Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2

[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

[Rick Plant]

DOJ subpoenas Pat Cipollone in ‘dramatic escalation’ of Trump coup investigation: report

Former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury investigating the efforts of Donald Trump supporters to overturn the 2020 presidential election, ABC News reported on Tuesday.

"The sources told ABC News that attorneys for Cipollone -- like they did with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol -- are expected to engage in negotiations around any appearance, while weighing concerns regarding potential claims of executive privilege," ABC News reported. "The move to subpoena Cipollone signals an even more dramatic escalation in the Justice Department's investigation of the Jan. 6 attack than previously known, following appearances by senior members of former Vice President Mike Pence's staff before the grand jury two weeks ago."

In July, the House Select Committee Investigating the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol played testimony from Cipollone's deposition.

Attorney Tristen Snell, who prosecuted Trump University for the New York attorney general's office, said the subpoena was a sign that the Department of Justice "is almost caught up with the January 6 committee."

Cipollone's lawyers told ABC News they plan to engage in "negotiations" over following the subpoena.

Read the full report:

https://abcnews.go.com/US/white-house-counsel-subpoenaed-federal-grand-jury-investigating/story?id=87845397

[Rick Plant]

'Taken over by nutjobs': MSNBC's John Heilemann explains how Trump gave Democrats 'strong hand to play' in Arizona