An MSNBC contributor claimed Monday afternoon that President Donald Trump is committing “workplace violence” and cited the departures of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and U.S. Secret Service Chief Randolph Alles as evidence.
Frank Figliuzzi, a national security analyst for the network and a former FBI assistant director, joined MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace to discuss this theory, which he’s expressed previously.
WATCH:
“Frank Figliuzzi, about a week or so ago you talked about alarming signs that when you, sort of, as a profile from your law enforcement and counterintelligence background—I think this was before it was known what the Mueller report’s basic conclusions—you describe some worries about impulsive conduct,” Wallace stated. “Is this what you were talking about? And just remind our viewers what that warning was.”
“What we talked about was a possible analogy between what we’re seeing in the president and studies of violence and acting out, particularly workplace violence,” Figliuzzi began. “We talked about the path — the journey and pathway to violence. When we see people use language of despondency, lashing out, blaming others, obsessive-compulsive attachment to one issue and the inability to get off of it, in this case it’s the border, security on the border and immigration.” (RELATED: Here’s Why Trump And Nielsen Parted Ways)
As Figliuzzi pointed out, the situation at the border has heated up recently, which has led to Nielsen’s resignation after disagreements behind the scenes over the administration’s immigration policy and efforts to build a wall on the southern border.
He went on:
The question we have to ask ourselves from a behavioral sense is are we watching a president essentially on his way to what we call a “flashpoint.” And are we now beginning to see him act out in the form of purging and mass firing and completely not listening to any logic. You know, when people say to him the law or policy is such-and-such and we would be violating the Constitution or the law and he simply dismisses it and fires people and keeps doing it. Are we essentially watching a workplace violence incident play out at the highest level of our government and is he acting out now and where does this go if I’m right about that?