On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “The Weeknight,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) argued that President Donald Trump has protected people on the right who commit violence, but if you’re on the left and “if you even hint at violence, actually, frankly, if you even just criticize him publicly, you are going to be met with the full force of the law illegally, unconstitutionally.”
Murphy said, “The President has already made it clear, whether or not he invokes the Insurrection Act, that if you commit violence in his name, you are going to be immunized, you are going to be excused, you’re going to be let off the hook. Whereas, if you even hint at violence, actually, frankly, if you even just criticize him publicly, you are going to be met with the full force of the law illegally, unconstitutionally.”
He continued, “And so, I think it is really important to anchor ourselves in that reality that, if you commit a violent act and you’re doing it to help Donald Trump, you’re going to get away with it, which is a signal for more of the right to engage in increased violence. But if you’re just criticizing Donald Trump and you come from the left, you might end up in jail. That is tried and true authoritarian tactics. We’ve seen that at play all over the world. Trump is merely copying what other would-be despots have tried overseas.”
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