In a conversation with a New Jersey insider a few years ago, after his stint as director of homeland security, Michael Chertoff fielded a question about his view of the greatest threat to national security.

Iran? No. Russia? No. China? No.

The New Jersey native from Elizabeth’s answer was strife within the country, or domestic unrest.

That was greatest concern.

Now, amid anxiety about the aftermath of the Nov 3rd election, a federal defense contractor is preparing for exactly that eventuality, according to an InsiderNJ source. The source relayed a conversation with the corporate contact, who said the company in question is not keyed into who will win or lose the presidential election, but the likelihood of civil discord as a consequence of the results. The contact specifically relayed concern about supply line disruption, according to the source.

Relayed with a sense of anxiety, the source told InsiderNJ that the contact is prepared for the worst.

A second federal source told InsiderNJ that every indication internally points to a Joe Biden victory on Nov. 3rd, and federal employees are beginning to prepare for the strong likelihood of a transition of power.

But the first source in touch with the defense industry underscored in particular the routine communications of President Donald J. Trump. In his widely derided first debate with challenger Biden, Trump cast doubt on the legitimacy of the contest, and in particular the vote-by-mail process.  “I’m urging supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully,” Trump said. “If it’s a fair election, I am 100% on board. But if I see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, I can’t go along with that.”

In the debate, Trump also invoked the Paterson election scandal as he expressed his opposition to expanded mail-in voting. “This is going to be a fraud like you’ve never seen,” Trump said. “Take a look at what happened in New Jersey.”

Last month, at a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump said of Democrats, “They’re going to try to steal this election. The only way they can win Pennsylvania, frankly, is to cheat on the ballots.”

This past summer, Chertoff – long keyed into the potntial for the country sliding toward an uproar – specifically expressed his concerns about Trump’s threat to send law enforcement into Democrat-run cities, calling it “very problematic” and “very unsettling.”

“In my view, this is damaging to the department,” Chertoff told Washington Post reporter Greg Sargent. “It undermines the credibility of the department’s principal mission.”