MSNBC host: 'We have to stop separating the GOP and right-wing extremists'

MSNBC host Tiffany Cross called for people to stop considering the GOP as separated from right-wing extremists who attempt to attack FBI agents.

Filling in on "The ReidOut" on Monday, Cross spoke with former FBI consultant Clint Watts on the aftermath of the FBI raid on former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home on August 8. Trump and several Republicans have criticized this raid, which Democrats and media pundits have claimed is fueling death threats and attacks against the FBI.

In response, Watts compared Republican elected officials to terrorists sending out followers to "take up violence" against institutions.

"This is a version of what’s known as mediated terrorism. What’s fascinating is ten years ago, we would be talking about Anwar al-Awlaki. He would make pronouncements online, he would designate targets in America and then supporters who have no direct contact with him would try to take up violence on behalf of that cause. Now what we’re seeing is our elected officials targeting institutions, federal employees in a very similar way," Watts said.

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Cross agreed and added, "We have to stop separating the GOP and right-wing extremists because I think you make such a good point. Election officials are demonizing institutions. We’re seeing it play out before us."

She further claimed that Republicans like Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, are already working to attack people.

"I think about states like Texas where the Republican governor there, Greg Abbott, has declared guns for everybody regardless of background check or training, also empowered partisan poll watchers there and emboldened people to deputize themselves as the protector of fetuses when it comes to abortion rights, and so the confluence of all of these things could certainly declare mass violence," Cross said.

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Later on in the show, Cross compared Republicans to terrorists again when recounting the one-year anniversary of the Afghanistan pullout in 2021. More specifically, she suggested Republicans are actively oppressing women much like the Taliban are in Afghanistan.

"Look, this is not Afghanistan and women here in America are certainly not living the terrors of the women in Afghanistan, but it’s just striking to me that the Republicans are focused on this as they actively oppress women’s rights here and our own country," Cross said. 

Elsewhere, during his segment, Watts suggested tackling domestic terrorism in the same manner as international terror.

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"We can do this. We did it over the last decade. We developed an international terrorism operation center and, you know, processes for detecting things online and then interdicting them in person. You saw that happen today, but it’s still not done seamlessly in the way that we would do it if it was international terrorism because we don’t have a domestic terrorism law. Without a law, you can’t designate domestic terrorist groups and you can’t also, at the FBI level, open cases that are inspired cases, meaning it’s much more difficult to say domestic terrorism-inspired cases when you can’t put a name on it, so it puts the FBI or law enforcement in general on a rear foot rather than a proactive footing," Watts said.