by PBS News Hour
Aug 19, 2022 6:45 PM EDT
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and its agents have become targets of threats after the agency conducted a court-approved search of former President Trump's estate. Much of the heated rhetoric has come from Trump and his allies. One man has already been killed by law enforcement for trying to storm an Ohio field office. Retired Special Agent Frank Montoya joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.
Read the Full Transcript
Judy Woodruff:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and its agents have become targets of threats in the days since the agency carried out a court-approved search of former President Donald Trump's estate.
Much of the heated rhetoric has come from Trump himself and his allies. And, already, one man was killed by law enforcement after attempting to storm a field office in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Here with me now to discuss all of this is retired Special Agent Frank Montoya, who served 26 years in the FBI.
Frank Montoya, welcome back to the "NewsHour."
We have been planning to talk to you for a couple of days based on threats that we saw out there. But I just have to share that, just in the last hour or so, on this Friday afternoon, former President Trump has posted on social media strong comments
And I'm just going to quote from some of them. He refers to what he calls atrocities being perpetrated by the FBI and the DOJ. He says: "The law enforcement of our country has become that of a Third World nation and I do not believe that people will stand for it. Never in our country's history has there been a time where law enforcement has been so viciously and violently involved in the life and times of politics in our nation. They have no shame. They are destroying our country."
Has there been anything like this before in the history of the FBI?
Frank Motoya Jr., Former FBI Official:
Never.
I cannot think of any instance in my lifetime or even before then in the history of the FBI where something like was so egregiously foisted upon them.
Judy Woodruff:
How do you account for what's happened here? Because there was the search of former President Trump's estate in Florida, Mar-a-Lago. There was a court-approved warrant for that search.
And yet the president and his allies, his supporters have ever since then come down with a steady stream of attacks and threats on the FBI.
Frank Motoya Jr.:
Well, I think what it reveals is that there's a lot of concern amongst his inner circle and amongst — with him, in particular, about how close this investigation is getting to the truth.
The things that he's been saying all along, whether there was planted evidence, or that he had this unequivocal, unadulterated ability to declassify, or to just outright attack the men and women of the FBI, who are doing their jobs, who are responding to allegations from outside, reacting to it with a search warrant, and then, again, doing their jobs, collecting the evidence and removing that documentation.
And it really suggests that he's worried about what they're what they're finding, not what they will find, what they are finding, and what will happen next as far as potential prosecution.
So, yes, he's running scared. That's what it sounds like.
Judy Woodruff:
Well, the language has become, I mean, just — I mean, to say over the top is an understatement.
There are — we have seen quotes where they have written about killing the enemy. Steve Bannon, who's a longtime adviser to the former president, has talked about the FBI is like the Gestapo and talking about, we're at war.
How do — I mean, you have been in contact, I know, with — you have many friends in the bureau. How are they seeing all this? How are they — how do they — how are they taking it in?
Frank Motoya Jr.:
Well, it ticks them off.
I mean, they're trying to deal with it, take it in stride. Addressing threats, dealing with threats on a daily basis is what they do. But what really concerns them is the input, the possible or potential impact that this can have on family members, especially with their kids getting ready to go back to school, and with their colleagues, the intelligence analysts and the support personnel, who don't carry weapons for a living.
It really is making for a difficult work environment. Now, they're going to continue to do what they do. They're going to press forward. They're going to uphold their oath to support and defend the Constitution, to uphold the rule of law.
But, at the same time, we are in — I don't like to use this word. I don't think many people do. But we are in unprecedented times, because they truly are. We're looking at words coming out, not just out of his mouth, but other so-called responsible leaders in this country, who are constantly bashing individuals, professionals who are doing their jobs on a daily basis to the best of their abilities, following the rule of law.
And in addition to the threats that those words pose to them, it also undermines the very efforts that they're supposed to that — that they're attempting to uphold. It really — it's an attack on the Constitution, as much as it is on these agents that are really working hard to uphold it.
Judy Woodruff:
And that's a question I wanted to get to, because how is it possible for the agency to do its job when you have more and more of the American people who the FBI and DOJ, Department of Justice are serving not having confidence in the — not just not having confidence in them, but thinking they are the enemies of the people?
Frank Motoya Jr.:
Yes.
So, that's a really terrible side effect of all of this nonsensical rhetoric, that people are questioning the very reasons that the FBI exists. It's not just about questioning their honesty and integrity, but their reason for existing.
And there was a time when most Americans, many Americans, they looked at the rule of law and they looked at the Constitution as something worth upholding, as something that could be upheld. And, right now, with all of this negative language that's out there, all this negative rhetoric is really causing even normal, regular people, my neighbors, to question whether or not the FBI is doing what it's supposed to do, as opposed to acting like a rogue agency.
And the fact of the matter is, nothing could be farther from the truth about that rogue nature, about the adjectives, the words and descriptions that the former president is using to describe really good people, who are just like your neighbors, your — the folks that live in your community, whose children go to your schools, where they're just doing their jobs, reacting to the circumstances of our current environment, and doing it in the best way possible, at the same time, taking care of themselves and, more importantly, their friends and families.
Judy Woodruff:
All right, well, we are going to leave it there. We certainly are continuing to watch this as it develops, and, again, with these new comments today from the former president.
Frank Montoya, who served in the FBI for 26 years, thank you very much.
Frank Montoya Jr.:
Thank you.
************************
Trump's 'Openly Inciting' Rhetoric Against DOJ Is Dangerously Familiar
by Chris Hayes
Aug 19, 2022
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump = 56 m
When will people realize that the atrocities being perpetrated by the FBI and DOJ having to do with the Raid and Break In of my home, Mar-a-Lago, or after years of other atrocities and unthinkable violations of freedom and the law, this has been going on for years, from the moment I came down the golden escalators in Trump Tower, right up until the present. At some point you have to look at what took place in the past to determine what is going on in the present...
... and nothing has ever happened like that which is going on in our Country right now. The law enforcement of our Country has become that of a Third World Nation, and I do not believe the people will stand for it -- between Fraudulent Elections, Open Borders, Inflation, giving our Military to the Enemy, and so much more -- how much are we all expected to take?
Never in our Country's history has there been a time where law enforcement has been so viciously and violently involved in the life and times of politics in our Nation. Even in light of the fact that they violated the Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, Impeachment Hoax #1, Impeachment Hoax #2, the Mueller Witch Hunt, lied many times before Congress, and on many occasions put out fraudulent information before the FISA Court, they continue. They have no shame. They are destroying our Country!
Aug 19, 2022, 16:31-16:32
“They are threatening law enforcement and the DOJ, claiming that the country will erupt into violence if they don't do what Trump wants,” says Chris Hayes on the response to the Mar-a-Lago probe. “The last time Trump's rhetoric was this openly inciting...a mob stormed the Capitol and people ended up dead.”
Transcript
>> [CHRI HAYES] GOOD EVENING FROM NEW YORK,
I'M CHRIS HAYES.
NEARLY TWO WEEKS OUT FROM THE
FBI SEARCH OF THE EX-PRESIDENT'S
FLORIDA HOME,
DONALD TRUMP'S EXCUSES KEEP
GETTING WORSE --
THEY KEEP CHANGING, AND THEY
KEEP GETTING WORSE.
HE IS NOW THREATENING TO TAKE
STEPS THAT COULD FURTHER
INFLAME TENSIONS, AND OUTRIGHT
ENDANGER FBI AGENTS.
NOW AT FIRST, TRUMP TRIED TO
PUSH NONSENSE CONSPIRACY
THEORIES ABOUT THE FBI PLANTING
THE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AT
MAR-A-LAGO, WHICH WAS FRANKLY
ABSURD. AND WHEN IT DIDN'T WORK,
HE LANDED ON A CONSISTENT EXCUSE:
"YES, THE DOCUMENTS WERE MINE,
YES, I HAD THEM WITH
ME, BUT IT'S FINE, BECAUSE I
DECLASSIFIED THEM."
>> [JOHN SOLOMON, FOX NEWS] THIS IS FROM PRESIDENT
TRUMP'S OFFICE.
IT JUST CAME IN A FEW MINUTES AGO.
"AS WE CAN ALL RELATE TO,
EVERYONE --
AS WE CAN ALL RELATE TO,
EVERYONE ENDS UP HAVING TO
BRING HOME THEIR WORK FROM TIME
TO TIME.
AMERICAN PRESIDENTS ARE NO
DIFFERENT.
PRESIDENT TRUMP, IN ORDER TO
PREPARE THE WORK THE NEXT DAY,
OFTEN TOOK DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS, TO THE
RESIDENCE.
HE HAD A STANDING ORDER -- THERE'S
THE WORD I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR --
THAT DOCUMENTS REMOVED FROM THE
OVAL OFFICE AND TAKEN TO THE
RESIDENCE WERE DEEMED TO BE
DECLASSIFIED THE MOMENT HE
REMOVED THEM."
>> [CHRIS HAYES] [LAUGHING] NOW, THAT'S AN ALMOST
COMICAL MONOLOGUE THERE FROM
JOHN SOLOMON, WHOSE IS ESSENTIALLY
A MOUTHPIECE FOR
TRUMP.
THAT EXCUSE WAS PRETTY OBVIOUSLY A
LIE.
BUT WE HAVE GOT NEW REPORTING TO
ACTUALLY CONFIRM IT, NAIL IT DOWN.
"18 FORMER WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS,
INCLUDING TWO OF TRUMP'S WHITE
HOUSE CHIEFS OF STAFF, JOHN
KELLY, NICK MULVANEY, SAY
THERE WAS NO STANDING ORDER TO
DECLASSIFY DOCUMENTS."
IT WOULD CERTAINLY APPEAR THAT
TRUMP IS JUST LYING TO TRY AND
SAVE HIS HIDE.
SO RUDY GIULIANI, WHO APPEARS TO BE IN
A QUITE A BIT OF LEGAL TROUBLE, IS THE TARGET, AGAIN, OF THAT CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION IN GEORGIA,
WENT ON
THE FAR RIGHT OUTLET, NEWSMAX, TO TRY AND
CLEAR THINGS UP.
>> [RUDY GIULIANI] NOW, THEY WANT TO MAKE HIM
RESPONSIBLE FOR HAVING TAKEN
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AND
PRESERVED THEM.
REALLY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE
ESPIONAGE ACT, IT'S NOT REALLY
ABOUT TAKING THE DOCUMENTS,
IT'S ABOUT DESTROYING THEM,
OR HIDING THEM,
OR GIVING THEM TO THE ENEMY.
>> [FOX NEWS HOST] RIGHT.
>> [RUDY GIULIANI] IT'S NOT ABOUT TAKING THEM
AND PUTTING THEM IN A PLACE
THAT IS ROUGHLY AS SAFE AS THEY
WERE IN IN THE FIRST PLACE.
>> [CHRIS HAYES] NOW THE ESPIONAGE ACT IS A
WEIRD AND IN SOME WAYS BAD
PIECE OF LEGISLATION, BUT
THAT'S NOT TRUE, WHAT GIULIANI
IS SAYING.
ACCORDING TO TRUMP'S OWN FORMER
HEAD OF COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE
AT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE,
QUOTE, "THE ESPIONAGE ACT
EXPLICITLY APPLIES TO THE
WILLFUL RETENTION OF CLASSIFIED
AND NONCLASSIFIED DEFENSE
RELATED DOCUMENTS IN AN
UNAUTHORIZED PLACE."
David Laufman
@DavidLaufmanLaw
Former @TheJusticeDept official completely misrepresents the scope of a law he was once responsible for enforcing. Espionage Act explicitly applies to willful retention of classified (and non-classified defense-related) in an unauthorized place. #ClassifiedDocuments
12:53 PM - Aug 19, 2022
THAT IS OBVIOUSLY WHAT WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT.
IN FACT, IT'S ALL BUT BEEN ADMITTED
TO BY THE TRUMP PEOPLE.
SETTING THAT ASIDE, IT SURE
SOUNDS LIKE GIULIANI IS OPENLY
ADMITTING TRUMP TOOK THE
DOCUMENTS THAT HE APPARENTLY
KNEW WERE CLASSIFIED IN ORDER TO
PRESERVE THEM.
OF COURSE WE KNOW THAT TRUMP
WAS STORING AT LEAST SOME OF THE
DOCUMENTS IN THE BASEMENT OF
HIS GOLF RESORT, WHICH, NO
MATTER HOW YOU SLICE IT, I
DON'T THINK IS SAFER THAN WITH
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES.
EVEN THOUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE INVESTIGATORS, AGAIN,
IN THIS LONG BACK AND FORTH, RIGHT,
WHERE THEY ARE TRYING TO GET THE
PAPERS BACK AND SECURE, TOLD
TRUMP HE NEEDED TO PUT A LOCK ON THE DOOR
WHERE THE DOCUMENTS WERE KEPT, MEANING HIS ATTEMPTS
AT
AT PRESERVATION CERTAINLY LEFT SOMETHING TO BE
DESIRED.
NOW JUST WATCH TRUMP'S CURRENT LAWYER FLOUNDER
WHEN FOX NEWS LOBBED HER A SOFTBALL QUESTION ABOUT
HOW SECURE THE
DOCUMENT WERE.
>> [CHRISTINA BOBB] THEY ASKED FOR ONE MORE LOCK, ADD ANOTHER LOCK, WHICH
WE DID.
UH, AND THEN, FOR WHATEVER REASON,
THEY DECIDED THAT THEY STILL
NEEDED TO RAID THE PLACE.
>> [LAURA INGRAHAM] AND ONLY ONE OR TWO
PEOPLE HAD ACCESS TO THAT ROOM,
TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE?
>>[CHRISTINA BOBB] THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING.
I MEAN, I WOULD HAVE TO CHECK WITH, YOU KNOW,
THE MAINTENANCE OF THAT AREA.
BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS A VERY
SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT COULD
GET IN THERE.
>> [CHRIS HAYES] LAURA IS LIKE, "PLEASE WORK
WITH ME HERE. I'M TRYING TO
HELP YOU OUT."
NOT A VERY REASSURING ANSWER
WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TOP
SECRET DOCUMENTS. AND IN CASE YOU HAVE
FORGOTTEN, OF COURSE, TRUMP
DOESN'T REALLY DESERVE THE
BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT WHEN IT
COMES TO PRESERVING ANY KIND OF NATIONAL
SECURITY SECRETS. I MEAN, JUST
ONE EXAMPLE, AND THERE ARE TRULY
COUNTLESS, LISTEN TO THE MUSICIAN KID ROCK DESCRIBE
HOW TRUMP WAS APPARENTLY
DISCUSSING SENSITIVE ISSUES OF FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY WITH
A NUCLEAR POWER WITH
HIM WHEN HE VISITED THE WHITE
HOUSE.
>> [KID ROCK] WE'RE LOOKING AT MAPS [DELETE], AND
I'M LIKE, AM I SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE [DELETE]
[TUCKER CARLSON] [LAUGHING]
[KID ROCK] I MAKE DIRTY RECORDS SOMETIMES.
BUT --
[TUCKER CARLSON] [LAUGHING]
>> [KID ROCK] ... DO IT HERE.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO
ABOUT NORTH KOREA?
[LAUGHING] I SAID "WHAT"?
I DON'T THINK I'M QUALIFIED TO ANSWER
THIS.
>> [CHRIS HAYES] THAT'S THE MOST RELATABLE I'VE
EVER FOUND KID ROCK,
AND HE'S RIGHT, HE'S NOT REALLY
QUALIFIED TO ANSWER.
BUT ALL THIS STUFF ASIDE, WHAT
IS LESS FUNNY THAN THE KIND OF
HAPHAZARD AND SOMEWHAT
RIDICULOUS ATTEMPTS BY TRUMP TO
WRIGGLE OUT OF THIS, WHAT HE'S
DOING NOW WITH HIS ATTACKS ON
THE FBI IS, I THINK, LEGITIMATELY
DANGEROUS.
SO IT'S BEEN REPORTED THAT
TRUMP MADE THIS OVERTURE TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE NEW
YORK TIMES REPORTED THIS,
THROUGH AN EMISSARY.
AND HE SENT THIS MESSAGE TO
MERRICK GARLAND.
The New York Times
Trump Lawyer Told Justice Dept. That Classified Material Had Been Returned
by Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush
Aug. 13, 2022
"The country is on fire. What can I do to reduce the heat?"
HE WANTED TO GET IT TO MERRICK
GARLAND.
AND THE QUESTION WAS, "THE
COUNTRY IS ON FIRE.
WHAT CAN I DO TO REDUCE THE
HEAT?"
AND BY "COUNTRY ON FIRE," WHAT HE
MEANT WAS HE TALKED TO ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO WERE
ENRAGED BY THE SEARCH ON
MAR-A-LAGO.
AND THERE'S A WAY TO READ THAT,
WHICH I THINK IS THE PLAIN READING OF IT, WHICH
IS OMINOUS, RIGHT? A THREAT.
TRUMP TELLING THE DOJ, "BE
CAREFUL, THAT HIS SUPPORTERS
ARE AGITATING FOR
VIOLENCE.
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU DO."
BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, IT'S VERY
OBVIOUS THAT TRUMP IS NOT
INTERESTED IN COOLING TENSIONS
AT ALL.
NOW WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE WHO
INITIALLY LEAKED THE ACTUAL
MAR-A-LAGO SEARCH WARRANT TO
PRO TRUMP NEWS OUTLETS, INCLUDING BREITBART, ALTHOUGH I'LL LEAVE IT TO YOU TO GUESS, BUT THE COPY OF THE DOCUMENT
THAT CIRCULATED IN SOME
FAR-RIGHT CIRCLES, DID NOT
REDACT THE NAMES OF THE FBI
OFFICERS INVOLVED, PUTTING
THEIR LIVES IN DANGER.
AND AGAIN, I'M NOT BEING
HYPERBOLIC HERE. THIS IS NOT
JUST EMPTY THREATS.
JUST LAST WEEK, RIGHT AFTER THE
SEARCH, A MAN TOOK A GUN TO AN
FBI BUILDING IN OHIO, AND LATER
FIRED DIRECTLY AT OFFICERS IN A
STANDOFF AFTER POSTING ONLINE
ABOUT HE WANTED TO KILL THE FBI
AGENTS.
EARLIER THIS WEEK, A
PENNSYLVANIA MAN WAS ARRESTED
FOR ALLEGEDLY USING THE
FAR-RIGHT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
GAB TO SHARE EXLICIT THREATS
AGAINST THE FBI.
STATEMENTS LIKE, QUOTE," EVERY
SINGLE PIECE OF [BLANK] WHO
WORKS FOR THE FBI IN ANY
CAPACITY, FROM THE DIRECTOR
DOWN TO THE JANITOR WHO CLEANS
THEIR F-ING TOILETS, DESERVES TO DIE. YOU'VE
DECLARED WAR ON US AND
NOW IT'S OPEN SEASON ON YOU."
THE FLORIDA JUDGE WHO APPROVED
THE SEARCH WARRANT ON
MAR-A-LAGO IS NOW RECEIVING DEATH
THREATS, WHICH ARE APPARENTLY
SO SERIOUS, HIS SYNAGOGUE
CANCELED TONIGHT'S
SCHEDULED SERVICE. OKAY?
THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS WHEN TRUMP
SENDS A MESSAGE TO MERRICK
GARLAND, "THE COUNTRY IS ON
FIRE."
AND NOW THE EX PRESIDENT IS
REPORTEDLY MULLING THE
POSSIBILITY OF RELEASING THE
SURVEILLANCE CAMERA VIDEO OF
THE MAR-A-LAGO SEARCH,
WHICH WOULD, IT SEEMS, FURTHER
ENDANGER THOSE AGENTS BY MAKING
THEIR FACES PUBLIC TO TRUMP'S
ENRAGED SUPPORTERS.
AND IN A NEW STATEMENT THIS
EVENING, THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE TOLD NBC NEWS QUOTE, "WE
WOULD HOPE THE VIDEO WOULD
ONLY PROVIDE IT IN A FORMAT THAT
OBSCURES THE FACES AND
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL."
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE STATEMENT
ON MAR-A-LAGO SURVEILLANCE VIDEO
"WE WOULD HOPE THAT IT WOULD ONLY BE PROVIDED IN A FORMAT THAT OBSCURES THE FACES AND IDENTIFYING INFORMATION OF LAW ENFOREMENT PERSONNEL."
BUT THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A
CONCERN.
JUST LISTEN TO HOW ANOTHER ONE OF
TRUMP'S LAWYERS PUT IT.
>> [ROB SCHMITT, TONIGHT] SO YOU CAN'T SEE THE AFFIDAVIT,
AND OF COURSE YOU CAN'T SEE
WHAT THEY WERE DOING IN THE
RAID.
NOT A LOT OF TRANSPARENCY IN THIS
GOVERNMENT.
>> [TRUMP LAWYER] WE DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE
THEIR IDENTITIES EITHER,
BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT YOU TO
KNOW WHO DID THAT.
WELL, IF YOU ARE DOING IT
AS AN AGENT, I AM NOT SURE THAT
YOU SHOULD HAVE THAT RIGHT.
LISTEN, FBI AGENTS, UNDERCOVER
AGENTS, THAT'S ONE THING.
BUT WHEN YOU GO INTO A PRESIDENT'S
HOME, AN EX PRESIDENT'S HOME,
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IS GOING TO
HAPPEN?
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?
>> [CHRIS HAYES] THINK ABOUT THAT.
"WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IS GOING TO
HAPPEN?"
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
TRUMP CAN CARE LESS, RIGHT, ABOUT
PROTECTING LAW ENFORCEMENT.
IN FACT, JUST TODAY, HE USED
HIS WEIRD OFF-BRAND PLATFORM TO
FURTHER INFLAME THE COUNTRY,
TO REALLY INCITE --
HE REFERRED TO THE EXECUTION
OF THE SEARCH WARRANT AS QUOTE
"ATROCITIES BEING PERPETRATED BY
THE FBI AND DOJ, THAT THE LAW
ENFORCEMENT OF OUR COUNTRY HAS
BECOME THAT OF A THIRD WORLD
NATION, AND I DON'T BELIEVE THE
PEOPLE WILL STAND FOR IT.
HOW MUCH ARE WE ALL EXPECTED TO
TAKE?
QUOTE, NEVER IN OUR COUNTRY'S
HISTORY HAS THERE BEEN A TIME
WHERE LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS BEEN
SO VICIOUSLY AND VIOLENTLY
INVOLVED IN THE LIFE AND TIMES
OF POLITICS IN OUR NATION.
THEY HAVE NO SHAME. THEY ARE
DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY!"
AGAIN, SOMEONE SHOT UP AN FBI
HEADQUARTERS.
AFTER THE RAID.
HE KNOWS THAT!
THIS MORNING TRUMP'S LAWYER
AGAIN TOOK TO RIGHT-WING MEDIA
TO ISSUE, WHAT AGAIN, SURE SEEMED
LIKE A THREAT TO THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE.
>> [CHRISTINA BOBB] I DON'T SEE IT AS,
COMING DOWN, I ALSO THINK THE
NATION'S REACTION TO THIS RAID,
I THINK THE DEPARTMENT WAS
SURPRISED AT HOW ANGRY AMERICA
GOT, AND HOW FRUSTRATED WE ALL
ARE, THAT WE FEEL LIKE WE ARE LOSING
OUR RIGHTS, AND THIS IS SO
OVERLY POLITICAL.
SO, I THINK IT'S CAUSING THEM
TO GO, "OH, MAYBE WE DON'T HAVE WHAT
WE THINK WE HAVE."
SO I HOPE THAT THEY TAKE A SECOND
LOOK AND ARE CAUTIOUS ABOUT
DOING SOMETHING AS STUPID AS
TRYING TO GO AFTER PRESIDENT
TRUMP, BECAUSE THEY'VE TRIED THIS BEFORE.
>> [CHRIS HAYES] AGAIN, LISTEN TO WHAT THEY
SAID THERE.
THEY BASICALLY ADMITTED TO THE
CRIME. RIGHT?
THEY HAVE THE DOCUMENTS, THEY
WILLFULLY RETAIN THEM.
RIGHT?
NOW THEY ARE NOT MAKING LEGAL
ARGUMENTS, THEY ARE JUST SAYING, "YOU
WILL DESTROY CIVIL PEACE IN THIS
COUNTRY, BECAUSE OUR FOLLOWERS
WILL ...", WHAT?
IF YOU DO THIS?
THEY ARE THREATENING LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND THE DOJ AND
CLAIMING THAT THE COUNTRY WILL
ERUPT INTO VIOLENCE IF THEY
DON'T DO WHAT TRUMP WANTS.
I GOTTA SAY, THE LAST TIME
THAT TRUMP'S RHETORIC WAS THIS
OPENLY INCITING -- HIS PLATFORM WAS MUCH HIGHER -- IT'S NOT THE SAME -- BUT THE LAST TIME IT WAS THIS INCITING, A MOB STORMED THE CAPITOL AND PEOPLE ENDED UP DEAD.