Kari Lake spoke Friday night at a Republican convention in Georgia, where she called for an armed attack on the United States in response to Trump’s impeachment.
According to Washington Post reporter Issac Arnsdorf:
Speaking tonight in Georgia, Kari Lake says that to get Trump, Merrick Garland will have to pass 75 million Americans “and most of us are card-carrying members of the NRA. That is not a threat, that is a public service announcement.” Standing ovation.
— Isaac Arnsdorf (@iarnsdorf) June 10, 2023
Kari Lake didn’t hide what she was trying to say. The most ardent Trump cultists like Lake have taken the most extreme position to defend Trump. Lake threatened the United States Attorney General, and by extension the United States government, with armed force if Donald Trump is prosecuted.
Before 1/6’s attack on the Capitol, Lake’s comments may have been seen as extreme and potentially dangerous political rhetoric, but in post-1/6 America, her comments take on a different and sinister context.
The MAGAs are a minority in the United States. Trump and his supporters lose. Their leader is about to face trial and could be imprisoned for the rest of his life.
When political extremists form a minority that cannot legitimately rise to power, they often see violence as an acceptable route to power.
Republicans as a whole party have not rushed to defend Trump. Not a single red hat has participated in mass protests in the streets across the country.
No matter how many times Trump tries to get his supporters to act by claiming that the prosecution is really after them, people don’t show up.
Kari Lake’s comments represent a dangerous extremist escalation that must be stopped before it can begin.
