Montage: Media ramps up rhetoric on Republicans following Trump Mar-a-Lago raid
MSNBC, CNN and ABC often slammed the GOP as an extremist organization, making comparisons to overseas terrorism.
Members of the left-wing media and their guests have reignited their rhetoric aimed at the Republican Party since the FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, often labeling them "extreme" and "dangerous."
Last week, a Financial Times associate editor was panned on Twitter after he tweeted that Republicans were the most "dangerous" political force in the world by a large margin.
"I’ve covered extremism and violent ideologies around the world over my career. Have never come across a political force more nihilistic, dangerous & contemptible than today’s Republicans. Nothing close," Edward Luce wrote.
One who shared Luce’s contention was former CIA Director Michael Hayden, who tweeted, "I agree. And I was the CIA Director."
TRUMP MEDIA FOES, ALLIES AGREE FBI MAR-A-LAGO RAID MAY HAVE CLINCHED HIM 2024 REPUBLICAN NOMINATION
The seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is seen outside its headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 15, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
On Tuesday, Democratic adviser Kurt Bardella compared Republicans to a "domestic terrorist cell" during an appearance on MSNBC’s "The ReidOut."
Fill-in host Tiffany Cross then agreed with her guest when she claimed there should be no distinction between Republicans and "right-wing extremists."
Several guests who have appeared on MSNBC shows have accused Republicans of operating as a domestic terrorism organization over the past year, but the rhetoric had somewhat subsided before Trump’s home was under FBI investigation.
In the days since the warrant was executed, the FBI and DHS stated that they had seen an increase in "violent threats" against law enforcement, judiciary and government personnel, including a particular threat to "place a so-called Dirty Bomb in front of FBI headquarters," according to their bulletin.
"General calls" for "civil war" and "armed rebellion" have also increased in recent days on social media.
FBI TRUMP RAID: MSNBC FIGURES BALK AT CALLING MAR-A-LAGO SEARCH A 'RAID' EVEN AS COLLEAGUES USE TERM
The FBI has been criticized by Republicans for raiding former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home. (Fox News)
Despite the alarming nature of the online chatter, liberal media networks had a difficult time distinguishing between violent extremists and Republican politicians, as well as conservative Americans, when discussing the issue on the air.
Peter Wehner, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, likened the Republican Party to a "dagger pointed at the throat of American democracy" during a Tuesday appearance on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe."
A week prior, former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele said that people should assume all Republicans are "dangerous until proven otherwise" on the channel. He also described Trump as an "infection" that had now fully entered the party's "bloodstream."
MSNBC, CNN GO TO BAT FOR FBI AFTER RAID ON TRUMP MAR-A-LAGO ESTATE: ‘A PEACEFUL SEARCH’
Then-President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with James Comey, then-director of the FBI, at the White House on Jan. 22, 2017. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The rhetoric churned on over at CNN where senior political analyst Ron Brownstein claimed the GOP had transformed into a dictatorial party similar to places like Turkey.
"If you think about what is happening in the Republican Party, this very much fits the pattern of what we’ve seen in examples like this abroad," Brownstein noted.
On CNN, Jim Acosta asked counterterrorism analyst Philip Mudd what he thought about increased calls for violence aimed at the FBI. Making allusions to Trump, Mudd said that those who view him as their leader could be provoked to violence in ways similar to extremism overseas.
Former President Donald Trump gives the "thumbs-up" signal while walking in New York City. (James Devaney/GC Images)
"When I followed extremism overseas, I never anticipated we would see this in America," Mudd said.
During an appearance on ABC News, Washington Post opinion columnist Dana Milbank said that Republicans have "lit a bonfire" under the rule of law in the wake of the FBI raid on Trump’s estate.
The less-than flattering descriptions of the Republican Party also cropped up in print.
On Wednesday, the New York Times released an opinion piece that deemed Republicans "America’s problem."
"We must stop thinking it hyperbolic to say that the Republican Party itself is now a threat to our democracy. I understand the queasiness about labeling many of our fellow Americans in that way. I understand that it sounds extreme and overreaching. But how else are we to describe what we are seeing?" Charles M. Blow wrote.
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Fox News’ Bradford Betz and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
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