US Homeland Security officials are warning that a bizarre conspiracy theory suggesting that Donald Trump will be “reinstated” as president in August will lead to violence as right-wing extremists may be preparing for a second, more deadly insurrection.
The ridiculous idea has been floated by Trump and people close to him including MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who is facing legal action for a series of far-fetched claims about the 2020 vote, and Sidney Powell, an attorney who is being sued over her claims that Trump was cheated out of re-election by a conspiracy involving the operators of voting machines and communist leaders in Venezuela.
While the theory has been largely dismissed as the latest in a series of substance-free predictions of the sort pushed by QAnon, a new report by Politico suggests it is being treated seriously by some within the Department of Homeland Security.
The news outlet says John Cohen, a top counter-intelligence official, was asked about the August theory during a private conversation with members of Congress.
The official said there was serious concern over the prediction because it feeds into the false narrative that the election was stolen from Trump and therefore raises fears of another violent reaction by his supporters.
Responding to the report, a DHS spokesperson said: “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is focused on the nexus between violence and extremist ideologies, as well as hateful and false narratives. DHS is enhancing its ability to prevent acts of violence inspired by disinformation, conspiracy theories, and extremist narratives spread through social media and other online platforms.”
Trump has been telling a number of people he’s in contact with that he expects he will get reinstated by August (no that isn’t how it works but simply sharing the information). https://t.co/kaXSXKnpF0
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 1, 2021