Trump silent as mob of supporters threatens Michigan election official

A group of around 30 Donald Trump supporters, some reportedly armed, gathered outside Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s home Saturday night to scream into megaphones and protest the results of the Nov. 3 presidential election.

According to Benson, she and her 4-year-old son were just sitting down to watch “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” when the protesters showed up.

In a statement issued by her office, Benson said the protesters, whom she described as “dozens of armed individuals,” were “shouting obscenities” and “chanting into bullhorns” as she and her son finished decorating and prepared to enjoy their holiday movie.

“The actions of these latest protesters are an extension of the noise and clouded efforts to spread false information about the security and accuracy of our elections that we’ve all endured in the month since the polls closed on Nov. 3,” Benson wrote.

She added that “those unhappy with the results of the election” have waged an “unprecedented, dangerous, [and] egregious campaign” to “erode the public’s confidence” in a safe, free, and fair election.

Though the protesters were “unambiguous, loud, and threatening,” Benson said that their efforts to overturn the election results with “threats of violence, intimidation, and bullying” would not work.

“Because our democracy is strong,” she wrote. “The will of the people is clear. And I will stand up every day in my job for all voters, even the votes of the protesters who banded together outside my home.”

Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw told CNN in a statement that no arrests were made during the protest, although some were reportedly armed. He estimated the crowd size around 25 to 30.

Trump, who has repeatedly blasted Michigan’s election results since Election Day and leveled several high-profile lawsuits in the state in an effort to overturn the election, has so far been silent about the incident on social media.

Instead, Trump has spent much of the past two days tweeting lies about the election results as well as his numerous failed lawsuits aimed at overturning President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

“NO WAY WE LOST THIS ELECTION!” he tweeted on Sunday.

Biden in fact beat Trump by more than 7 million votes.

The protest outside Benson’s home comes on the heels of a domestic terror plot this summer by right-wing extremists who had planned to abduct Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in protest of her coronavirus lockdown measures.

The suspects in that alleged plot were arrested in early October. Court documents later showed that the men had also allegedly discussed executing state politicians or burning down the Capitol building with them locked inside.

Trump repeatedly attacked Whitmer in the months leading up to the attempted kidnapping plot, and has been widely criticized for allegedly inciting violence against her.

But even as Trump’s team has lost more than 40 legal battles — with the Electoral College safe harbor date set for Tuesday — and his allegations of election fraud repeatedly debunked, even by his own attorney general, violence and threats by his supporters continues unabated.

Trump has also remained silent as other officials face an onslaught of threats from his supporters, even fanning the flames at times.

In Georgia last week, Gabriel Sterling, the Republican implementation manager of the state’s voting system, slammed Trump for his failure to condemn violent threats perpetrated by his supporters.

In a Dec. 1 press conference, Sterling said that a tech for Dominion Voting Systems — a system pinpointed by Trump for wild election conspiracy theories — had been subject to death threats with a makeshift noose.

“Someone’s going to get hurt, someone’s going to get shot, someone’s going to get killed. And it’s not right. It’s not right,” he said. “Death threats, physical threats, intimidation, it’s too much.”

He noted that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s wife, Tricia Raffensperger, was also “getting sexualized threats” via cell phone.

“Mr. President, you have not condemned these actions or this language,” the Georgia election official pleaded with the White House occupant. “Senators, you have not condemned this language or these actions.”

To Trump, he added, “Stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence.”

Even one of Trump’s own attorneys, Joe diGenova, has joined in on the barrage.

During a recent appearance on “The Howie Carr Show,” diGenova called for Chris Krebs — a federal cybersecurity official who was fired after saying there was no evidence of voter fraud — to be violently attacked and “shot.”

“Anybody who thinks the election went well, like that idiot Krebs who used to be the head of cybersecurity. That guy is a class A moron,” diGenova said. “He should be drawn and quartered. Taken out at dawn and shot.”

He later tried to characterize the statement as “hyperbole.”

These threats have characterized the political climate since the Nov. 3 election, as real-world, often violent repercussions of Trump’s coup have spread nationwide.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to endanger elected officials by blasting them on social media without a care.

“The Republican Governor of Georgia refuses to do signature verification, which would give us an easy win,” he tweeted Monday morning, attacking Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. “What’s wrong with this guy? What is he hiding?”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.