Just when you think liberals in the media couldn’t reach any new levels of crazy, they completely shatter their own glass ceiling. In one of the most incredible segments of cable television you’ll ever see, MSNBC contributor Frank Figliuzzi claimed that President Trump ordering flags be lowered to half-mast in the wake of last weekend’s mass shootings is a neo-Nazi dog whistle. No, really.
Figliuzzi, a former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence, floated the conspiracy theory during MSNBC’s 11th Hour With Brian Williams on Monday night. He demonstrated the media’s unhinged nature in the Trump era by claiming that Trump lowering the flags until August 8th, or “8/8,” was an appeal to neo-Nazis and Adolf Hitler supporters:
And I'll give you an example of that. We have to understand the adversary and the threat we’re dealing with. And if we don't understand how they think, we’ll never understand how to counter them. So, it’s little things and language and messaging that matters. The President said that we will fly our flags at half-mast until August 8th. That's 8/8. Now, I'm not going to imply that he did this deliberately but I am using it as an example of the ignorance of the adversary that’s being demonstrated by the White House. The numbers “88” are very significant in neo-Nazi and white supremacy movement. Why? Because the letter “H” is the eighth letter of the alphabet and, to them, the numbers “88” together stand for “Heil Hitler.” So, we’re going to be raising the flag back up at dusk on 8/8. No one is thinking about this. No one is giving him the advice or he's rejecting the advice. So understand your adversary to counter the adversary.
Figliuzzi, who has a history of wacky claims, fully shows the pretzels Democrats and their allies in the media twist themselves into to claim that President Trump’s rhetoric is inspiring white supremacist terrorism, such as the El Paso shooter. In doing so, however, they have completely ignored the Dayton shooter’s leftist politics, and constantly divide and gaslight Americans by suggesting the rhetoric of politicians inspires violence.
The full transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
11th Hour With Brian Williams
08/05/2019
11:42:05 PM Eastern
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Our next guest is not proud of a prediction he made. Five days ago, Frank Figliuzzi, the former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence, wrote the following in an op-ed in the New York Times and we quote, “instinct and experience tell me we're headed for trouble in the form of white hate violence stoked by a racially divisive president. He has chosen a re-election strategy based on appealing to the kinds of hatred, fear and ignorance that can lead to violence.” And once again tonight, we have Frank Figliuzzi back on our broadcast. Frank, what were the signs and how do we know how to navigate this tomorrow and the next day? This is -- this starts becoming the definition of terrorism when people develop anxiety about what should be free-flowing public places.
FRANK FIGLIUZZI: Exactly right. The definition of terrorism is conduct designed to coerce or intimidate the civilian population and if we don't take action quickly, then that will continue to play out. I have a piece out just tonight in the New York Times on what, sadly, I think is going to happen next if we don't disrupt the chain of radicalization. What were the warning signs for me, Brian? Ironically, there weren’t from my experience in domestic terrorism, but rather they were from my experience in international terrorism and radicalization to Islamic jihad. You see the same things happening now in white hate groups and white supremacy groups where, not only is the internet facilitating the speed of radicalization, but our leader, our chief executive is seen as almost a mentor and a radicalizer. And, unfortunately, today, we did not hear what we needed to hear from that person that these extremists and unstable people look to. He spoke in the passive voice, in the collective voice. We didn’t hear the first person from him. We didn't hear, "I condemn white hate ideology." We heard, "The nation must condemn it." Well, the nation does condemn it but we didn't hear what we needed to hear so what happens is the extremists interpret what the President read off a script today as something he needed to say, something he didn't really want to say, so the President is either getting really good advice on rejecting it or he’s getting really bad advice.
And I'll give you an example of that. We have to understand the adversary and the threat we’re dealing with. And if we don't understand how they think, we’ll never understand how to counter them. So, it’s little things and language and messaging that matters. The President said that we will fly our flags at half-mast until August 8th. That's 8/8. Now, I'm not going to imply that he did this deliberately but I am using it as an example of the ignorance of the adversary that’s being demonstrated by the White House. The numbers “88” are very significant in neo-Nazi and white supremacy movement. Why? Because the letter “H” is the eighth letter of the alphabet and, to them, the numbers “88” together stand for “Heil Hitler.” So, we’re going to be raising the flag back up at dusk on 8/8. No one is thinking about this. No one is giving him the advice or he's rejecting the advice. So understand your adversary to counter the adversary.
