MSNBC's Malcolm Nance: Trump’s Immigration Vetting Proposal Is “Single Most Un-American Thing I Have Ever Heard”

Nance: Trump Would Have To “Nationalize The Federal Armed Forces And Intelligence Apparatus In Order To Turn It Inward On U.S. Citizens”

From the August 15 edition of MSNBC's Hardball

Video file

CHRIS MATTHEWS (HOST): What is the usefulness of this kind of proposal which is first of all -- most conservatives, I'm not sure if Trump should be called a conservative anymore, but they hate all these commissions. There's millions of them. They are everywhere. Commission on this, commission on that. And it's called nanny state, it's getting in our face. If you could detect crime or criminal intent before it occurred, we would have it made. We would have it all made. There wouldn't be any more crime because we could spot them with interviewing people. You want to commit a crime, put them away. But you can't tell crime ahead of time. Human nature isn't susceptible to previews. We don't preview our behavior. Your thoughts? You're the expert. 

MALCOLM NANCE: Can I be honest with you? 

MATTHEWS: Sure. 

NANCE: I have been doing this a long time. I have heard a lot of things this last year in this campaign but I'm going to tell you right now, this is the single most un-American thing I have ever heard in my life. I have heard the deep undertones of this. He's talking about creating a politburo-type organization that will root out extremism viciously within the United States? This is McCarthy-ite levels of Unamerican Activities Committee type studies. 

MATTHEWS: What would it look like? Visualize what it would be. 

NANCE: Well obviously he will have to either nationalize the federal armed forces and intelligence apparatus in order to turn it inward on U.S. citizens in order to investigate our own citizenry for suspected networks. I mean, this is not going after Humphrey Bogart for whether he was in the Communist party in the 1950s. This is a war on American citizens under the guise of the name of terrorism. I have been doing counterterrorism for 35 years. I have never heard anything like this and this is dangerous, dangerous talk. 

Previously

“Literally Insane”: Media Figures Live-Blog Trump's Lies During Terrorism Policy Speech 

CNN's Clarissa Ward: ISIS Supporters Tell Me They Want Trump As President Because He Perpetuates Their Narrative

CNN International Correspondent: Trump's Muslim Ban Alienates Muslim Allies And Harms The Fight Against ISIS