Democrat Eric Swalwell: Trump is Acting Like MS-13 or Something

Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell, who is considering a run for the White House in 2020, told NBC's Andrea Mitchell Thursday night that President Trump is acting like MS-13.

"We may be talking about the president of the United States, but this is how gangs conduct themselves. This is how MS-13, the president’s adversary, conducts themselves. And what they do is they try and intimidate people who have left the gang by threatening their family, by telling them if they cooperate, harm will come to them,” Swalwell said.

Swalwell made the comments after being asked whether former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen should be afraid of what could happen to him in prison. The question came after Cohen delayed his planned testimony to Congress, citing "ongoing threats" from the President Trump. No evidence of the alleged threats has been provided.

This is how the FBI describes MS-13:

Members of Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, who are mostly Salvadoran nationals or first generation Salvadoran-Americans, but also Hondurans, Guatemalans, Mexicans, and other Central and South American immigrants. And according to our recent national threat assessment of this growing, mobile street gang, they could be operating in your community...now or in the near future.
Based on information from our own investigations, from our state and local law enforcement partners, and from community organizations, we’ve concluded that while the threat posed by MS-13 to the U.S. as a whole is at the “medium” level, membership in parts of the country is so concentrated that we’ve labeled the threat level there “high.”

MS-13 members engage in a wide range of criminal activity, including drug distribution, murder, rape, prostitution, robbery, home invasions, immigration offenses, kidnapping, carjackings/auto thefts, and vandalism. Most of these crimes, you’ll notice, have one thing in common—they are exceedingly violent. And while most of the violence is directed toward other MS-13 members or rival street gangs, innocent citizens often get caught in the crossfire.

MS-13 is expanding its membership at a “moderate” rate through recruitment and migration. Some MS-13 members move to get jobs or to be near family members—currently, the southeast and the northeast are seeing the largest increases in membership. MS-13 often recruits new members by glorifying the gang lifestyle (often on the Internet, complete with pictures and videos) and by absorbing smaller gangs.

Speaking of employment, MS-13 members typically work for legitimate businesses by presenting false documentation. They primarily pick employers that don’t scrutinize employment documents, especially in the construction, restaurant, delivery service, and landscaping industries.
Members of Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, who are mostly Salvadoran nationals or first generation Salvadoran-Americans, but also Hondurans, Guatemalans, Mexicans, and other Central and South American immigrants. And according to our recent national threat assessment of this growing, mobile street gang, they could be operating in your community...now or in the near future.