‘Violence Is On The Table’: MSNBC Analyst Says Trump Weaponizing ‘Cult’ to Raise Specter Of ‘Harm and Death’ for Trial Participants

MSNBC political analyst Fernand Amandi said that the gag order Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith requested be imposed on Donald Trump isn’t just a legal tactic but because of “real danger” to the judge, the jurors, and the attorneys in Trump’s election trial.

On MSNBC’s Ayman, Amandi echoed elements of the near-apocalyptic warning from the network’s Nicolle Wallace about the dangers posed by Trump’s base as he goes to trial in multiple jurisdictions.

“Something really bad is going to happen. Like shit’s about to hit the fan in this country,” said Wallace in her comments on Friday.

ON Saturday, Amandi told host Ayman Mohyeldin that participants in the trial at every level have violence, danger, and even death to fear from Trump’s base.

“it is not just the specter of what Trump is trying to do to shape public opinion, to rally his base, and to potentially influence the jury pool. But it’s the specter not just of violence, but potential harm and death, even, to one of the participants in the trial,” he said. “Remember the MAGA base, as we’ve seen through the actions of January 6 and other incidents before and after, has proven to be a base that responds to the calls of the leader of the personality cult, in this case, Donald Trump.”

He added that “violence is on the table,” and that Judge Tanya Chutkan has to take it into consideration when weighing the gag order, “to the protection of herself and all of the participants, the jurors, the special counsels themselves.”

MOHYELDIN: Prosecutors had secretly argued in April that if Donald Trump learned of their efforts to access his DMs, his direct messages on Twitter, his public disclosure of that development could precipitate violence. It seems like a pretty significant development just because it shows to the extent Jack Smith is worried about what Donald Trump can do on social media, but also what may have been said in those direct messages.

AMANDI: It is indeed a significant development, and I think there is a dimension to the special counsel’s request for the gag order that we haven’t really gotten into in this discussion yet. And it is not just the specter of what Trump is trying to do to shape public opinion, to rally his base, and to potentially influence the jury pool. But it’s the specter not just of violence, but potential harm and death, even, to one of the participants in the trial.

Remember the MAGA base, as we’ve seen through the actions of January 6 and other incidents before and after, has proven to be a base that responds to the calls of the leader of the personality cult, in this case, Donald Trump.

And I don’t think Special Counsel Smith is playing here or playing games or trying to do this as a tactical maneuver. I think there is an element here of real danger, given what we’ve seen has been a weaponized base that Trump has used on occasion in the past and in fact has been charged with some of these federal crimes for.

So I don’t think we can discount the fact that violence is on the table. I think that is really what Judge Chutkan needs to take into consideration. Not just the threat of moving up to trial, which of course would not be to Trump’s legal advantage, but to the protection of herself and all of the participants, the jurors, the special counsels themselves.

Because we have seen Donald Trump stoke and engage people to act in his wishes and interests in violence. And I don’t see what would stop him from doing it again.

Watch the clip above via MSNBC.

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