Republican Florida Representative Byron Donalds and CNN host Jim Acosta clashed during an interview on Tuesday over former President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about the “enemy from within.”
Trump’s comments, made during an October 14 interview on Fox News, suggested the possible use of the National Guard or military to address any potential chaos on Election Day.
Acosta questioned Donalds about Trump’s reference to prominent Democrats, including California Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff, as being “enemies from within.”
Donalds responded by defending Trump’s remarks in the context of unrest and political misconduct. “I know that Adam Schiff, when he was chairman of the Intelligence Committee, was leaking information to the press that was classified,” Donalds said.
He pointed out that this was one of the reasons former Speaker Kevin McCarthy removed Schiff from the Intelligence Committee.
Donalds labeled Schiff’s actions as politically motivated and dangerous, particularly in the context of his role in handling sensitive information.
Regarding Trump’s remarks, Donalds emphasized that Trump was addressing concerns over potential unrest, similar to what occurred during the 2020 protests and riots in various cities across the country. “If you just go back to the summer of 2020, the Summer of Love like the left likes to talk about, you had riots in every major city in the country. That is very dangerous, and that is very concerning,” Donalds added.
Acosta pressed Donalds on whether it was appropriate for Trump to label Pelosi and Schiff as “enemies from within” and questioned if Donalds would support their arrest. Donalds firmly denied any support for arresting political opponents, stating, “Absolutely not.”
He clarified that Trump was not calling for Pelosi or Schiff to be arrested, but was expressing concern about how they might respond if Trump were to win re-election.
The discussion shifted to Schiff’s role in promoting claims of Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 election, which Donalds argued was based on false intelligence. “Adam Schiff laundered phony intelligence into the political system,” Donalds stated, reiterating his point that Schiff had engaged in dangerous political behavior.
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