Thread by @JewhadiTM

'Dangerous to an unprecedented degree': Psychiatrists in the throes of acute TDS warn Congress that Trump incites violence washex.am/2GrHrAM

We believe he is a danger to the public," Dr. Merikangas said of Trump.

Another panelist, Dr. James Gilligan, a psychiatrist from New York University, called Trump "dangerous to an unprecedented degree in our history." He urged voters to remove Trump from office during the 2020 election if members of Congress didn't do so beforehand.

"What we are seeing is how he has succeeded in stimulating racial prejudice and a fear and hatred of immigrants, foreigners ... What I'm alarmed by is the effect he is having on the public," Gilligan said.

Part of the event's purpose was for panelists to provide questions they thought lawmakers should ask Mueller, including: "Given the president’s many traits that are commonly shared with violent individuals, did you not consider it prudent to recommend a violence risk assessment?"

and, "As a prosecutor, do you see a nexus between the president’s hate speech and danger to others as targets of his rhetoric?"

Dr. Bandy Lee, the leader of the panel and a psychiatrist at Yale School of Medicine, argued that mental capacity was even more important than the criminal investigation members of Congress would be after in the hearings because it "needs immediate intervention."

She recommended that Congress consider canceling the August recess to deal with the issue.

"This is what we believe is the most urgent issue of our time," she said.

The other questions the panelists wanted lawmakers to ask Mueller were:

Given the glaring signs, did you consider a capacity evaluation prior to interviewing the president?

Over the 30 or so times that Mr. Trump answered he did not recall answers to your questions, did you ever consider his claim of inability to recall as deceitful?

Did the evidence in your report that Mr. Trump has difficulty knowing the difference between truth and lies affect your decision not to call in the president for an in-person interview?

Merikangas acknowledged that while the panelists hadn't personally interviewed Trump, they were able to use his tweets, speeches, and interviews, which he said showed "deteriorating memory" and trouble enunciating words.

"We predicted he would deteriorate under the pressures of this presidency," Merikangas said. "It appears to be what is happening."