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National security experts have raised alarms regarding how dangerous the supporters of former President Donald Trump are, as well as how dangerous the former president is himself, to the country. Former FBI counterterrorism expert Clint Watts recently weighed in on how dangerous Trump still is to national security.
Speaking on MSNBC, Watts discussed with host Nicolle Wallace the warning previously given by DHS counterterrorism official John Cohen that the former president’s obsession with getting “reinstated” into the presidency would only lead to more political violence. This also stemmed from the report by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman that Trump was expecting to return to the White House in August.
Wallace explained how the former president’s continued claims that he would be reinstated as president, along with his other false claims, are now regarded as a national security threat. Trump was impeached twice by the House following his involvement in the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. The insurrection was fueled by the now-former president’s repeated peddling of the false claims that election fraud denied him a second term in office.
“It’s remarkable that it continues on,” said Watts. “It’s also remarkable because there is still significant online discussion of this, which means -- think if you’re a believer in this conspiracy, and you’ve seen everything from QAnon to January 6, the inauguration occurring, ballot recounts failing -- and you are still pursuing this fantasy. How would it not lead to violence over time?”
Watts also noted that Cohen’s assessment would be very accurate but explained that Trump no longer has a way to amplify his message. Watts cited Trump’s permanent ban from most major social media platforms and the poor performance of his post-White House website.
The former president is also currently facing a slew of lawsuits and is at the center of several investigations of a criminal nature. The most notable investigation is being led by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance and this week saw another major update from their probe. Prosecutors have now given Trump’s attorneys 24 hours to respond with their final arguments as to why criminal charges should be made against the Trump Organization.
Vance’s investigation is also in cooperation with the probe being conducted by New York Attorney General Letitia James. According to the Washington Post, this latest request by the prosecutors comes as both officials are looking into possible criminal charges against the company as an entity.
