“Trump says ‘treason.’ His fans invoke violence. How attacks against Schiff are escalating online.”

WaPo:

As Trump and his allies have aimed increasingly caustic language at Schiff in recent days, the attacks have been echoed by supporters on social media who often take the message a step further — invoking physical violence against one of the most prominent Democrats overseeing the inquiry that now threatens Trump’s presidency.

The chain reaction represents a new test of the power of weaponized language to inspire physical violence. Over the summer, Trump faced criticism for employing anti-immigrant rhetoric that was parroted by the man accused of fatally shooting 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso in August. In the fall of 2018, an avid Trump supporter mailed pipe bombs to prominent Democrats.
What many of the violent, anti-Schiff messages have in common is the inspiration they appear to draw from the president’s words, or from the words of his associates and allies in Congress and conservative media.

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