HER LITTLE POLITICAL ACT AND SHE
KEEPS HER STATE CLOSED.
>> JOINING ME NOW, FORMER
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER TO
PRESIDENT OBAMA BEN RHODES.
FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT CLINT
WATTS.
CLINT, FIRST OF ALL, THIS IS THE
EXACT THREAT THAT DHS AND IN
PARTICULAR CHRIS WRAY, THE FBI
DIRECTOR, HAVE BEEN WARNING
ABOUT, SAYING DOMESTIC
TERRORISM, WHITE SUPREMACY, IS
THEIR BIGGEST CONCERN.
WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THESE MEN
BEING CHARGED?
>> THAT’S RIGHT, ANDREA, TO
START, IT’S NOT THE PRESIDENT’S
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, IT’S OUR
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, FOR ALL THE
PEOPLE IN AMERICA.
IT’S SUPER FRUSTRATING TO HEAR
THAT.
LOOK, THIS IS NOT A SURPRISE AT
ALL.
THE SOPHISTICATION OF THE PLOT
IS A SURPRISE.
BUT THE IDEA THAT SOMEONE WOULD
MOBILIZE TO GO AFTER ESSENTIALLY
A SITTING GOVERNOR AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, WE’VE BEEN
BUILDING TO THIS MOMENT.
THIS IS AN ELECTION YEAR.
YOU’VE SEEN INCREASED RHETORIC.
AND WHAT’S FASCINATING ABOUT
THIS PLOT, THIS ISN’T JUST ONE
OR TWO PEOPLE WITH AN IDEA.
THEY WERE ACTIVELY DEVELOPING A
TERRORIST PLOT THAT’S EXTREMELY
SOPHISTICATED.
THEY DID ORGANIZATION,
RECRUITMENT, IDEOLOGY,
TARGETING, RECONNAISSANCE.
THEY EVEN PREPPED AND TESTED
DEVICES.
AND THEY TRIED TO DO
FUNDRAISING.
THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT PLOT.
WHENEVER WE SEE SIX TO 13
PEOPLE, THERE USUALLY IS A LARGE
ICEBERG OF SUPPORT THAT’S
UNDERNEATH OF THAT.
THIS DIDN’T JUST HAPPEN OUT OF
ANYWHERE.
WHEN WE SEE ONE OR TWO
TERRORISTS, WE TEND TO THINK
THAT’S A SMALLER GROUP.
WE HAVE A MAJOR NETWORK IN THIS
COUNTRY RIGHT NOW THAT IS
MOBILIZING.
I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
WHITE SUPREMACIST PLOTS, THE
ANTIGOVERNMENT PLOTS, EVEN THE
CONNECTION, MULTISTATE AND
MULTINATION, WE SHOULD BE
WORRIED IN THE FINAL THREE WEEKS
HERE, ESPECIALLY AS WE HEAR THAT
POLITICAL RHETORIC PICK UP.
>> AND BEN, WHEN YOU WERE DEPUTY
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, YOU
WERE WATCHING A LOT OF THIS
MOBILIZING AND TAKING PLACE.
HERE YOU HAD THE PRESIDENT
STANDING -- SAYING "STAND BY" TO
WHITE SUPREMACISTS IN THAT
DEBATE, THEN BACKTRACKING, MIKE
PENCE NOT DECLARING VERY CLEARLY
WHERE THEY STOOD ON THIS.
HOW WORRIED ARE YOU ABOUT
THREATS COMING ESPECIALLY AS WE
APPROACH THE ELECTION?
>> I’M VERY WORRIED, ANDREA.
AND THIS HAS ALL THE HALLMARKS
OF THE PROCESS OF RADICALIZATION
THAT WE’VE SEEN IN TERRORIST
GROUPS AROUND THE WORLD.
AND AS CLINT MENTIONED, WHAT’S
PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS IS WHEN
IT’S NOT JUST ONE PERSON
CONSUMING SOMETHING ONLINE.
AND THAT CAN LEAD TO A TERRIBLE
THREAT OF A LONE SHOOTER AS WE
SAW IN KENOSHA, WISCONSIN
RECENTLY.
BUT WHEN PEOPLE START TO COME
TOGETHER, THE PLOTS GROW IN
AMBITION AND IN COMPLEXITY.
AND WHAT YOU NEED IS LEADERS WHO
ARE THENOT ONLY APPLYING RESOURC
TO REACH INTO THIS COMMUNITIES
BUT YOU NEED LEADERSHIP.
THE COMMON THREAD FOR THESE KIND
OF TERRORIST ACTS IS PEOPLE FEEL
LIKE THEIR WAY OF LIFE IS UNDER
ASSAULT AND NEED TO FEEDBACK.
DONALD TRUMP HAS SAID WE NEED TO
LIBERATE MICHIGAN.
THESE PEOPLE SEE MASK MANDATES
AS EFFORTS TO TAKE AWAY THEIR
FREEDOM.
THEN THEY SEAT PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES TELLING THEM TO
STAND DOWN, NOT ONLY NOT
CONDEMNING WHITE SUPREMACY BUT
GIVING VOICE TO THEIR
GRIEVANCES, IT’S AN INCREDIBLY
DANGEROUS MOMENT, IT HAS TO BE A
SENSE OF EMPOWERMENT TO THEM,
INSPIRATION TO THEM TO KEEP
DOING WHAT THEY’RE DOING.
WE NEED TO TREAT THIS AS THE
NUMBER ONE NATIONAL SECURITY AND
TERRORIST THREAT TO THE UNITED
STATES TODAY AND PROBABLY FOR
SOME TIME TO COME.
>> LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT
VIDEO BACK IN APRIL WHEN TWO OF
THESE MEN WERE ACTUALLY IN THAT
PROTEST RALLY WHO CAME INTO THE
CAPITAL IN MICHIGAN WITH THEIR
GUNS.
TWO OF THESE GUYS WERE THERE,
AND CLINT, THE FBI DID A REALLY
GOOD JOB, BECAUSE THEY HAD FBI
PEOPLE THERE AS WELL TRYING TO
GET CONTACTS AND ACTUALLY
RECRUITING AND UNDERCOVER,
RIGHT?
>> THAT’S RIGHT, ANDREA.
I MEAN, IMAGINE THAT THIS WAS AN
AL QAEDA OR ISIS PLOT, ANDREA,
AND THE RUN-UP TO ELECTION 2016,
WE SAW FOOTAGE OF TWO ARMED MEN
IN A STATE CAPITAL THAT LATER
TURNED OUT TO BE PART OF AN
ACTUAL TERRORIST PLOT.
IT’S PRETTY REMARKABLE TO EVEN
THINK THIS COULD OCCUR.
I THINK SEPARATELY WHAT WE
SHOULD LOOK AT IS THE FBI DID A
PRETTY OUTSTANDING JOB OF
ACTUALLY PENETRATING INTO THIS
GROUP, DEVELOPING HUMAN
INTELLIGENCE.
THAT IS GOING TO BE VERY
CRITICAL EVIDENCE FOR ADVANCING
THIS CASE IN COURT.
THIS IS A LOT MORE THAN JUST A
SOCIAL MEDIA POST OR SOMEBODY
HAVING AN IDEA ABOUT MAKING
WANTING TO DO SOME TERRORIST
ATTACK.
THIS IS ACTUALLY VERY DETAILED
INFORMATION.
IT SHOWS SOPHISTICATION OF THE
PLOTTERS AND SHOWS THERE WERE
REAL CAPABILITIES BEHIND THIS
ATTACK.
I THINK THE FBI AND DHS, WHILE
UNDER ATTACK BY THE PRESIDENT
ALL THE TIME, SHOULD BE
COMMENTED FOR THE GREAT EFFORT
THEY PUT IN HERE AND DOING IT IN
A TIMELY WAY DURING THE
ELECTION.
>> AND DOING IT WHILE THE AG,
BILL BARR, WAS TELLING CONGRESS
HE WAS UNAWARE OF THE THREATS TO
LYNCH THE GOVERNOR OF MICHIGAN,
COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF THE
THREATS FROM THAT GROUP.
THE PRESIDENT YESTERDAY CALLED
ON BILL BARR, PRESSING HIM ON
WHY HE DIDN’T INDICTING JOE
BIDEN AND INDICTING BARACK OBAMA
AND GOING AFTER THEM RIGHT NOW,
BEFORE THE ELECTION.
>> YEAH, I MEAN, ANDREA, THIS IS
SOMETHING WE EXPECT TO SEE IN
OTHER COUNTRIES WITH
AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENTS WHERE
THEY SEEK TO IMPRISON THEIR
POLITICAL OPPONENTS.
HE’S BEEN RANTING ABOUT THESE
CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT MY
FORMER BOSS FOR YEARS.
FRANKLY, NOBODY UNDERSTANDS WHAT
HE’S TALKING ABOUT.
THE FACT THAT WE’RE IN A
PANDEMIC AND AN ECONOMIC CRISIS
AND HE’S TALKING ABOUT THIS,
JUST SHOWS YOU HOW COMPLETELY
OUT OF TOUCH HE IS WITH WHAT’S
ACTUALLY HAPPENING TO PEOPLE IN
THIS COUNTRY.
THE REALITY, ANDREA, THEY’VE
ALSO CONSISTENTLY DOWNPLAYED THE
ACTUAL THREAT FROM WHITE
SUPREMACIST TERRORISTS.
HERE HE IS, ON THE VERY DAY A
SOPHISTICATED TERRORIST PROCESS
WAS UNCOVERED TO KIDNAP AND
POTENTIALLY HARM THE GOVERNOR OF
AN AMERICAN STATE AND HE’S
RANTING ABOUT IMPRISONING HIS
POLITICAL OPPONENT.