of violence or harassment directed at Trump supporters since 2015, many of which involve Antifa.

And while Todd accuses Trump of wanting to “rationalize violence,” there is only one group that has actually done that–Antifa and their defenders and whitewashers in the media.

CNN, in particular, has whitewashed Antifa violence multiple times. On Tuesday, Don Lemon acknowledged that yes, Antifa does commit violence–but hey, nobody’s perfect.

“Listen, no organization’s perfect. There was some violence. No one condones violence, but there were different reasons for Antifa and for these neo-Nazis to be there. One, racists, fascists, the other group, fighting racist fascists. There is a distinction there,” Lemon said.

This argument from Lemon echoes what CNN host Chris Cuomo has previously said about Antifa.

Earlier this month, Cuomo stated that while violence is wrong, it’s different when it’s done against “bigots.”

“The bigots are wrong to hit. Antifa or whomever — anarchists or malcontents or the misguided — they are also wrong to hit. But fighting hate is right. And in a clash between hate and those who oppose it, those who oppose it are on the side of right,” Cuomo said.