#FBI ofcl reiterated those findings on Wed in a call w/reporters. They suggested that the gunman, who also considered attacking a #Biden event, was seeking infamy & selected the #Trump rally as a “target of opportunity.”…
The provocative rhetoric from Trump & his allies isn’t just #unfounded but also carries a #disturbing risk: #Threat assessment & #law enforcement leaders have told me that the messaging is fueling the danger of #PoliticalViolence headed into the #election. …
#Trump’s political #incitement more broadly—[that has] increasingly focused on a supposed grand conspiracy to steal the #election from him—has made potential #violence from #MAGA #extremists a top concern. As one source put it, “they’re piling on the idea that the opposition is so out to get Trump that they even tried to kill him, & therefore retaliation is justified.” Another described #ConspiracyTheories about the shooting gives extremists “a really big plot point” for retaliatory violence.
