Thread by @MsMariaT

"Mr. Comello had become convinced that Mr. Cali was part of the so-called deep state, a cabal of criminals that conspiracy theorists claim controls the United States government. Mr. Comello also believed he was a chosen vigilante of President Trump."

https://twitter.com/MsMariaT/status/1153054721940152320

"Mr. Comello became certain that he was enjoying the protection of President Trump himself, and that he had the president’s full support,” Mr. Gottlieb wrote."

"Mr. Cali’s murder was the highest-profile mob killing in decades, an event so significant that in the days between Mr. Cali’s death and Mr. Comello’s arrest, speculation surged that a new war was brewing among New York’s five Mafia families."

"The reality, according to his lawyer, appears to be even more bizarre: Mr. Comello had become convinced that Mr. Cali was part of the so-called deep state, a cabal of criminals that conspiracy theorists claim controls the United States government."

HOLY SHIT.

"Mr. Comello took handcuffs w/ him to Todt Hill on 3/13/19, Mr. Gottlieb...but his plan was foiled when Mr. Cali refused to submit to a citizen’s arrest...the Gambino leader reached toward his waistband. Fearing for his life, Mr. Comello shot Mr. Cali 10 times and fled..."

"QAnon...played a key role in Comello’s descent into mental instability...among other things, that America is controlled by a “deep state” that prominent Dem politicians are pedophiles and that JFK Jr...is secretly alive/will run for pres in 2020"

They will write his name watch.

"At Comello’s first court appearance in March, he displayed symbols and phrases associated with QAnon scrawled on his hand in pen. He first discovered the conspiracy theory, Mr. Gottlieb said, in the weeks after Mr. Trump’s 2016 election."

"Mr. Comello’s support for ‘QAnon’ went beyond mere participation in a radical political organization,” Mr. Gottlieb wrote. “It evolved into a delusional obsession.”

Trump supporters.

"Driven by that obsession...Mr. Comello began early this yr to attempt citizen’s arrests of people he believed to be associated w/ the deep state. In 2/19, Mr. Comello twice tried to conduct his own arrest of Mayor de Blasio..."

"Not long after that incident, Comello sought the help of US marshals at Federal District Court in Manhattan, and asked that they help him to arresT two CA Dems, Representatives MAXINE WATERS and ADAM SCHIFF, both of whom he believed were in the vicinity. He was rebuffed."

"Both incidents were confirmed by law enforcement officials.

He was also posting and sharing conspiracy theories online that are associated with the far-right, and was engaging w/other QAnon believers on the internet, according to soc media accts linked to Mr. Comello..."

"Mr. Gottlieb identified one of Mr. Comello’s accounts, RealAmericasVoice_ on Instagram, in his filing. The page has dozens of memes and written screeds, some that are difficult to decipher, including several posted days before Mr. Cali’s death. "

"One post accuses Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, of being a fascist. “Patriot sleeper cells are awake,” he wrote in another. Yet another refers to Bill and Hillary Clinton as “The Clinton Crime Family.”

NANCY, A FASCIST, LOL.

"How Mr. Comello came to associate Mr. Cali or THE GAMBINO CRIME FAMILY with such theories remains unclear. Typically, the conspiracy group targets Democratic political figures, not the Mafia. "

...

"...FBI agents subpoenaed Trump in 1980 to ask about his dealing with John Cody, a Teamsters official described by law enforcement as a very close associate of the GAMBINO CRIME FAMILY."

politico.com/magazine/story…

"Gottlieb said he believed Comello had encountered posts online that suggested Mafia figures like Mr. Cali were also connected to the deep state.

Gottlieb said...he was sifting through “thousands and thousands” of msgs, posts and forums that he said Comello might have engaged."

"The defense lawyer is also asking a judge to order prosecutors to provide details about anything found in Mr. Cali’s home or car when they were searched after the shooting, including whether any weapons were found on or near Mr. Cali’s body."

Going to remind people about the famous Mob boss, Vincent "Vinny the Chin" Gigante whose "mental illness" defense fell apart:

<eot>

vice.com/en_us/article/…

Link back to orig article:

"He Wasn’t Seeking to Kill a Mob Boss. He Was Trying to Help Trump...

... the lawyer for Anthony Comello [Trump supporter who thought Trump was protecting him] says he became obsessed by far-right QAnon conspiracy theories."

nytimes.com/2019/07/21/nyr…

Fast facts on Francesco "Franky" Cali, familial ties to Bonannos, Gambinos:
heavy.com/news/2019/03/f…