Former President Bill Clinton says angry anti-government rhetoric has led to a worrisome increase in threats against the president and other elected officials.
Clinton says people should be careful that the words they use to criticize officials don't demonize them.
The two-term Democratic president tells ABC News' "This Week" that he worries about threats against President Barack Obama and the Congress. But he says he also is troubled by "careless language," citing a leaked memo from a New Jersey teachers union that contained a joke containing a suggestion that Republican Gov. Chris Christie should die.
Clinton first addressed the issue in a speech Friday in which he warned of a slippery slope from caustic rhetoric against the government to violence like the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
The former president's comments were posted on ABC's website Saturday.
© Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.