Understanding the threat or leveraging it

Philip Bump asks innocently what is the difference between warnings and threats.

…there is an important difference between understanding the existing threat and leveraging it.

In an interview on Fox News on Sunday evening, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) rationalized why Trump supporters would be furious at an indictment.

“There’s a double standard when it comes to Trump,” Graham told host Trey Gowdy.

As we’ve already noted, of course there isn’t. Hillary Clinton didn’t take boxes of White House documents home with her in January 2001 or 2016, much less spread them around a large golf club and brag about them on social media. Hillary Clinton didn’t steal top secret documents and refuse to give them back when asked politely and repeatedly. However mistaken or reckless her handling of the email situation was, it wasn’t remotely comparable to the crimes Trump has committed.

“If they try to prosecute President Trump for mishandling classified information after Hillary Clinton set up a server in her basement,” Graham said, “there literally will be riots in the street. I worry about our country.”

Now, is that a worried prediction, or is it a threat?

I’m gonna go with threat.

Soon after the segment aired, Trump shared a clip of it on Truth Social, without comment.

Threat.

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