It looks very much like Donald Trump and his allies are stoking violence as a last-ditch response to his election loss. Consider a three examples from Monday and Tuesday.
Fox News host Lou Dobbs interviewed rogue lawyer Sidney Powell. Dobbs said, "This is no longer about just voter fraud or electoral fraud. This is something much bigger." Dobbs then called Trump to take "drastic action" because of "the crimes that have been committed against him and against the American people." (As summarized by CNN's Brian Stelter.)
Lin Wood, an attorney who filed suit to block the certification of election results in Georgia along with former/present? attorney Sidney Powell, tweeted this Tuesday morning:
Good morning.
Our country is headed to civil war. A war created by 3rd party bad actors for their benefit - not for We The People.
Communist China is leading the nefarious efforts to take away our freedom.
@realDonaldTrump
should declare martial law.
Looks like Michael Flynn, recently pardoned by Trump, is calling for martial law as well.
Trump election attorney Joe diGenova, also a Fox personality, had some things to say about Chris Krebs, the Trump appointee responsible for election cybersecurity. Trump fired Krebs recently after Krebs insisted upon the election's security. For his part, Krebs did a compelling 60 Minutes interview in which he accused Trump of undermining democracy. So diGenova:
Anybody who thinks the election went well, like that idiot Krebs who used to be the head of cybersecurity. That guy is a class A moron. He should be drawn and quartered. Taken out at dawn and shot.
This is a lawyer who represents the President of the United States. He can say he was using hyperbole. He can say, "Of course, I wasn't threatening anyone."
But comments like these fit a pattern. Trump supporters have taken arms to state capitols. They have attempted to kidnap governors and stage televised executions of public officials. Trump himself has claimed he had the support of all the tough people.
Maybe Trump is trying to stage a coup. Maybe he's building up funds to maintain his political influence and run a shadow government: he's raised $150 million for election legal fees, little of which will be spent on legal fees. Maybe he's using his supporters to stir up violence in the streets. We don't know what his game is, but it's dangerous as hell.
In a press conference Tuesday, Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling, a Trump supporter, spoke directly to Trump.
Stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. Someone is going to get hurt, someone is going to get shot, someone is going to get killed. And it’s not right.
