MSNBC Host Says Voting For Donald Trump Is ‘Clear Endorsement of Political Violence’ Amid Indictment Incitement Fears

MSNBC host Katie Phang suggested that if ex-President Donald Trump wins the GOP nomination, it will be “an endorsement of political violence” after several threatening messages from Trump backers.

Trump himself broke the blockbuster news Thursday that he has been indicted in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into his retention of classified documents under the Espionage Act, news that shook the political world.

On Friday, that indictment was unsealed, and the details of the whopping 37 counts rocked the news and political media, and sent Trump and his defenders into apoplectic rage. Some of that manifested itself in veiled and not-so-veiled messages suggesting incitement to war.

On Saturday morning’s edition of MSNBC’s The Katie Phang Show, the host called out two such messages — from GOP Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona and Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana — and asked guest Denver Riggleman if a vote for Trump is a vote for violent unrest:

KATIE PHANG: Well, and Denver, it’s not just people playing around. I mean, there’s some very serious stuff here. But Clay Higgins, you brought them up a second ago. In response to Tuesday’s arraignment, Republican Congressman Clay Higgins tweeted the following, quote, This is a perimeter probe from the oppressors. Hold. Our POTUS has this. Buckle up, 1/50K. Know your bridges. Rock steady calm. That is all. What in the world, Denver, is Higgins saying here?

DENVER RIGGLEMAN: It’s military language. I don’t think Clay Higgins was a National Guardsman. Right. He was a military policeman. I believe. He was law enforcement, But he’s cosplaying mission planning.

…

This is so irresponsible. But it also it’s also almost a cosplay ridiculousness that actually could spark violence with people that maybe are too ignorant to understand or absolutely understand what it Clay Higgins is putting out there. And I think at this point he probably needs to retract that or delete it and to apologize for such ridiculous language because it makes real military individuals almost cringe.

It’s so cringeworthy that I do believe that we have to have a point in this country where the same sort of rise up against this type of hyperbolic bullshit. And I think, you know, for me, as a former military person, it’s just embarrassing to see somebody like this, especially an elected representative case, just embarrassing to see somebody tweet something like that.

KATIE PHANG: But Denver, it’s it’s now transcended just being hyperbole. Right? We’ve seen an actual incident of political violence on January 6. Mike Pence, for example, he’s been through the fire with Donald Trump. It’s been two years plus since the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. And you had MAGA extremists threatening to hang him there.

At this point, though, would somebody like Donald Trump winning the nomination for the GOP at the primary be a clear endorsement of political violence?

DENVER RIGGLEMAN: I’m going to tell you, Katie, that might be one of the best questions I’ve been asked. And I think it is an endorsement of political violence. I think we have to look at 2024.

We already have the plan, right? We already know the you know, the tactics, techniques and procedures in the military. If people want to talk real military, the TTPs of how they did it on January 6th, we have to look to the future. Katy.

And that’s why that question is so profound, is that we still have the 2024 election coming up and what happens in the spring of 2024 when things become very aggressive in the campaigning?

I do believe Donald Trump is going to be the nominee for the GOP. I think a lot of people do believe that. And if it is sort of a Trump Biden rematch, what’s going to happen when this type of hyperbolic language or outrageous language actually translates to violence, Right? There’s a weaponization or monetization of this type of language that we saw on January 6.

I think now with Donald Trump going to be out there continually saying he’s a political prisoner, you know, he’s being attacked by the deep state. It’s a witch hunt. It’s a globalist plot to take him down. All the conspiracy wackos are going to be dragged from their basements to get involved again.

And a lot of those wackos, sadly, are in the United States Congress.

Watch above via MSNBC’s The Katie Phang Show.