Discussion about threats to the stability of the U.S. political system and the country’s domestic security is becoming more and more commonplace among commentators and analysts.

A new NBC News poll finds that “threats to democracy” has overtaken the “cost of living” as the most important issue facing voters in the United States. Both political parties continue to trade accusations about election fraud and voter suppression. And then there’s the January 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol and FBI search at Mar-a-Lago, former President Trump’s Florida home.

Some Republicans have called for defunding the FBI, while pro-Trump conspiracy theorists issued explicit or thinly veiled calls for violence. Is it simply politics as usual or an assault on American democracy?

To discuss:

• Gene Rossi is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and Federal Prosecutor.
• Frank Sesno served as CNN’s Washington bureau chief. He’s currently the Director of Strategic Initiatives at George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs.
• Rina Shah is a political strategist and commentator.
• Craig Shirley is a bestselling author and U.S. presidential historian.

For more:

A plurality of American voters now rank threats to our democracy at the top of their concerns. What remains to be seen is the degree to which it affects their political behavior, above all whether & how they will vote this fall & who they support in 2024. https://t.co/SMe8b3PJJ2

— Richard N. Haass (@RichardHaass) August 21, 2022

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday urged his fellow Republicans to stop lashing out at the FBI over the search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home, saying he has been troubled by what he called the politicization of the agency. https://t.co/4laLuHgweq

— The Associated Press (@AP) August 17, 2022