Reprinted with permission from Alternet

A Republican lawmaker is issuing a stark warning ahead of the 2024 election. In short, former President Donald Trump may no longer be in office but he still poses a serious threat to our democracy with the calculated groundwork his political minions are currently laying.

Appearing on CNN's new documentary, CNN's Trumping Democracy: An American Coup, retiring Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) weighed in on the possibility of Trump winning the Republican presidential nomination and what could happen if he loses the election.

"I think it's all pushing towards one of two outcomes: He either wins legitimately, which he may do, or if he loses again, you just try to steal it," Gonzalez said on Friday.

The one-term, defeated former president has "evaluated what went wrong on January 6: Why is it that he wasn't able to steal the election? Who stood in his way?" explained Gonzalez.

He added, "And he's going methodically state by state at races from, you know, state Senate races all the way down to county commissioner races trying to get the people who ― the Republicans, the RINOs, in his words ― who stopped this, who stopped him from stealing the election."

Although Trump has acknowledged that he has considered another presidential run in 2024, he has not officially announced a campaign.

Retiring Republican has warning about Trumpyoutu.be

Gonzalez, one of the few Republican lawmakers who voted in favor in Trump's second impeachment, also recalled the disturbing scene that unfolded at the Capitol building on January 6. According to the Republican lawmaker, the violence was "an unconstitutional attempt led by the President of the United States to overturn an American election and reinstall himself in power illegitimately."

He also explained why he refuses to part of Trump's antics. "That's fallen nation territory, that's third world country territory," he added. "My family left Cuba to avoid that fate. I will not let it happen here."