Thread by @magi_jay

One of the most damaging moments of the Trump era was the Barr Memo & the media's failure to counteract its malicious framing. For two years, we'd been connecting the dots in Trump/Russia & then we were told we had been fools. Now we're failing to connect the dots for the coup.

The GOP is engaged in constant conspiracy. They welcomed foreign interference in one election. They tried to overthrow the subsequent election. Now they are laying the groundwork to overthrow the next one. Connecting the dots in a known conspiracy does not make one conspiratorial

We should always be clear about what we know for sure vs. what we *suspect* to be true, but have scant evidence for. What evidence is circumstantial & what evidence is direct. But we should not be fearful of openly examining the conspiracy that is unfolding in plain sight.

Here are things we know to be true:
-Trump et al. had a plan to delay certification beginning w/ Arizona. They needed time to replace electors.
-The GOP is now installing Trump loyalists in state electoral positions
-The GOP has also limited the power of the AZ Dem Sec of State

Yesterday, we learned of a related Arizona plot. Throw out just enough ballots to flip the state to Trump. State legislators were on board. Mark Waldron, author of the Coup Powerpoint was involved. The plotters were in contact w/ Trump's team. But, again, they needed more time.

Legislators from battleground states, including AZ, wrote to Mike Pence & asked him to delay certification, as outlined in the Eastman memo. During the insurrection, AZ GOP Chair, Kelli Ward, tweeted: "Congress is adjourned. Send the elector choice back to the legislatures."

Now, in AZ and other states, Trump loyalists are being installed in state electoral positions. The AZ SoS seat is also on the ballot. One GOP candidate, Mark Finchem, is a member of the Oath Keepers & argued Arizona's votes should be given to Trump.

The AZ governorship is also on the ballot in 2022. Kari Lake has been endorsed by Trump and allies. Lake has argued for imprisoning the current Dem SoS, as well as journalists who wrote about the 2020 election. Lake has said she would not have certified the electoral results.

What's happening in the AZ legislature & w/ state electors is perilous. If Dems lose the battles for the SoS position &/or the governorship, it's not hyperbolic to posit that the state may be lost to our democracy.

This is why we need to be more explicit in connecting the dots.