in the handover. unlike, should i ask her about mike johnson on the job, and putting forward a bill that gets shut down by a spotty within five minutes of it coming out? do i? >> you have to appreciate the hubris of being like no, the last guy could, not do it but i'm going to be the one who really manages to -- isn't that the fundamental problem, is that the republicans have not addressed the ideological divides within their party. so you can rotate the speaker out as much as you, want the next guy, comes in you may have a lot of bluster, but once he's in that position and actually has to put forward a bill, they realize they still have that extreme maga wing in the party that is going to shoot it down and the democrats are probably not going to go along with it. so you really haven't solved the fundamental problem. >> the fundamental problem and or just understanding fundamental math. exactly. it is great to see you as always, my, found great, so enjoy the rest of your evening. good evening to you. welcome to ayman tonight. dangerous threats, election offices in states across the united states are being harassed, including one that was mailed an envelope containing a suspicious powder. and breaking, moments ago, donald trump just attacked online one of the offices targeted in that incident. plus, the trumps take the stand yet again. don jr. back, testifying next week in the civil fraud trial. what we can expect after his father's explosive admissions. then, democratic blowout, up and down the ballot, -- the lessons to learn as we head into 2024. i'm ayman mohyeldin. let's get started. a string of election offices have been targeted with threats of violence, yet again. that is where we start our coverage, this evening. nbc news reports that the fbi and the u.s. postal inspection service are investigating a series of letters, containing -- powder, that were sent to election workers in multiple states in recent days. at least five states were hit, nevada, california, oregon, washington, and georgia. officials say the letters are now being lab tested, but the georgia secretary of state, brad raffensperger, has confirmed that a letter sent to election offices in fulton county did in fact contain fentanyl. the washingn post reports that one of the pages in tha letter said, quote, and a elections now. here is what raffensrger told reporters. >> some people like to call fentanyl a drug. s tually poison. it will kill you. this is domestic terrorism, and it needs to be condemned by anyone that holds elected office, and anyone that wants to hold elected office, anywhere in america. >> despite this, despite being the target of a dangerous and potentially violent a letter, donald trump just moments ago, publicly attacked fulton county election workers, accusing them of, quote, a lot of crime. this was just done on his own social media site. now, we should note that we do not know who sent these letters, or even why, the fbi is still investigating that. but for years now, the far-right in this country has been threatening election offices and workers. these threats got so bad that reuters actually compiled a special database titled, campaign of fear, the trump world's assault on u.s. election workers. and a recent study from the brennan center of justice, or for justice, revealed 30% of election officials say they have been personally abused, harassed, or threatened, because of their job. now, it's part of a broader pattern, if you will, of threats, coming from the right, attacking their perceived enemies. as this criminal and civil trial proceeds, trump is viciously harassing those seeking to hold them accountable, or just overseeing those efforts. the ex president has whipped up his followers into such a frenzy that ally enforcement officials have serious concerns about deadly -- just yesterday, trump, again, attacked new york attorney general, letitia james, on social media, saying she, quote, should be prosecuted. he didn't stop there. now, we have always made a point not to show trump's social media posts. we try not to show you the deranged things that he saying. especially those amplifying lies, or hate. but this is a rare moment in which we feel compelled to show you one post. because it is so extreme, you have to see it to believe it. trump re-posted this image. depicting the u.s. capitol in flames. with a caption reading, quote, i'm coming back to clean up this mess. let's be clear here for a moment. we are not saying that trump is responsible for this week's dangerous lecture campaign. but he and his allies, they really helped foster the climate that we are in now, as a country. one were threats and actual threats are now commonplace. and public servants have to live in constant fear, just for doing their jobs to make our country and our democracy work. we have an all-star panel to kick things off for us this hour. let's bring in colorado secretary of state, jena griswold, former maryland congresswoman, donna edwards, and msnbc political analyst, barbara mcquade, who is also an msnbc legal analyst. it's good to have all three of you with us. secretary griswold, i'd like to start with your thoughts. on just what we heard in the last hour or so, these breaking comments from trump tonight. i should say on his social media that we read, attacking fulton county election workers, just as their office is receiving a letter containing fentanyl. one that the secretary of state in that state called an act of terrorism. >> i would say donald trump's disgusting. he is the furthest thing from a patriot, and a leader this country has ever seen in the presidency. you know, honestly, donald trump has opened mega extremism, which has put us election officials under threat. in his words, will cause threats to election workers in fulton county. and we are already having to contend with letters full of powder, some fentanyl, gunpowder. we are already having to contend with this conspiracy, the lies, the constant [inaudible] people like donald trump endlessly taking it up. he wants to scare good election workers out of their jobs, so he can put extremists in to help him steal elections. it's an american, and americans need to stop these extremists from taking further power in this country. >> how would you say, secretary griswold, that this affects their ability to do their job going forward? put the danger into perspective for us about why these workers are so important, and the threats they receive. what kind of impact does that actually have on them, and then their ability to actually do the work that our democracy needs? >> every step of american elections has oversight, of volunteer election workers. they are republicans and democrats, put together. they test voting equipment, they do signature verifications. they do the audits afterwards. these are people who are our neighbors, our grandparents, and they did not sign up to put up with a bunch of craziness and threats to their lives. and ayman, even before this latest round of insanity, letters, some, possibly with fentanyl, with poison, being sent to election workers, this country has already seen an exodus. election officials, the brennan center warned that election workers were getting scared that they would -- and they have been stepping down. here in colorado, we lost about a third of the elected county clerks. now, other people are stepping up. we will have great elections. but understand, the threats to election workers is part of the attack on democracy. it is trying to destabilize the local administration of democracy, so that extremists, maga republicans, can be put in their place. >> congresswoman edwards, as you heard there from the secretary of state, they seize an attack on our democracy. you watched tuesdays elections unfold. it was just after that we learned of these letters containing threats that explicitly said and elections now. what struck you as a former member of congress, when you take a step back, and you kind of absorb all of this that is happening across the country? this attack on our election workers, our democracy, the message, the rhetoric coming out from donald trump. the inability of members of the far-right in the maga movement and congress to condemn what donald trump has done. how do you survey that landscape right now? >> you know, i think it's a very complicated arrangement now, for those who are -- for our secretaries of state, for our local elections officials. one of the things that makes american elections so safe and secure is the fact that they are conducted at the most local level. and that means that it takes ordinary people as the secretary has said, our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers, really administering the work of democracy. and here, we see that in the face and the name of the former president, who puts these elections officials and risk all the time, every time he speaks out, whether it's against fulton county, or any other elections officials, it actually endangers everyone. we are seeing that. we don't know who is acting on these, the fbi, and law enforcement are going to try to get to the bottom of that, but the fact is, we are going into another election cycle in 2024. where we know that we are going to see things that we haven't seen before. and we need these guardians, and what we, at the national council of election integrity call, these faces of democracy, really stepping up to make sure that our elections remain safe and secure. >> barbara, what happens next, in terms of the investigation into these incidents across multiple states? how does the fbi respond? what could the legal fallout be, if there are any specific charges brought forward. what might those charges actually look like? what is the law that is being violated here? >> between the fbi and also the postal inspection service, they will combine forces, and they have the ability to take a national perspective on all of this. this case reminds me a little bit of the pipe bomb, or caesar siamak, who was sending pipe bombs through the mail, two media executives, as well as prominent members of the democratic party. they ultimately found him. i suspect the fbi and the postal inspection service will as well, based on video that they have at their various facilities, they'll be able to figure out where these letters were sent from, and they will find commonalities to be able to identify someone. but it is a crime to put dangerous matter in the mail. it's a crime to communicate threats through the mail. and so, those crimes will be at play here. and it will be an interesting thing to see, where this individualize found, or whether it's a group of individuals. where the cases brought. but it can be brought in any place where a mailing began, continued, or finished. so i imagine that all the cases could be brought together in one place, so that a jury could understand the full scope of the criminal conduct here. because it is, to me, it seems, an orchestrated effort to intimidate, not just the workers in one place, but across the country, in an effort to scare off people from conducting the administration of elections. which as we've just heard, relies on volunteers, and people at lower levels of pay, to do these jobs. if their lives are in danger, people will stop doing. who needs to risk their lives for a job that doesn't pay? but we need those people to make sure that elections can be carried on in this country. >> do you think, barbara, and i think we've discussed this before in different contexts. but in a case of these types of incidents that are happening, these types of attacks and threats against our democracy, are we at a point where we need more robust domestic terrorism statutes to combat this? i know there's always the concern about what rubs up against free speech. we don't have a domestic terrorist organization the way that we do have an fto, a foreign terrorist organization at the state department. but do we need to start reevaluating domestic terrorism statutes in this country, given this new emerging threat? >> yes. that is certainly a debate. i would argue that as we just heard, brad raffensperger say, this conduct is an act of domestic terrorism. there is a federal definition of domestic terrorism, there's just no crime of domestic terrorism. that federal definition is essentially engaging inactions dangerous to human life, to achieve a political goal. that seems to me that's exactly what's going on here. to call it domestic terrorism could allow investigative strategies to be employed earlier, to disrupt attacks. and would also bring with it, the moral equivalency that we see when we charge cases of international terrorism. >> congresswoman edwards, trump has helped create, as we've noted many times on the show and elsewhere, a culture where threatening officials has now become the norm in this country. it's not just him, but others. i mentioned that just yesterday, trump called the new york attorney general, letitia james, to be prosecuted. how are all these threats reshaping the political climate in this country, and pushing the boundaries of what we once thought was the limit, what we thought was the appropriate and polite conduct in which we conducted our democracy? >> well, it's still the limit. it just is that donald trump is violating that very very bright line. one of the things that this highlights for me, is the fact that we have elections offices all across the country, that are really starving for cash, ayman. they really need to make sure that they have people on staff who either screen their mail, or that they have appropriate security precautions in place, so that they can do their job. congress actually needs to step up, because in order for our democracy to exist in the most robust way, it also requires a robust level of funding at the state, local, and federal level. right, now we are just not there at all. that, in itself, is actually putting our democracy at risk. because we have so few people now who are willing to step up and volunteer. and bless these people who are highlighted in the states. because, you know what, they stepped off the job for a couple of hours, but they went right back to it. because they are committed to muck democracy. we need that across the board. >> secretary griswold, it's kind of shocking for me, i just want to get your thoughts on this. this haunting image of donald trump posting a picture of the u.s. capital on flames, with the text, i'm coming back to clean up this mess. while he is being it, basically, charged with attempting to overthrow our elections and everything that happened on january the 6th. what kind of message do you think that sense? what is your reaction to this unhinged person, now, who is posting these types of images with that text? >> honestly, it's hard to even find words. to show the symbol of democracy in flames is just so reckless and careless. but at the end of the day, we know who donald trump is. he's someone who a lies to the american people. who knows his words, or at least should know his words incite violence against everyday people. it's a person who is the front runner in the republican primary for president, who tried to steal the election. so, i think it just speaks to, in volumes, to the attack on democracy that is continuing. i agree with your panelists, it would be great if congress would wake up and passed protections for election workers, push more money down to the states, understanding that the administration of elections is now really tough. it would be great if they would act and tighten the laws on domestic terrorism. but, i just want to remind everybody, an election denier and chief is the speaker of the house. republicans in congress have decided to fully embrace these conspiracies, in these conspiracies will get, and have gotten people hurt. >> it's such an important point. i'm glad that you reminded that this movement is not on the decline, in fact, it's getting more powerful, and becoming more powerful in the positions of governance in this country. colorado secretary of state, jena griswold, thank you so much. donna, barbara, please stick around. i'm going to talk to you a little bit later on. after the break, i want to discuss donald trump's civil fraud trial and what we can expect when, yes, don jr., takes the stand, yet again, this week. you know that feeling of having to rewash dishes that didn't get clean? i don't. cascade platinum plus has me doing dishes... differently. scrub? soak? nope. i just scrape, load and i'm done. only platinum plus is bigger. with double the dawn grease fighting power and double the scrubbing power. for a no rewash clean... and a cabinet ready shine. rewash? not in my house. upgrade to cascade platinum plus. dare to dish differently. >> tech: cracked windshield on your new car? upgrade to cascade platinum plus. you don't have to take it 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remind trump, that quote, this is not a political rally. let's call that three hour temper champ out for what it really is. it is a distraction from an increasingly desperate ex president. let's take a look at the substance of his testimony for a second. trump acknowledged that he helped assemble a new financial statements admitted to, banks statements that inflated his net worth. unlike his two other sons who insisted that they had nothing to do with putting together those fraudulent documents, the ex president openly admitted that he went over some of the figures. quote, i would look at, them i would see them, and that would maybe on occasion have some ggestions. lawyers for the state then got trump to admithat the valuation of his trip blks at trump tower which he tried to pass off as 30,000 square feet rather than 11,000 was, quote, too high. there is no doubt these bombshell admissions will be top of mind for the state when they get their chance to re-examine don junior next week. former cong