Thread by @DavidPepper

THREAD — take a moment and read the quote from @FrankLaRose , playing “both sides” w Trump and Biden’s comments about the November election.

It’s a masterclass in reframing @JoeBiden comments from a week ago. The truth is, what Biden said last week was essentially...

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https://twitter.com/lizskalka/status/1275157810330951680

what LaRose himself said today and previously: that Trump’s incendiary comments about vote by mail being fraudulent are wrong, and that such misinformation is a dangerous precursor to the November election.

Read on...

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Today’s statement by LaRose was in response to Trump’s tweet from early today that: “RIGGED 2020 ELECTION: MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS WILL BE PRINTED BY FOREIGN COUNTRIES, AND OTHERS. IT WILL BE THE SCANDAL OF OUR TIMES!"

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LaRose has made clear today and previously that such statements about vote by mail are not accurate.

And he’s said that such disinformation can sew distrust in our elections and discourage participation in elections:

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google.com/amp/s/abc6onyo…

Good for him.

He even has encouraged Ohioans to report such disinformation when they see it. As he says on his website, such disinformation will “sew distrust in our elections”

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So how does he rope Biden into being akin to Trump’s pattern of repeatedly undertaking the exact disinformation LaRose is calling out?

Really disingenuously, that’s how.

The sad irony is Biden was basically making the same point LaRose was.

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The interview LaRose is pointing to in attackimg Biden is this one, w @Trevornoah .

Go to the 6:07 mark in the interview.

That is when Trevor asks Biden about the absurdly long lines in Georgia, and legitimate worries about voter suppression

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At 6:35, Biden answers.

There, he says his “greatest concern” is that a Trump will try to “steal the election.” And that is the moment that LaRose attacks Biden for “damaging [] trust” in election legitimacy.

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But here’s what LaRose conveniently doesn’t tell you.

The immediate next sentence by Biden, at 6:42, supporting what he has just said about his “greatest concern,” is that “this is the guy who said that all mail in ballots are fraudulent...”.

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Biden is clearly making the point that Trump’s repeated attacks on vote by mail is an attempt to undermine the November election.

Which sounds exactly like LaRose himself, who has said explicitly that this is a tactic used by our “adversaries” to attack our elections.

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Again, LaRose provides an email for citizens to report such disinformation, which sews distrust in our elections.

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Bottom line: today LaRose took an instance of continued Trump disinformation on vote by mail, combined it with an incomplete summary of a statement by @JoeBiden that in truth outlined the very concern LaRose has articulated about Trump’s disinformation on vote by mail...

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in order to make the stunning claim that Trump AND Biden are somehow both engaged in disinformation.

Now THAT is Orwellian disinformation of the highest order.

END

One other observation: LaRose said today that Biden cited “no evidence” in his quote from a week ago....the truth is he explicitly and immediately cited Trump’s repeated false claims about vote by mail.

So LaRose’s quote today is flat out false.

Cc: @lizskalka