MSNBC Panelist Sparks Outrage By Proposing A 'Patriot Act' For Dealing With Right-Wing Extremists

Written By BlabberBuzz | Thursday, 27 July 2023 05:15 AM
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MSNBC Panelist Sparks Outrage By Proposing A 'Patriot Act' For Dealing With Right-Wing Extremists

A guest on an MSNBC panel Tuesday night has faced backlash on social media for suggesting a response to right-wing extremists similar to the measures taken after 9/11, such as the implementation of the Patriot Act and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

During the panel, Army veteran and author Paul Rieckhoff stated, "We're in a battle for hearts and minds, and there are people who are on the fence, we've got to have leaders and messages and messengers and programs that get to those people, that bring them over to community organizing, into non-profit organizations and away from the Patriot Front and the Oath Keepers."

Rieckhoff further emphasized the need for significant changes, stating, "After 9/11, we created the Department of Homeland Security. There was the Patriot Act. There was massive change in our entire society to face the number one threat, at least what was communicated as the number one threat."

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He continued, "I think we need the same kind of tectonic shift," referring to dealing with right-wing extremists. "It's got to be much more than 'see something,' but maybe our laws need to change to respond to the fact that someone like Mike Flynn, the former national security director, is openly calling for violence consistently."

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Rieckhoff's call for a larger government response to conservative groups has drawn criticism from those who accuse MSNBC of promoting a government crackdown on opinions that do not align with liberal Democrats.

Tom Elliot, founder of Grabien and a journalist, expressed his concerns on social media, stating, "Nicolle Wallace has been running segments like this virtually on a daily basis since 1/6; every day they're complaining about how our terrorism laws need to be revamped to make it easier to orient our entire national security apparatus against enemies of the liberal establishment." He added that the segment exemplifies the "ripping apart of American society."

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Elliot further commented, "As they claim to be targeting extremism, they're utterly oblivious to just how radicalized they themselves have become. Every day I watch as they push each other a little further, constantly reminding each other how important they are & how dangerous are those who think differently."

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Steve Friend, a fellow at the Center for Renewing America and an author, tweeted, "In the battle to win hearts and minds, he wants a new PATRIOT Act and DHS. Grow government to shut down alternative political views."

Derek Hunter, a columnist and author, highlighted Rieckhoff's statement about the aftermath of 9/11 and "what was communicated as the number one threat," suggesting that it reveals something significant about Rieckhoff's perspective.

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The Patriot Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush in October 2001, granted the government extensive authority to investigate and prosecute terrorists, including broad surveillance powers that have been criticized as infringing on personal freedoms.

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