Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2

[Rick Plant]

Trump and 11 other Republicans should be investigated for  seditious conspiracy — according to the former Michigan GOP director

State Rep. Joe Tate (D-Detroit) joined the former head of the Michigan GOP and a national elections expert on Thursday to talk Jan. 6 committee hearings in the U.S. House, while doubling down on his call to have some of his GOP colleagues investigated.
“An assault on our democracy, to steal the vote from the people and subvert our election results in Michigan, is an assault on our nation and its founding ideals,” Tate said.

The Democrat joined Jeff Timmer, former Michigan GOP executive director who is now a consultant for both the Lincoln Project and Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel’s campaign; and Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW) for the virtual press conference.

Tate last week introduced a House resolution urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate 11 Republican House members for the crime of seditious conspiracy.

State Reps. Gary Eisen (R-St. Clair Twp.), John Reilly (R-Oakland Twp.), Julie Alexander (R-Hanover), Matt Maddock (R-Milford), Daire Rendon (R-Lake City), Beth Griffin (R-Mattawan), Michele Hoitenga (R-Manton), Brad Paquette (R-Niles), Rodney Wakeman (R-Saginaw Twp.), Greg Markkanen (R-Hancock) and Jack O’Malley (R-Lake Ann) all put their names to briefs in a failed lawsuit that sought to overturn election results.

Maddock, Rendon, Reilly, Griffin and Alexander also attempted to enter the Michigan Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, with a slate of 16 fake Republican electors.

During the virtual press conference Thursday, Tate said he has only had “brief interactions” with the Republicans who were named in his resolution since introducing it, but “nothing in terms of substance.” He did not elaborate what the interactions entailed.

When pressed on why he specifically believes the 11 state representatives may have committed the crime of seditious conspiracy — a federal offense that carries up to 20 years in prison — Tate said the members went against their oath of office to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution.

“For us not to look into this … it reduces the faith and confidence in our elected system as well as our democratic institutions,” Tate said.

Tate, Timmer and Bookbinder also discussed how former President Donald Trump and his allies, including in key states like Michigan, attempted to illegally overthrow the election in his favor. They cited the Jan. 6 House panel, which recently held its final hearing this summer and showcased what Trump failed to do during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The press conference was hosted by the Defend Democracy Project.

“I, at least, have been blown away by how much we have learned at every single one of those eight hearings, and particularly what we’ve learned in terms of the vast evidence of what Donald Trump and his allies knew,” Bookbinder said.

Reiterating that Trump knew he had rightfully lost the election but chose to pursue the election anyway, Bookbinder added: “When you have a president who seeks to stay in power, despite losing an election, despite the will of the people, that is an attempt to install a dictator. That is an attempt to install a dictatorship.”

Timmer served as the Michigan Republican Party Executive Director from 2005 to 2009. He left the party during the Trump era.

“I never thought I would have to be standing here, telling my former Republican colleagues that truth and facts matter,” Timmer said.

He shared that within conversations he’s had with high level officials in the Republican Party, those officials say that the “rhetoric from Trump on down about the stolen election has left them with no choice but to continue this … façade.”

“They know that there wasn’t fraud, that there weren’t irregularities, but they feel that they have no choice given where their base, where their voters come down on this issue.”

Timmer emphasized that this effort did not stop after Jan. 6, 2021, but it is a process that is “continuing.”

“There are still efforts being made to install election deniers in these county canvassing positions or equivalent in other states, where they’re looking to put in place people who will throw wrenches into the certification of the 2022 election and the 2024 election, depending on whether or not their side wins or loses.

“If democracy has to rely on who is counting the votes, rather than we all trust in the fairness of who’s counting the votes, we’re in real trouble.”

On Tate’s resolution to investigate the Michigan representatives, Bookbinder zeroed in on Maddock, Rendon, Reilly, Griffin and Alexander and said they could be particularly exposed to possible charges since they attempted to push through the slate of false electors.

“It is clear that the fake elector scheme is one that is of central interest to the Department of Justice,” Bookbinder said.

“The efforts to substitute false slates of electors seems straight down the middle violation of that federal offense, at the very least. So I think for Michigan state representatives who were centrally involved in those efforts to push through a false slate of electors, there really could be some exposure there.”

https://michiganadvance.com/2022/07/29/former-michigan-gop-director-says-trump-11-reps-should-be-investigated-for-big-lie-efforts/

[Rick Plant]

While 'Trump was taking Saudi blood money – Biden was killing terrorists': Experts weigh in on al-Qaeda news



Experts are weighing in on Monday evening's historic news that under the direction of President Joe Biden Americans have killed the top leader of al-Qaeda, the top terrorist who succeeded Osama bin Laden and was a top architect of the 9/11 terror attacks.

"A CIA drone strike has killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri in Afghanistan, according to five people familiar with the matter," the Associated Press reports. "Current and former officials began hearing Sunday afternoon that al-Zawahri had been killed in a drone strike, but the administration delayed releasing the information until his death could be confirmed, according to one person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter."

The killing of the top terrorist is said to validate President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which he received tremendous criticism for more than one year ago.

“To kill Americans and their allies — civilian and military — is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in every country in which it is possible to do it,” The Washington Post reports "Zawahiri wrote in a 1998 manifesto."

"Three years later, he would put words into action by helping to plan the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon."

"My first reaction: tears of relief," said counterterrorism expert, former Republican, and former Trump administration DHS official Elizabeth Neumann. "Justice for 9/11 families and all of the many men and women that have been fighting since to keep us safe at home and abroad. The threat remains. But tonight we can be soberly grateful for justice."

Neumann served in several roles at the Trump DHS including as Deputy Chief of Staff to DHS Secretary John Kelly and Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke, and DHS Assistant Secretary for Threat Prevention and Security Policy to their successors.

National security attorney Bradley Moss tweeted, "Trump was taking Saudi blood money to host a golf outing this weekend. Biden was killing terrorists."

Former DOJ spokesperson under Eric Holder and special advisor to the National Security Council at the Biden White House, and MSNBC analyst Matthew Miller wrote, "Build Back Better is alive and Ayman al-Zawahiri is dead."

"This is a success," says CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security who has an extensive background on terrorism and national security, "both because of the target, al-Zawahiri, but also because the Biden Administration had claimed that leaving Afghanistan would not impact counterterrorism efforts. They still would have 'over the horizon' capability. That appears to be true."

SiriusXM Progress host Dean Obeidallah, an attorney, journalist, and contributor to CNN and MSNBC writes, ""Most people who get Covid quarantine quietly by watching TV or reading books. President Biden spent his Covid quarantine killing the leader of Al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahri!"

https://www.rawstory.com/while-trump-was-taking-saudi-blood-money-biden-was-terrorists-experts-weigh-in-on-historic-counterterrorism-news/

[Rick Plant]

Donnie is an idiot and America is still suffering from the damage he caused.

Trump never wanted to take out top al-Qaeda target al-Zawahiri because he didn't recognize his name: report



President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. killed top al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who served as Osama bin Laden's No. 2 in the ongoing attacks on the United States. But according to an NBC report from 2020, former President Donald Trump had an opportunity to do the same, but refused because he didn't recognize al-Zawahiri's name.

Reporting in early 2020, NBC News reported that intelligence officials briefed then-President Trump many times about the most worrisome terrorist threats, specifically mentioning al-Zawahri.

Trump would ultimately agree to take out ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Yemeni al Qaeda chief Qasim al-Rimi. But other of the significant names on the CIA's list were ignored.

Trump "was more interested in a young and less influential figure much farther down the list, according to two people familiar with the briefings, because he recognized the name," the report said at the time.

"He would say, 'I've never heard of any of these people. What about Hamza bin Laden?'" the former official told NBC.

A Pentagon official agreed, noting, "That was the only name he knew."

By contrast, Biden explained that after "relentlessly seeking Zawahiri for years under Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump, our intelligence community located Zawahiri earlier this year. He had moved to downtown Kabul to reunite with members of his immediate family."

"This mission was carefully planned, rigorously minimized the risk of harm to other civilians, and one week ago, after being advised that the conditions were optimal, I gave the final approval to go get him, and the mission was a success," Biden also said.

Read More Here: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-pushed-cia-find-kill-osama-bin-laden-s-son-n1135101

[Rick Plant]

Georgia’s big Trump election investigation, explained

A grand jury investigation in Georgia intensified this summer, and could be a greater legal threat to Trump than the Justice Department.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/7/29/23281081/georgia-trump-fani-willis-investigation

[Rick Plant]

Trump Republicans are a greater threat to democracy than Trump himself
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-republicans-are-a-greater-threat-to-democracy-than-trump-himself/

[Rick Plant]

Judge slaps down Trump's attempt to dismiss Capitol cops' civil suit against him

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta on Tuesday slapped down former President Donald Trump's effort to dismiss a civil lawsuit filed by Capitol Police officers who were injured during the riot that Trump incited on January 6, 2021.

According to Politico's Kyle Cheney, Mehta shot down Trump's claims that his actions leading up to and during the January 6 riots are not subject to civil litigation because they "fall within the 'outer perimeter' of his presidential responsibilities."

Mehta cited his own past rulings shutting down Trump's motions to dismiss in which he held that Trump's actions "entirely concern his efforts to remain in office for a second term," and were not any part of his official duties as America's commander-in-chief.

"Accordingly, President Trump's motions to dismiss are denied," Mehta concluded.

Trump has lost a string of cases this year related to his efforts to dismiss civil lawsuits against him, as well as his efforts to end a civil investigation into his business practices being conducted by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Despite the multiple court losses, the former president has continued to insist that all the investigations are political "witch hunts" against him.

https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1554480690456035328

[Rick Plant]

Trump's Truth Social is blocking Jan 6 information from being shared: report

On Tuesday, The Daily Beast reported that a new study by Public Citizen suggests Truth Social, the social network founded by former President Donald Trump and billing itself as a haven for freedom of speech, is stealthily blocking posts that mention the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol or the hearings about it.

"A researcher with the progressive advocacy group writes: 'In the wake of that [Jan. 6] hearing, I attempted to post, ‘Trump’s defamatory lies about Shaye Moss and her mother were cruel, racist, and dangerous. Time for accountability. #Jan6 #january6th #January6thHearings.’ That post was blocked,'" reported Zachary Petrizzo.

"Elsewhere, the study alleges that posts in favor of abortion rights could be 'blocked' and fail to appear on the user’s profile. Neither a Trump spokesperson nor a Truth Social representative returned The Daily Beast’s requests for comment Tuesday evening," Petrizzo added.

"The study follows The Daily Beast’s reporting on pro-Trump users accusing the platform of 'censorship' with its 'sensitive content' notices."

"The Daily Beast further reported on a pro-MAGA Truth Social influencer claiming Trump had blocked her," it continues.

Truth Social was financed by a so-called "blank check company," or special purpose acquisition company, known as Digital World Acquisition.

The deal was controversial, as many investors reportedly didn't even know their money was going to finance a project involving the former president, and the company recently faced federal grand jury subpoenas as regulators scrutinize the merger.

Many executives initially involved in the project have since bailed out amid problems with getting the platform up and running.

On Monday, Guy Reffitt was sentenced to a little over seven years in prison for his involvement in the Jan. 6 attack. He was one of those who was able to get a handgun into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and was caught in a video talking about wanting to kidnap House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and drag her down the stairs so her head hit every step.

“I was not thinking clearly,” Reffitt told the judge before apologizing to U.S. Capitol Police officers, the judge, and to Congress.

Read More Here: https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-truth-social-site-is-shadow-banning-capitol-riot-content-study-says