MSNBC host Joy Reid claimed on Monday’s edition of “The ReidOut” that Trump supporters could incite violence during the former president’s arraignment.
Reid argued that Trump supporters have taken cues from right-wing personalities such as failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle. She cited online messaging boards which have allegedly seen users threatening violence in retaliation for Trump’s indictment. Reid claimed that a local chapter of The Proud Boys is planning a rally at the grounds of the federal courthouse. (RELATED: Special Counsel Jack Smith Breaks Silence On Trump Indictment)
“Yeah Joy, I’m really concerned,” former FBI agent Peter Strzok said. “We want political leaders to be calming tensions. We want them to be telling the followers to, look, stay peaceful, don’t engage in violence. And, if they’re not going to try to turn that down, at a minimum, just don’t say anything about it.”
“But what we’ve got are people actually exacerbating tensions. We have Trump going out and telling at campaign rallies, telling his followers they’re not after me, they’re after you and I’m the only thing standing in the way of the government getting after you,” he added.
Strzok said that he has been named and targeted by the president before, which has resulted in a spike in violent threats directed towards him. Reid brought up that the Proud Boys are purportedly planning a rally at the site of the arraignment, and asked the former FBI agent about the possibility of violence.
“Certainly, there is the potential for violence both out of organized groups, like The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. I would hope that some of the convictions coming out of January 6th would serve as a deterrent, but that also doesn’t include all, you know, individuals who might be motivated towards violence. And you might remember the attack on the FBI field office in Cincinnati, literally days after the search at Mar-a-Lago. Now, middle Ohio, nothing to do with the search done at Florida, but what that means is, you know, certainly, I expect fully that law enforcement in the Miami area, federal law enforcement, to state and local officials, will be very prepared to have a safe courthouse,” Strzok said.
Reid added that FBI offices would need to be “on alert” across the country. Strzok said that most Trump supporters are law-abiding and would not incite violence, but he’s worried about ones on the “fringe.”