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Supporters of Donald Trump in front of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Jon Cherry/Getty Images
A former intel official suggested another "catastrophic event" like the Capitol riot might happen.
Phil Mudd said threats against law enforcement resembled the lead-up to the Capitol attack.
Threats have escalated as Republicans lash out against the FBI's investigation into Donald Trump.
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A former intelligence official who served in both the FBI and the CIA said the fallout from the FBI's Mar-a-Lago raid resembled the events preceding the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol — and predicted there could be another "catastrophic event."
Phil Mudd, now a CNN counterterrorism analyst, worked for the CIA as an analyst specializing in South Asia and the Middle East. He later served as the first deputy director of the FBI's National Security Branch.
Mudd appeared on CNN on Sunday to discuss the aftermath of the FBI's search of former President Donald Trump's residence. Federal officials said violent threats to law enforcement spiked after the raid. Some Republican lawmakers, including Trump, have railed against the FBI and baselessly suggested the agency might target regular citizens next.
"When I followed extremists overseas, I never anticipated we would see this in America. We are," Mudd said in an interview with CNN's Jim Acosta, adding that today's domestic extremists were similar to the ones he monitored.
"They require leadership to tell them that what they're thinking is OK," he said. "And they require validation from that leadership to suggest to them that violence is OK."
Mudd pointed to Trump's recent comments referring to the FBI's investigation into him as a hoax and suggesting without evidence that the FBI might've planted materials at Mar-a-Lago.
"The same thing that happened before January 6 is happening today," he continued, apparently referring to the rhetoric and false claims Trump made about the 2020 election before the insurrection.
He also mentioned the armed Trump supporters who protested in front of an FBI office in Phoenix on Saturday.
"People with AR-15s and camo are going to say, 'I'm going to do something about it,'" he said. "That's dangerous. I think we're going to see another catastrophic event."
There has already been violence linked to the backlash against the FBI. On Thursday, an armed man wearing body armor attacked an FBI office in Cincinnati. Authorities said he was fatally shot at the scene after an hours-long standoff with the police. The man was also believed to have been at the Capitol on January 6, a law-enforcement official told The Associated Press.
The FBI recovered boxes of documents, including 11 sets of classified material, from Mar-a-Lago during the search, according to records unsealed Friday. The investigation, per the records, is focused on whether Trump broke three laws related to the handling of government documents, including the Espionage Act.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and said he declassified all the documents before leaving office, though he hasn't publicly provided documentation of that. Presidential documents, classified or not, are public property and by law are managed by the National Archives.
mortryn on August 15th, 2022 at 04:35 UTC »
This will continue to be an issue until the people who are inciting such actions are held accountable. If our institutions allow for these “leaders” to remain free from accountability and we as a society continue to accept it, it’ll just be more of the same.
Edit: thank you for the awards!
I’ve read some of the comments this has sparked, and I feel my own comment needs some clarification. My comment is specifically being targeted at the GOP, however I think that anyone in the position of authority and with a platform to reach wide swaths of people should be more responsible in how they communicate with people. Telling people to fight like hell and that this is 1776 is extremely thinly veiled call to arms for us to fight amongst ourselves. Personally I’d rather punch up.
islandshhamann on August 15th, 2022 at 04:34 UTC »
Trumpism is like climate change. There is no event or disaster significant enough for 30-40% of America to ever change its mind or admit they were wrong.
foomachoo on August 15th, 2022 at 04:09 UTC »
Then don’t ignore it like last time. Start rounding up those who are making imminent threats and those who are conspiring.
Jan 6 coup actors had printed shirts made and worn.
Proof of imminent specific threats of violence is what I’m talking about. Not just thought police or tribal affiliation.
There are already laws about this and due process to follow.