In a high-risk advisory issued on October 28, the same day as the hammer attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, multiple US law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Capitol Police, sounded the alarm. With the mid-term elections approaching, to be held this Tuesday across the Atlantic, the possibility of seeing attacks against elected officials and election officials is more than likely.
Since the storming of the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, the threat of a repeat of large-scale political violence has hung over American democracy. According to a count of New York TimesIn 2021, 9,625 threats were received by members of the US Congress, which brings together the House of Representatives and the Senate. A growing number.
The shadow of Donald Trump and the “stolen” elections
Since then, many elected officials have spent gargantuan sums to ensure their safety. Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock has spent $900,000 to ensure his own safety since 2021. Liz Cheney, a Republican-elect from Wyoming and a Trump maniac, has spent $70,000 euros). euros).
This means fear is high around the midterm elections, or partial examswhich will take place on Tuesday. American voters are called to express themselves in local referendums, but also to elect the governors of 36 states, as well as to completely renew the House of Representatives and a third of the senators.
In Arizona, a state narrowly won by Joe Biden in 2020, citizens, sometimes armed, have already been observed around polling stations offering to drop their ballot in advance. Among them, many supporters of Donald Trump, who defend the thesis of “stolen” elections two years ago. The former president never admitted defeat to Joe Biden and goes on to say that he should have won.
The Republican Party, far from realigning its politics after the defeat of Donald Trump, has decided to forcefully embrace the Trumpist line. In Arizona, she is a fervent supporter of the billionaire, Kari Lake, who will try this Tuesday to revel in the position of governor of the state. Considering that Joe Biden has a “demon agenda,” she did not confirm that he would accept defeat from him if he was ever handed the loser.
“Everything can go wrong”
in the columns of Parisian, the former French ambassador to the United States Gérard Araud indicated that after the invasion of the Capitol, “the tensions that arose then did not subside because Trump continued to add fuel to the fire.” Last proof, if any: Monday night in Ohio, the former US president declared that Nancy Pelosi was an “animal”.
“All this can go wrong. Some conspirators have mobilized to ensure that the elections are not rigged,” continued Gérard Araud.
Polls even show that a growing proportion of Americans do not reject the notion of violence in politics. In January 2022, a survey of the Washington Post revealed that 34% of them said that the use of violence against the government could be justified. So much so that polling stations now have great difficulty hiring consultants.
Lone Militant Attacks
According to the high-risk advisory issued on October 28, the most plausible scenario if the attacks were to unfold during the partial exams they would be isolated initiatives, the work of solitary activists. Religious minorities and people of color would be particularly vulnerable.
Attacks on elected officials since 2020 confirm this observation. In addition to the assault on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, perpetrated by a pro-Donald Trump conspiracy, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was the victim of a possible assassination attempt last June, again by a lone activist. The man had gone to his house armed, dissatisfied with the judge’s decision on the abortion.
In July, an ex-military man suffering from post-traumatic stress this time tried to stab Lee Zeldin, a Republican candidate for governor in the state of New York.
“Defend” democracy
On November 4, Nancy Pelosi spoke out for the first time after her husband’s assault. “The message is clear, we have reason to be concerned. But we must not be afraid, we must be brave,” she said. In a speech in Maryland on Monday, Joe Biden called on voters to “stand up for democracy.”
But as NPR points out, once the partial exams past, the risk should not decrease, on the contrary. The days after these midterm elections will be especially sensitive, especially if the Trump candidates do not obtain the expected results.
Tucker Carlson, a star columnist for conservative Fox News, already warned listeners Monday night: In his words, the Democrats “are already setting us up for election theft. And if you don’t want a civil war, you shouldn’t “. complain about it, just accept it.”
Source: BFM TV
