Michigan Republican spooked by Trump fans openly threatening violence against Biden-voting neighbors

Republican Michigan State Sen. Ed McBroom tells The Atlantic's Tim Alberta that he's become very disturbed by hearing from Trump supporters who are mulling talk of violent retribution against their Biden-backing neighbors.

McBroom, who led a probe of election fraud allegations in Michigan that concluded Trump allies were "purposefully defrauding people" with lies, now says that he's worried about the way Americans have sealed themselves into social media echo chambers where they only hear what they want to hear.

""It's been very discouraging, and very sad, to have people I know who have supported me, and always said they respected me and found me to be honest, who suddenly don't trust me because of what some guy told them on the internet," McBroom said.

Even more disturbing, McBroom continued, was the way that these echo chambers have made some people think that violence against their fellow Americans may be the only way to resolve disputes.

"I've encountered some folks who are like, 'Maybe it's time to rise up' -- you know, 'refreshing the tree of liberty with the blood of patriots,' that stuff," he said. "And I say to them, 'Are you seriously going to go looking for people with Biden signs in their yards? I mean, is that what you're going to do? Make a list? Is this what this is coming to? You're ready to go out and fight your neighbors? Because I don't think you really are. I think you're talking stupid.'"

McBroom added that the people who say these things are "good people" who have simply been lied to and who now believe apocalyptic stories about living under a tyrannical government.