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/1 - It's late. I'd love to put this debacle of a debate behind me, but I feel compelled to underscore the danger we're facing. As a Mom, I struggle w/ explaining to my children they should respect the President & pray for him as God instructs us, but not imitate his behavior.
/2 - I have limited my public commentary to those things which I have first hand knowledge, and those things which pose a danger to our country. (Sure there are other stories of the chaos & craziness, but that's not my purpose in speaking out.)
/3 - POTUS' comments tonight fall into both the 'first-hand' and 'dangerous' category. I served at DHS as the Asst Secretary for Counterterrorism from 2018-2020. The surge of violent white nationalism happened on my watch.
/4 - I worked to develop policies, laws, and programs to better prevent domestic terrorism. My colleagues & I tried to educate the President and his staff on this threat. Initially, I thought the rebuffing was due to having other priorities (e.g., defeat ISIS, counter Iran, etc).
/5 - I concluded after the attacks in El Paso that POTUS was complicit in the deaths of Americans for his refusal to recognize his language was in the shooter's manifesto. Tonight, he was given the opportunity to condemn White Supremacy - he refused.
/6 - He instead told these groups to "Stand Back and Stand By". Online activity shows white supremacist groups & the Proud Boys have been energized by his comments as a rallying cry to attack "ANTIFA" and "left-wing" groups. They've already created a logo with those words.
/7 - If the President was confused by the exchange, he should issue a clarifying statement immediately. Otherwise, the public is left to assume he intended to not condemn White Supremacism, & intended to encourage more violence among Americans.
8/8 - Historians & terrorism experts believe this rhetoric is extremely dangerous. This is bigger than countering Antifa protests & militia activity at riots. The root ideologies at play are responsible for the OK City Bombing. Voters, it's up to you to fix the Trump problem.
