‘Bad things are going to happen to him’: Trump threatens unmasked ‘Anonymous’ whistleblower at Florida rally

Donald Trump appeared to threaten a former mid-level Department of Homeland Security official who two years ago penned an op-ed under the alias “Anonymous” slamming the president, saying “bad things are going to happen” to Miles Taylor.

“There should be major criminal liability for some scum like this. ... He should be prosecuted. Are you listening to me back in Washington? He should be prosecuted,” the president said in a message to his own Justice Department. "Along with the New York Times."Â

“Bad things are going to happen to him,” he added of Mr Taylor, who has been roundly criticized for panning his former boss while playing a role in the Trump administration’s migrant child separation program.

Mr Trump’s threat is questionable, however. He has fired others who crossed him, including some who testified in House Democrats’ impeachment hearings.

But Mr Taylor has left the government, leaving Mr Trump few options.

The whistleblower responded in real-time after contenting during a Wednesday night CNN interview he did not reveal himself for financial gain.

“The state of open dissent in America: the President derides critics as ‘traitors’ and ‘treasonous’; threatens to ‘prosecute’ & ‘lock them up’; and ominously warns ‘bad things’ will happen to them. Is this who we are?” Mr Taylor tweeted.

The president also boasted about his coronavirus response, saying up to 2m people might have died in the United States. With cases and deaths rising quickly once again, that could still happen.