Thread by @highbrow_nobrow

1. Safety threats against President Trump’s political adversaries tend to increase after the president launches public attacks against them, The Washington Post reports.
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2. “The dynamic appears to be without precedent: government agencies taking extraordinary measures to protect their people from strains of seething hostility stoked by a sitting president.” (WaPo)
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3. The whistleblower whose complaint sparked Trump’s impeachment reportedly “spent months living in no-frills hotels under surveillance by CIA security” and “was driven to work by armed officers in an unmarked sedan” due to threats.
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4. The CIA’s Security Protective Service monitored the online threats.

“Over time, a pattern emerged: Violent messages surged each time the analyst was targeted in tweets or public remarks by the president.” (WaPo)
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5. Nine days after unsealed FBI documents revealed a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) over her COVID restrictions, Trump lashed out at her at a rally, leading to chants of “Lock her up!”

Trump responded, “Lock them all up.”
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6. A fresh round of hostility on social media followed within hours, according to Whitmer’s Deputy Digital Director, Tori Saylor.
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7. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told “60 Minutes” he requires security nearly round-the-clock due to threats against him and his family amid the pandemic.
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8. “It’s ‘sad,’ Fauci said, that ‘a public health message to save lives triggers such venom and animosity that it results in real and credible threats to my life and my safety.’” (WaPo)
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9. The Post acknowledged that it is difficult to ascertain the precise degree to which Trump could be considered responsible for the spate of threats against public officials.
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10. However, Trump “has fomented mob-like anger at perceived adversaries throughout his presidency” more than any of his predecessors.
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