On Monday's episode of CNN's “The Source,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said it was “dangerous” for the Trump campaign to blame Democrats for the assassination attempt on former President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and that doing so was “precisely the last thing they should be doing at a time when political tensions should be mitigated.” He also responded to Republicans' comments that they don't trust the federal government, saying, “When you try to delegitimize our government in the eyes of the American people, you create a very dangerous environment.”
Host Kaitlan Collins said: “[G]What do you think about what we were saying earlier about the Democrats needing to hold back on their statements about the Trump campaign stepping back whenever Democrats say that Trump is a threat to democracy?”
Himes responded, “There are two things that are really troubling about this conversation, and are actually very dangerous. The first is that you made that statement. I certainly don't want to get into an argument here, but the American people know who it was that advised police not to be too gentle in arresting suspects. We saw what happened on January 6th. It's irrational that the vice presidential candidate and Donald Trump are blaming the Democrats. And by the way, this is exactly what they shouldn't be doing at a time when they should be de-escalating political tensions.” The other thing that annoys me is that Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and other members of Congress are saying they don't trust the federal government, they're spreading misinformation, they can't trust the federal government. We monitor the federal government, so I'll be the first to tell you there are problems within the federal government, but the constant assertion that the FBI can't be trusted, that the intelligence agencies are working for the Democrats or whoever, every time that happens, it just adds to the American people's anger at their own country for no reason at all. There is no evidence to support these assertions, and if we try to delegitimize our government in the eyes of the American people, it creates a very dangerous environment.”
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