An MSNBC anchor shut down a former Donald Trump White House aide who tried to deflect discussion over Trump's actions to put his former vice president in physical jeopardy and change the subject to accusations that Vice President Kamala Harris incited recent assassination plots.
"I think, you know, it's one thing for you to care about the rhetoric that you say that put Mike Pence in danger," Marc Lotter told co-panelist Olivia Troye, herself a former Trump administration official who turned on him. "And yet the same rhetoric from the people and the party that you support in Kamala Harris has led to two assassination attempts against Donald Trump. We have to tone it down—"
"There's no evidence of that," said anchor Ari Melber. "The investigations haven't determined motive. So full stop ... the authorities have not determined motive. So anyone saying there was a motive determined, either direction, you seem to put it one way, is not working off what the feds, through FBI and Secret Service investigations, have yet publicized. Second, first shooter, to the extent we have public information, was a very gun, Second Amendment supporting registered Republican, which, again, doesn't tell us motive, but it does correct what you just said."
"What we do need do is realize the rhetoric is wrong for all of this," said Lotter. "I mean, we have political disagreements, I don't think Kamala Harris is a danger. I don't think she's a threat to democracy."
"So Donald Trump's rhetoric on January 6 was wrong?" Melber cut in.
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"He said 'peacefully and patriotically,'" said Lotter.
"No, the other rhetoric, like when he posted about Pence, when he was told that his people were coming in violently, that they had weapons, and he said let them in through the magnetrons, and he's the sitting president, that was wrong?" said Melber.
As Lotter once again tried to protest that Trump told the demonstrators to march "peacefully and patriotically," fellow former Trump White House aide Sarah Matthews cut in.
"How do you feel about the recent news in the Jack Smith filing where when Donald Trump was told by a White House aide that his own VP had been moved to a secure location, his response was 'so what?'" said Matthews. "We know the VP's family was with him that day. That breaks my heart and even knowing from the January 6th committee hearings, how we know that his detail, thought that their lives were in danger, they were making goodbye calls, and just disqualifying to me, I mean, and Obama said it best recently: If Donald Trump didn't even care his own VP, his life was at risk on January 6th, then he doesn't care about you."
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