Jeh Johnson: ‘I Do Worry’ Cooperation with the Muslim Community Is ‘Weaker’ Because of Trump Admin Rhetoric

Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Tuesday he worries and fears the cooperation with the Muslim community has weakened due to the rhetoric from the President Donald Trump administration.

“Do you worry that that cooperation is weaker now because of the kind of rhetoric that has come out of this administration that may have weakened those interactions?” The Washington Post’s David Ignatius asked on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

“David, I do worry about that,” Johnson replied. “And as you may recall, when I was secretary, I spent a lot of time in American Muslim communities building those bridges, encouraging them to work with local law enforcement when they see someone going in the wrong direction. And that effort, I fear, has largely atrophied in this administration. And I think given the current homeland threat and the threat of self-radicalized actors, that’s key to public safety and it’s something I spent a lot of time on when I was in office. I was the first secretary to address the convention of the Islamic Society of North America, which is a huge gathering of American Muslims every year in Chicago, and that has not happened since.”

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