Morning Joe’s Heilemann: Trump’s ‘Unmarked Paramilitary Units’ are ‘Trial Run’ for ‘Trying to Steal This Election’

MSNBC contributor John Heilemann believes that recent criticism of unmarried federal agents sent to Portland ostensibly to quell civil unrest there falls far short of what is truly at play.

President Donald Trump has reportedly directed unmarked agents from the Department of Homeland Security who have allegedly flouted constitutional rights of legal protestors and only stirred up more unrest.

Heilemann believes that current criticism of the “performative authoritarianism” has “not gone far enough,” before launching a remarkable tirade on what is currently unfolding in the Pacific Northwest. “These are paramilitary units, these are the things we have seen in authoritarian regimes in third world countries throughout the second half of the 20th century.”

“I don’t want to be overly alarmist about this, but this is the time to be alarmist knowing where Donald Trump stands politically, understanding where we are headed in this election,” he continued, adding, “I think we are looking at potentially a trial run for a kind of — a genuine attempt to, through intimidation, and potentially through force, to try to — to try to steal this election.”

Watch above via MSNBC.