DHS Chief Mullin Accuses Democrats of ‘Absolutely Stirring the Pot’ on Political Violence

Department of Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin accused Democrats of “stirring the pot” of political violence as campaign season kicks off.

On Fox News’s The Sunday Briefing, anchor Peter Doocy asked Mullin if candidates are “safe” as they ramp up their push to the midterm elections.

“Well, I would say you’re never safe when you’re in the public eye. If you read any of the social media posts, which I choose not to, but you see the type of rhetoric and the hatefulness that’s out there,” Mullin said. “You see the attacks on President Trump’s life every single day. But you have a leader that’s out there that’s constantly saying ‘fight, fight, fight.’ He’s leading from the front, and that’s what the American people need to know.”

Mullin continued:

But the threats to our elected officials, they don’t go away. The dangerous rhetoric that the Democrats use is absolutely stirring the pot or putting fuel on the flames. And we’ve got to bring down the temperature. But the temperature’s not going to go down on itself. The American people have to realize that we do have a republic. And the republic has different opinions. And it’s okay to have different opinions, it’s when you cross the line and say that different opinion needs to be silenced and needs to be silenced through violence. That’s where Homeland comes into play, so, that’s where we’re going to stop that violence at. I mean, free speech is something that we all protect, but there’s a line that you can cross that goes from free speech to inciting dangerous behavior at every turning point.

The Washington Post reported that local politicians, in particular, are relying more and more on private security to protect them from constituents they encounter daily, some of whom turn violent.

“Now, amid the nation’s turbulent political landscape, governors, mayors, state legislators and some town council members have been seeking personal protection for themselves or their staffs, escalating the national discussion over who requires security and how to pay for it,” the report said.

Watch the clip above via Fox News’s The Sunday Briefing.

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