PBS Helps ‘The Destructionists’ Author Tie Trump, Other Republicans To Terrorism

Washington Post Dana Milbank, columnist has published a book called “The New Book of Columnists.” The Destructionists where he claimed that the Republican Party is an enemy to all good and decency. On Wednesday, he took his book tour to PBS’s Amanpour and Company where he warned that the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago could lead to another Oklahoma City-like bombing, but that it is important to remember Donald Trump isn’t uniquely horrible because he followed the same playbook as the Newt Gingrich and George W. Bush eras.

Talking about the raid, guest host Bianna Golodryga summarized Trump’s various legal predicaments and asked Milbank, “So, from a legal perspective, not a good week for the president. However, the political perspective could be slightly different. What is your take?”

Milbank didn’t answer the question, instead focusing on some of the response to the raid, “Rhetoric really designed to rile people up, and you can see it in the pro-Trump social media. Talk of civil war, picking up arms, and bloodshed is common. Fox News has been promoting violence, calling it war. It’s — it is attacking you. So, they’re very much doing this in a reckless way that has the ability to foment violence.”

To write a book, you will need a thesis like The DestructionistsMilbank should cherry pick the internet’s craziness, and project it onto all of the GOP. While ignoring the similar left-leaning examples, However, such nuance wouldn’t lead him to appear at PBS. He continued:

These last 24 hours tie in with what I have been writing over the past 25 years. We’ve seen repeated instances of violent rhetoric both from Republicans and conservative television and radio, which has led to prolonged periods of violence. There is a lot to be concerned about, in America, regarding another bombing, such as the Oklahoma City one from 1995.

Golodryga, proving PBS is simply Democratic TV, treated this insanity as if it was some bit of level-headed analysis, “That is really frightening to hear.” She then asked if the raid and circumstances surrounding it would weaken Trump’s grip on the party.

Milbank answered that may be true “in the long run,” but the immediate future “As Congresswoman Liz Cheney said, he’s playing on peoples’ patriotism to say that their country is under attack. They are being attacked. This causes them to come together around him. It also has the ability to ferment violence.”

Milbank reminded anyone who came away thinking that Trump was a uniquely evil person that it isn’t so.

It is a way of rallying people around patriotism. The traitors are those in the opposite party. Trump has made this a hallmark of his presidency. However, it is something that also dates back to Gingrich’s era. During George W. Bush’s presidency they started to assert that those on the opposite side are not only our enemies but are actually the enemy. They are our enemy. It all started about 25 years back. We’re now at the point where the Republican Party says that the Democrats are the enemy.

That’s rich coming from the party that spent the last four years accusing everyone they disagreed with of being pro-Putin.

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Below is the transcript from the August 10, 2008 show.

PBS Amanpour and Company

8/10/2022

11.07 pm ET

BIANNA GOLODRYGA : It has been a difficult week for this former president from a legal point of view. In an unheard of move, FBI raided Mar-a-Lago house in search of the former president. Federal Appeals Court ruled yesterday that tax returns can be obtained by the House. He was also deposed today by the New York Attorney General over — to his organisation’s finances. He had already pleaded Fifth during an investigation. From a legal standpoint, it was not a great week for President Obama. But, a political view could be quite different. Which is your view?

DANA MILBANK : Yes. Bianna, I believe that is the key. Legally, it’s not good. The most amazing thing about the situation is how the president and Republicans react. There is not much to go on in Mar-a-Lago, and nobody knows. But, they are blaming the FBI and the Justice Department with the worst of intentions. Nobody is safe when the FBI and Justice Department claim that they are corrupt. They will pursue you.

The purpose of rhetoric is to get people excited, as you will see in pro-Trump social media. There is a lot of talk about civil war, arming yourself and causing bloodshed. Fox News has been promoting violence, calling it war. It’s — it is attacking you. They’re doing it in an impulsive way, which has the potential to cause violence.

This is because there have been repeated instances of violent rhetoric by the Republicans, as well as conservative radio and TV, that has resulted protracted periods violence. There is a lot to be concerned about in America, where we could see another bombing, like the Oklahoma City one from 1995.

GOLODRYGA – That’s really scary to hear. Your concerns about the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, and the increased threat of social media threats that have been made to Mar-a-Lago by the FBI were the subject of your piece. Fox News recently reported, just a few moments ago, that there have been increased threats against Attorney General Garland as well as FBI agents.

MILBANK: Yes.

GOLODRYGA -and FBI Director Christopher Wray. This being said, I am curious about what it means for the ex-president’s hold on the party in general. There had been some questions that perhaps, the January 6th Committee investigation had been weakening the president’s hold on the party, that other candidates, perhaps, were starting to rise, and that his time in the limelight—

MILBANK: Right.

GOLODRYGA – — was in decline. What does this mean?

MILBANK: Right. And of course there’ve been so many moments over the last several years when we thought his grip on the party was fading, and it turned out not to be the case. The January 6th Committee and these legal developments could eventually loosen his grip. In the short term, however, it is allowing him to claim that they are not only coming after me but also you. He’s using people’s patriotism, Congresswoman Liz Cheney stated, to pretend that the country is under attack. They are being attacked. This causes them to come together around him. You can also ferment violence.

It is a way of rallying people around patriotism. The traitors are those in the opposite party. Trump has made this a hallmark of his presidency. However, it is something that also dates back to Gingrich’s era. During George W. Bush’s presidency they started to assert that those on the opposite side are not only our enemies but are actually the enemy. They are our enemy. It all started about 25 years back. We’re now at the point where the Republican Party says that the Democrats are the enemy.