Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2

[Rick Plant]

LISTEN: Trump rails against American Jews for not loving Israel in new rant filled with 'anti-Semitic tropes'

In a discussion with Israeli reporter Barak Ravid at Mar-a-Lago, former President Donald Trump attacked American Jews, complaining that they don't love Israel as much as they should — and also threw in a reference to Jews controlling the media.

"There's people in this country that are Jewish, no longer love Israel," said Trump. "I'll tell you, the evangelical Christians love Israel more than the Jews in this country. It used to be that Israel had absolute power over Congress. And today I think it's the exact opposite, and I think Obama and Biden did that. And yet in the election, they still get a lot of votes from Jewish people, which tells you that the Jewish people, and I've said this for a long time — the Jewish people in the United States, either don't like Israel or don't care about Israel."

"I mean you look at The New York Times, The New York Times hates Israel, hates them, and they're Jewish people that run The New York Times, I mean the Sulzberger family," Trump added.

"Trump was clearly trying to set a record for anti-Semitic tropes in a single soundbite," Mother Jones journalist David Corn said of the audio clip.

Last month, Trump faced criticism after claiming that Israel used to "literally own" Congress.

Watch video in link below:
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-jews-dont-love-israel/


CNN reveals most damning Mark Meadows text was sent from Rick Perry's phone



CNN reported on Friday that former Texas Gov. Rick Perry's phone was used to send what so far has been the most damning text message sent to former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.

On November 4th, the day after the election, a text from Perry's phone sent to Meadows recommended taking an "aggressive" plan to stop President Joe Biden from being declared the winner.

"Here's an aggressive strategy," the message began. "Why can't Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and other Republican-controlled state houses declare this is B.S. (where conflicts and election not called that night) and just send their own electors to vote."

Perry, through a spokesperson, denied sending the text message, although the spokesperson had "no explanation" when asked how the message was sent from the phone of the former Texas governor, who also served as Trump's Secretary of Energy from 2017 through 2019.

CNN confirmed with "multiple sources" who had Perry's personal number that the text message did indeed come from Perry's phone.

Trump eventually would try a variation of Perry's strategy by getting former Vice President Mike Pence to reject election results from key swing states, and then send back the results to GOP-controlled state officials to determine the winner.

https://www.rawstory.com/rick-perry-mark-meadows/

[Rick Plant]

Trump Admin Sabotaged COVID Efforts to Score Political Points, House Probe Finds

Decisions made by Trump officials “contributed to one of the worst failures of leadership in American history,” the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis said.



A House oversight panel found former President Donald Trump and his administration routinely undermined efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic last year, prolonging a deadly public health disaster in the hopes of winning an election he eventually lost.

The conclusion was part of a 46-page report released Friday by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. The report collated documents that had largely been released in the preceding months, including documents showing that the Trump administration prevented public officials from giving public briefings on the virus and attempted to play down the importance of testing.

But it also showed the Trump administration’s malfeasance throughout the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in new ways, including the ways they infuriated public health officials who felt they couldn’t do their jobs.

Dr. Jay Butler, the deputy director for infectious diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told the panel how he felt the directive to change mask guidance for churchgoers in May 2020 may have put them at unnecessary risk. He wrote in one email that he felt “very troubled… that there will be people who will get sick and perhaps die because of what we were forced to do.”

The beleaguered COVID-19 response coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, also attempted to express her frustration with the administration’s lack of effort. She said she refused to participate in a meeting with a “fringe groups” of officials who pushed the idea of herd immunity.

“These are people who believe that all the curves are predetermined and mitigation is irrelevant—they are a fringe group without grounding in epidemics, public health or on the ground common sense experience,” she wrote in an August 2020 email to Marc Short, the then-chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence. “I am happy to go out of town or whatever gives the WH cover.”

Birx also told the committee that Dr. Scott Atlas, the conspiracy theorist turned Trump adviser, worked to change guidance to avoid testing asymptomatic individuals exposed to COVID-19—even though it contradicted the science surrounding the virus.

The committee said these and other examples proved the Trump administration placed a heightened focus on its policies’ political impact over public health effects, resulting in a “pattern of political interference” that put lives in jeopardy. More than 800,000 Americans have died of COVID-19.

“These decisions placed countless American lives at risk, undermined the nation’s public health institutions, and contributed to one of the worst failures of leadership in American history,” it wrote.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-administration-undermined-covid-efforts-for-political-points-house-committee-says?ref=wrap


Retired generals warn of 'lethal chaos' and 'civil war' if Trump attempts another coup in 2024



America could descend into "civil war" following the 2024 presidential election if former President Donald Trump or a "Trumpian loser" attempts another coup that results in "lethal chaos inside our military," according to three retired Army generals.

"In short: We are chilled to our bones at the thought of a coup succeeding next time," Paul D. Eaton, Antonio M. Taguba and Steven M. Anderson wrote in the Washington Post on Friday.

Saying they fear "military breakdown mirroring societal or political breakdown," the three generals noted that "a disturbing number of veterans and active-duty members" participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

"The potential for a total breakdown of the chain of command along partisan lines — from the top of the chain to squad level — is significant should another insurrection occur," they wrote. "The idea of rogue units organizing among themselves to support the 'rightful' commander in chief cannot be dismissed. Imagine competing commanders in chief — a newly reelected Biden giving orders, versus Trump (or another Trumpian figure) issuing orders as the head of a shadow government."

Such a scenario would result in our national security being crippled, which could allow enemies to attack the U.S., the generals wrote. They called the military's response to the aftermath of the 2020 election "striking and worrying," and said Congress and the Department of Justice "must show more urgency" in holding people accountable for inspiring the insurrection.

They also made specific recommendations with regard to the military, calling on the Pentagon to order a civics review on the Constitution and electoral integrity for all members. They also called for training on dealing with illegal orders, as well as efforts to root out propagandists and potential mutineers.

"Finally, the Defense Department should war-game the next potential post-election insurrection or coup attempt to identify weak spots," they wrote. "The military and lawmakers have been gifted hindsight to prevent another insurrection from happening in 2024 — but they will succeed only if they take decisive action now."

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-coup-2656064087/

[Rick Plant]

Forbes editor says he testified before Trump grand jury



NEW YORK (AP) — The editor of Forbes magazine testified Thursday before the grand jury hearing evidence in a criminal investigation of former President Donald Trump and his business practices, answering questions about an article examining whether the former president inflated his wealth.

Forbes editor Randall Lane wrote in a post on the business magazine’s website that he was questioned about articles he wrote in 2015 about Trump’s fixation with his ranking on the magazine’s annual list of wealthiest people.

Lane said deputy wealth editor Chase Peterson-Withorn also testified, briefly answering questions about a 2017 article he wrote about the size and value of Trump’s apartment at Trump Tower.

Lane’s disclosure is the clearest indication yet that Manhattan prosecutors investigating Trump are zeroing in on whether he committed fraud by exaggerating his wealth, not only to Forbes but to banks to secure more favorable loan terms.

The investigation has already led to tax fraud charges in June against Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, and its longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg. They are accused of evading taxes on lucrative fringe benefits paid to executives.

Lane said he was questioned for about 20 minutes by Mark Pomerantz, a former mafia prosecutor assisting in the probe, and was asked to confirm various things, including the methodology of the magazine’s list of richest Americans and Trump’s statements in the article that “I look better if I’m worth $10 billion than if I’m worth $4 billion” and that a higher net worth “was good for financing.”

Pomerantz also asked about Trump’s claims, reported in the 2015 article, that his holdings in Trump Tower were worth five or six times more than the magazine’s $530 million estimate and that his apartment was worth at least twice the $100 million that the magazine valued it at, Lane said. The editor said Peterson-Withorn testified for about five minutes and was asked specifically about Trump’s claim that the apartment was 33,000 square feet.

Messages seeking comment were left with Trump’s lawyer.

The Manhattan district attorney's office declined to comment.

In disclosing his testimony, Lane said he and Peterson-Withorn had been fighting subpoenas for their testimony since September, raising concerns that testifying about a news subject would erode their journalistic independence and have a chilling effect on sources who provide them with information.

Lane said the judge overseeing this grand jury limited the scope of their questioning to confirming the accuracy of the articles about Trump. Lane said everything he and Peterson-Withorn testified about had already been revealed in their articles, writing: “If we were sitting on anything newsworthy, we would have already shared that with our readers.”

While grand jury proceedings are secret, there is nothing barring witnesses called before them from talking about their testimony.

Prosecutors started looking at how Trump and his company value their assets after Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen told a congressional committee in 2019 that the developer-turned-politician had a habit of manipulating property values.

Cohen said Trump would inflate values to gain favorable loan terms and minimize them to reap tax benefits.

Cohen gave a Congressional committee copies of Trump’s financial statements from 2011, 2012 and 2013 – statements he said Trump gave to his main lender, Deutsche Bank, to inquire about a loan to buy the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, and to Forbes to substantiate his claim to a place on its list of the world’s wealthiest people.

Trump “would go into a frenzy” when Forbes and Fortune were compiling their annual lists of the world’s richest people and would have Cohen and longtime financial chief Allen Weisselberg inflate valuations to come up with an acceptable number, Cohen wrote in his memoir “Disloyal.”

Lane wrote in his 2015 article that other real estate developers had told the magazine “slapping a high Forbes 400 estimate on a banker’s desk can sometimes help secure bigger loans and better rates.”

https://news.yahoo.com/forbes-editor-says-testified-trump-172150254.html


Jim Jordan ‘committed a felony’ with text message to Mark Meadows: former federal prosecutor



Democratic lawmaker and a former federal prosecutor are keeping the heat on Ohio Republican Congressman Jim Jordan.

Jordan came under fire this week after it was revealed that he forwarded a text message to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows calling on then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject some electoral college votes on Jan. 6.

After news of Jordan's text message broke on Wednesday, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) called him "a traitor to the Constitution."

On Friday, Gallego appeared on MSNBC and defended his use of the word "traitor."

Gallego said Jordan is "just as bad" as rioters who stormed the Capitol wearing camouflage and carrying Confederate flags.

"As a matter of fact, he's more dangerous than the yahoos, because he actually has access to power, access to information, and actually knows the process of how to stall democracy," Gallego said.

Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor, agreed with Gallego that Jordan is a "traitor."

Kirschner also said he believes the text message to Meadows constitutes probable cause that Jordan committed a federal felony. He noted that when Jordan sent the text, Attorney General Bill Barr had already stated there was no widespread fraud in the presidential election, and Trump cybersecurity official Chris Krebs had called the 2020 vote "the most secure in American history."

"What Jim Jordan by forwarding that text was obstruct an official proceeding, and that statute, which is a 20-year felony, says if you actually obstruct, or you attempt to obstruct, or you endeavor to impede an official congressional proceeding like the electoral vote count, you've committed the federal felony of obstructing an official proceeding," Kirschner said. "That is what Jim Jordan did."

Watch below:

[Rick Plant]

Criminal Donald and his fellow right wingers were lying about voter fraud and here the fraud was coming from his own supporters in Florida.

Florida investigators turn up more evidence of possible voter fraud  after bust at The Villages

On the heels of a report that investigators found evidence that three voters living at Florida retirement community The Villages allegedly committed voter fraud in the 2020 election, the Sun-Sentinel is now reporting that may just be the tip of the iceberg as more residents may have voted multiple times.

According to the new report, the election investigators in Lake County has have turned up six possible cases that have been referred to "state prosecutors for further investigation, and Osceola County flagged seven problematic votes."

On Tuesday, Click Orlando reported that three people who either live at The Villages or close by were arrested for fraudulently casting multiple ballots in 2020.

After the arrest of Jay Ketcik, 63, Joan Halstead, 71, and John Rider, 61, investigators turned their attention to so-called "snow-birds" who maintain two homes -- one in sunny Florida for the winter months.

The Sun-Sentinel reports, "... election officials say they want to send a message to anyone thinking of voting more than once in an election. Florida is home to a large number of seasonal residents with multiple addresses who could try to mail in a ballot in one state and vote in person in another."

In a statement, Wesley Wilcox, president of the Florida Supervisors of Elections’ association served notice by stating, "You commit fraud in the state of Florida, and we will do everything possible to catch and charge you. One of the benefits of charging these people is it’s a deterrent. It may take me a year to catch you, but I will catch you.”

Although it is not known who was the recipient of their illegal votes, the Sun-Sentinel's Skyler Swisher wrote, "The Villages is a bastion of Trump support with 67% of Sumter County voters favoring him in the 2020 election."

Swisher adds, "It’s not illegal to be registered to vote in multiple places, but casting more than one ballot in a federal election can land a person in serious legal trouble. In Florida, it’s a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine."

You can read more here:

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/os-ne-voting-twice-crackdown-20211217-kzh3264sprefrfrew5xjeiwgtu-story.html

[Rick Plant]

Lock him up! And the entire Trump Crime Family. 

Trump is about to be indicted for racketeering in New York: David Cay Johnston



Former president Donald Trump will soon be indicted for criminal racketeering under New York state law, according to Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist David Cay Johnston.

Johnston said the charges will stem from Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's ongoing investigation into whether Trump's company misled lenders or tax authorities about the value of its properties.

"I anticipate they're going to bring a racketeering charge against Trump," Johnston said. "Certainly Trump's team, when he's indicted, and I'm certain he will be indicted, is going to try to lay the blame on everybody else, and so what the prosecutors want to show that is if (Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer) Allen Weisselberg phonied up documents, it was at the direction of Donald Trump."

MSNBC host Yasmin Vossoughian then pressed Johnston to confirm that he is certain about an impending indictment.

"Oh, yeah," Johnston responded. "They would not have done all of this and know how much they know ... if they weren't going to to do this. Yeah, they will indict him. Exactly when? I don't know. I don't expect it will be on a straight tax charge. I think there will be a tax charge, but the key charge will be racketeering."

He added that the timing of the indictment will depend on how long it takes prosecutors to go through five million pages of documents that were handed over by the Trump Organization.

"Once he's indicted, Trump will have to surrender himself to be booked. I'm sure he will be released on his own recognizance, and then we will see a campaign of trying to delay trial," Johnston said. "You will see Donald say, 'This is corrupt, the prosecutors are corrupt, the police are corrupt, the auditors are corrupt,' because that's what Roy Cohn taught him when he was a young man — accuse law enforcement, and then delay, delay, delay."

[Rick Plant]

Another empty crowd for Donnie. That's back to back shows. Even his own base is sick of him.    

Trump draws sparse crowd in Texas as 'History Tour' event is delayed by storms



The Houston installment of Donald Trump's "History Tour" with Bill O'Reilly was delayed by near two hours on SaPersonay due to stormy weather that apparently delayed the former president's flight.

The event was scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Central time, but the Houston Chronicle reports that Trump didn't take the stage at the Toyota Center until shortly before 5.

"Top sections were blocked off, and there were still plenty of seats available at the event's scheduled start time," the Chronicle reported. "Last weekend the duo had two stops in Florida ... Media reports in Florida reported the tour had been beset by lower than expected ticket sales."

The Orlando Sentinel reported this week that, according to city records, the Amway Center was only about half full for last Sunday's event. The tour concludes in Dallas on Sunday.

At about 4:15 p.m. Central time SaPersonay, Trump spokeswoman Liz Harrington wrote on Twitter, "Airport opened, landing now. We’ll be right there, Houston. Will do extra special performance!"

The Chronicle's Jeremy Wallace posted a video from inside the Toyota Center at 3:22 p.m. Central time. The video showed that even the lower deck of the stadium was roughly half empty.

Watch it below:
https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-2656067675/

[Rick Plant]

'This is really crazy stuff': Michael Cohen eviscerates Trump for trying to change the story on Jan. 6



President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen spoke to MSNBC on Sunday to trash comments made by the ex-leader during a small rally over the weekend in Houston, Texas.

Trump explained that if he had it to do over again, he would have deployed the National Guard to do more on Jan. 6 as his supporters went after the U.S. Capitol.

There's just one problem with that, Cohen said. Trump lies about everything.

"So, you may remember when I testified before the House Oversight Committee and Jim Jordan and Mark dopey Meadows started on this liar-liar pants on fire and all the other nonsense in order to denigrate me, thinking it was going to throw me off track, which of course it didn't, and I stopped the entire proceeding, and I said to them, I know what you're doing," Cohen recalled. "I know the play in the playbook that you're trying to run because I created that playbook. And it didn't work out well for me, and it's not going to work out well for you."

He explained that it seems none of them heeded his warnings and now they're all in trouble.

"Mark Meadows is in some real serious trouble right now," he said. "And I think so is Jim Jordan and so is Donald Trump Jr. and so is Eric Trump and Lara Trump and a handful of other councilmembers that were actually communicating with some of these insurrection insurrectionists on the outside while they were on the inside. This is crazy stuff, folks."

He went on to say that Trump is the one that can't stop lying.

You start to think about, this is our U.S. Capitol, this is the people's house," he said. "And there was an insurrection. We haven't had this in what, 150 years? And now, of course, under Donald Trump, who is going to deny the fact that this actually even happened. There was 'so much love in the air.' Maybe there was love among the insurrectionists but certainly for the police, certainly not if they got their hands on Mike Pence, certainly not if they got their hands on Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress who were doing their duty and certifying the electoral votes."

See the interview below:

[Rick Plant]

Former FBI official thinks Trump knows 'something is coming' — while the DOJ is investigating GOP officials



Former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi explained on Sunday that a recent statement by President Donald Trump led him to believe that the ex-Republican leader knows that something is about to happen in his ongoing legal problems.

Trump released a statement SaPersonay attacking attorneys general, law enforcement, and others he said are out of control. It tipped off Figliuzzi that something was going on.

"I don't think the former president hides his emotions very well at all," said Figliuzzi, responding to a statement from Trump. "And typically, historically, for him, when he sends out something like this it's indicative that he's learned something he didn't know. His targeting of democratic DA's/District Attorneys, something is stirring. Word has gotten to him that something is happening, about to happen to him. He doesn't like where the investigation is going. He's lashing out. It's the possibility that either the state of new york or manhattan district attorney's office and/or the DOJ is getting closer to him. Some word has gotten back to him that triggered that message."

He went on to say that he doesn't believe that the Justice Department and the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 aren't operating in a vacuum. They're likely sharing information as it comes up.

"For those all over social media who are understandably frustrated with timing and wonder if DOJ and Merrick Garland and the FBI are doing absolutely nothing. I'm an evidence guy. I see glimpses that not only is DOJ not doing nothing, but rather that they understand the role of the select committee."

He explained that the Justice Department and the White House waived executive privilege and people at a high level are cooperating with the committees and law enforcement. He specifically named Branden Straka, who stopped his prosecution because he began cooperating with the DOJ.

"He spoke at the rally. He's been arrested, and he's cooperating, enough cooperation for DOJ to stop what they're doing with Straka," said Figliuzzi. "Other Oath Keepers are cooperating. We know a high-ranking Oath Keeper was asked by FBI agents, 'were you in contact with members of Congress or their staff.' We've heard Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) tell reporters in the last two weeks who authored the texts being released by the committee. He said House members and staffers, the same language the FBI is using when they question Oath Keepers. I think things are happening."

He also said that he believes Attorney General Merrick Garland understands domestic terrorism and that because of his work on the Oklahoma City bombing, he knows what he's doing.

Figliuzzi closed by saying that he thinks it might already be that the Justice Department is investigating members of Congress.

"And again, I refer back to the little clues we're getting," he explained. "The fact that an FBI agent asked a senior Oath Keeper if he's been in contact with Congress or staffers regarding the Jan. 6 breach. FBI agents don't just come up with questions off the top of their heads in a nationwide investigation. The questions are drafted by intelligence analysts. There are collection requirements. They're put out in templates to all agents. I think the FBI is looking at the involvement of Congress members and staff and I think that's already happening."

See the full conversation below: