Anti-Trump columnist David French is David Frenching all over the place again. The journalistic version of Liz Cheney published an op-ed on Sunday in which he took the latest in a miles-long list of potshots at the MAGA movement and former President Donald Trump.
In this article, French claimed that violent threats coming from members of the MAGA movement are somehow “warping life in America,” according to the headline of his article.
In the piece, the author referred to an NPR interview in which the participants discussed embattled Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ predicament in finding lawyers who were willing to engage in the politically motivated prosecution against the Orange Man What Is Bad™, noting that prosecutors were too afraid to take on the case because of the possibility of violence.
Late last month, I listened to a fascinating NPR interview with the journalists Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman regarding their new book, “Find Me the Votes,” about Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. They report that Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis had trouble finding lawyers willing to help prosecute her case against Trump. Even a former Georgia governor turned her down, saying, “Hypothetically speaking, do you want to have a bodyguard follow you around for the rest of your life?”
He wasn’t exaggerating. Willis received an assassination threat so specific that one evening she had to leave her office incognito while a body double wearing a bulletproof vest courageously pretended to be her and offered a target for any possible incoming fire.
French went on to detail how the judge overseeing Trump’s J6 trial and the special counsel prosecuting him have been swatted. He also highlighted how members of Colorado’s Supreme Court who voted to disqualify Trump from the ballot, along with politicians like Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), have also received violent threats.
The author also discussed the threats he has received from MAGA folks for his obsession with Trump.
My own family has experienced terrifying nights and terrifying days over the last several years. We’ve faced death threats, a bomb scare, a clumsy swatting attempt and doxxing by white nationalists. People have shown up at our home. A man even came to my kids’ school. I’ve interacted with the F.B.I., the Tennessee Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement. While the explicit threats come and go, the sense of menace never quite leaves. We’re always looking over our shoulders.
In his diatribe, French gives the obligatory acknowledgment that folks on the left make violent threats as well. He highlighted leftists getting crazy during the George Floyd riots. But he quickly comes back to MAGA, claiming that their violent threats are somehow different – or worse.
But the tsunami of MAGA threats is different. The intimidation is systemic and ubiquitous, an acknowledged tactic in the playbook of the Trump right that flows all the way down from the violent fantasies of Donald Trump himself. It is rare to encounter a public-facing Trump critic who hasn’t faced threats and intimidation.
French, just like most of those who do the “Orange Man Bad” routine, failed to mention the high-profile violent threats made against Republican officials. For some reason, he did not deem it necessary to mention how former Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn received threats on his voicemail.
The voicemail begins innocuously enough. “Yeah, this voicemail is for Madison,” a man says, casually, as if he’s trying to get in touch with an old friend.
But then steel enters his voice. “I am armed. I am dangerous. And I know where you and your staff are.”
That threat against Madison Cawthorn was just one of thousands sent to members of Congress last year. It may not surprise many that Cawthorn, a North Carolina Republican who himself once urged his supporters to “lightly threaten” their representatives, inspired such vitriol.
Also, what about that time when some lunatic sent white powder to Sen. Ted Cruz’s campaign office?
Two people have been taken to a hospital after they were exposed to a powdery substance in a piece of mail that was sent to Sen. Ted Cruz's Houston campaign office.
Of course, we would also be remiss to forget when a former Democratic Senate intern doxxed Republican senators, publicizing their addresses for all to see.
A Democratic congressional intern was arrested Wednesday and accused of posting the personal information of at least one Republican senator during last week's hearing about sexual assault claims against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, authorities said.
U.S. Capitol Police said 27-year-old Jackson Cosko was charged with making public restricted personal information, witness tampering, threats in interstate communication, unauthorized access of a government computer, identity theft, second-degree burglary and unlawful entry. Police added that the investigation was continuing and more charges could be filed.
None of these incidents seem to have fazed French. The reason why is obvious: These threats were made against people French doesn’t like, which pretty much sums up the reason why these threats, and even political violence, will continue to be a disturbing part of American politics.
French, like most other influencers, doesn’t care about an issue unless it affects himself or his allies. When people are only concerned about violent threats when they are aimed at those on their political team, it means we can’t work together to stand against them. If America wants to be serious about addressing this issue, then people will have to oppose it regardless of who the perpetrators and targets are.