Monday on MSNBC’s “All In,” Washington Post opinion writer Jennifer Rubin said President Donald Trump’s rhetoric was “giving people all the impetus they might need to commit violence.”
The discussion was about Coast Guard Lieutenant Christopher Paul Hasson being charged with attempting to carry out a domestic terror attack.
Rubin said, “Just as the bomber that you referenced in Florida, it was pretty chilling. And that’s not to say that president causes crazy people to be crazy. It’s to say that his words have impact and they have particular impact on people who are mentally unbalanced or who have an inclination to violence. There is also a problem here that Trump personally has lied over and over again trying to convince us that Muslims from outside the United States are the greatest threat to Americans, and in fact, it is domestic terrorism. He has lied about this. He has lied about it to Congress. And it’s about time I think we had oversight hearings from Jerry Nadler and others in the House to really explore why we haven’t taken this more seriously and whether we need more resources or direction from the White House on this.”
She added, “When he bates his crowd, when he tells them to turn and points fingers and scream at journalists, when he isolates a journalist as he did during the campaign, a single journalist points them out, he is essentially giving people all the impetus they might need to commit violence, to act in ways that are illegal and are threatening to journalists. And I think this is a concern in every newsroom. I think this is a concern in every network. I think the degree of security is greater than it has been in the past and it’s because of this president.”
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