MSNBC contributor Clint Watts said Thursday on “Deadline” that former President Donald Trump was the biggest risk to American security.
Anchor Nicolle Wallace said, “DHS is now concerned about a new conspiracy theory, a new Trump-inspired, Trump-incited kind of rage, White-rage to use the words of General Milley said yesterday. It’s this; they’re concerned about the Trump reinstatement conspiracy theory. The exchange came in a members-only briefing John Cohen, DHS’s top counter-terrorism official, gave to the House Committee on Homeland Security. Cohen told telling lawmakers, ‘DHS is not aware of any specific credible threats of violence linked to the conspiracy theory about Trump being reinstated,’ but he added ‘DHS is following discussion of the topic online among extremist communities.’ He said, ‘Department officials are highly concerned because it fuels the false narrative that the election was rigged, and that’s a narrative that may trigger a violent response from extremists.’ It’s just jaw-dropping the disgraced twice impeached ex-president’s utterances are now a national security threat on an hourly, daily basis.”
Watts replied, “It is remarkable it continues on. It is also remarkable because there is still significant online discussion about this, which means just think if you’re a believer in this conspiracy and have seen everything from QAnon to January 6, the inauguration occurring, the ballot recounts failing, and you are still pursuing this fantasy. How would it not lead to violence over time whenever each of these horizons are picked in the conspiracy space and then don’t occur? They keep committing to this over and over again. It’s particularly troubling, and I think one advantage that we do have is the president is not on Twitter, Facebook, and much of social media. His website was not particularly successful. It has muted his ability to really rally that base, and he’s been in a limited number of public appearances.”
He continued, “If that were to change, and the conspiracies sort of pick up again if you start to see a sort of sizable audience gathering, that DHS assessment is right on target. It is actually articulating clear risk. The biggest risk to the country isn’t actually from outside the country. It’s not even necessarily from inside the country, but from the last person that was inside the White House.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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