During an interview with The Washington Post on Monday, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) stated that she is worried about election violence, “based on what the president says and encourages.” And that if President Donald Trump “steps in and tries to declare himself the winner, or tries to steal the election, then we are in the throes of taking on a dictator, not a democratically-elected president, and at that point, all bets are off.”
Washington Post National Political Reporter Robert Costa asked, “And in cities like Seattle, I know here in Washington, D.C., there’s a lot of unease about election night. People are boarding up businesses. Are you concerned about violence?”
Jayapal responded, “Well, I’m always concerned, based on what the president says and encourages. When he tells the Proud Boys to stand by — ‘stand back and stand by’, that is concerning. When he says there’s ‘nothing wrong’ with people trying to push the Biden-Harris bus off the freeway, that is concerning. When he allows crowds to chant ‘Fire Fauci’, who is the nation’s truthteller on COVID-19, that is deeply concerning. He is fomenting violence. So, yes, I am concerned. I am telling everybody here, in Seattle, anyone who will listen to me, that our path is through non-violent action. We cannot give in to the forces of violence. And I think that the reality is, there are a lot of people who, if the president steps in and tries to declare himself the winner, or tries to steal the election, then we are in the throes of taking on a dictator, not a democratically-elected president, and at that point, all bets are off.”
Costa then asked Jayapal what she meant by “all bets are off.”
Jayapal responded, “It means you can’t control the anger that people will have if they see a democracy being thwarted by the president of the United States. So, we are telling everybody, stay calm, the election likely will not be decided on election night. Do not listen to the president of the United States. Republicans need to speak out, loudly and clearly, to say the same thing and stop fomenting violence, stop protecting this president, who has done nothing but add to the divisiveness and encourage violent white supremacy, violent action across the country.”
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