Members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol have warned America for three years to take former President Donald Trump at his word.

Now, as Trump is poised to win the Republican presidential nomination, his criminal trials face delays that could stall them past Election Day, and his rhetoric grows increasingly authoritarian, some of those lawmakers find themselves following their own advice.

In mid-March, Trump said on social media that the committee members should be jailed. In December he vowed to be a dictator on “day one.” In August, he said he would “have no choice” but to lock up his political opponents.

“If he intends to eliminate our constitutional system and start arresting his political enemies, I guess I would be on that list,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose). “One thing I did learn on the committee is to pay attention and listen to what Trump says, because he means it.”

Lofgren added that she doesn’t yet have a plan in place to thwart potential retribution by Trump. But Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), who has long been a burr in Trump’s side, said he’s having “real-time conversations” with his staff about how to make sure he stays safe if Trump follows through on his threats.

“We’re taking this seriously, because we have to,” Schiff said. “We’ve seen this movie before … and how perilous it is to ignore what someone is saying when they say they want to be a dictator.”

  • axont [she/her, comrade/them]
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    edit-2
    9 months ago

    They're preparing to do what? Tut tut and issue a statement? Impeach him a third time and fail again to remove him from office? The Democrats don't believe in anything

    If they actually believed Trump is the next Pinochet they'd hire someone to kill him. Or they'd go after one of the legit crimes he did rather than anything he'll just slip out of. Biden could get the national guard to burn down Mar-a-lago but he won't.

    They don't actually believe in anything. They're spineless dorks who want to pretend they're saving democracy or whatever. It's all theater to these people. In fact, they probably want Trump to win so their districts will throw more money at Democratic fundraisers. What a bunch of goofy nerd libs.

      • axont [she/her, comrade/them]
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        9 months ago

        Invertebrate slime? I could call them a bunch of stuff. I mean to say the Democrats are cowards who have no beliefs except cynicism. I don't mean to catch anyone in the crossfire. If you're into coding or Gundam or something that's cool, don't worry, I don't mean you. I own an entire shelf of manga and I repair cassette tape players so I'm a dork too.