In an op-ed for The Washington Post this Wednesday, former FBI Director James Comey contends that threats of violence from supporters of Donald Trump as the criminal cases against him proceed shouldn't be a worry that preoccupies the minds of people who want to see him get some accountability.
Comey, who was fired by Trump, writes that, while we should always be on the lookout for potential political and ideological violence, it's the FBI's job to worry about such things, and the "threat" of violence is much worse than the potential for the real thing.
"I know from professional — and, unfortunately, personal — experience that people mostly tend to threaten because they want to live rent-free in your head, impacting the way you live even if they never come near you," Comey writes.
"We must not let the idea of Trumpian violence become some kind of boogeyman, frightening us away from our commitment to the rule of law," he adds.
Also read: Liz Cheney says it's vital GOP loses Congress: 'Cannot be in the majority in 2025'
When it comes to a violent events like Jan. 6, Comey says it was ultimately a security failure, and the contingent of extremist groups like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys "who operated with seditious intent" among the rioters were minimal. "In the overwhelming main, the offenders of Jan. 6 were morons who bought Trump’s lies. They must be held accountable — every last one of them — but they shouldn’t be the monster under our national bed," Comey writes.
According to Comey, the threat from seditious Trump supporters has been, for the most part, neutralized, as evidenced by the thousands of prosecutions of Jan. 6 rioters, many of which resulted in prison sentences.
"These aren’t jihadis looking to blow themselves up for some reward in paradise," writes Comey. "These are mostly people with day jobs who feel a sense of grievance stoked by the amoral demagogue now running for president again. They might vote for him — those who are not yet felons — but they’re not looking to die for him, or even go to jail for him."
Read the full op-ed over at The Washington Post.
