#SeditionHunters have caught another #SeditionVIP in his lies! A big one - AZ State Rep. Mark Finchem claimed he was only “300 to 500 yards away from the Capitol. I was never really there.” Oh yes he was! Let’s review. (See thrd, h/t @cMominator for find & @MThymol for video) 1/
First, why is Finchem a big one? Here’s Ali Alexander on Jan 10: “Arizona started with one man -- State Rep. Mark Finchem… now we’re dealing with 40 or 50 [state reps]....I’m very optimistic that Stop the Steal has already taken over Arizona” (Posted by Church Militant.) 2/
On Jan. 2, Finchem tweeted his DC plans: “I will be in Washington DC on January 6 to #StopTheSteal and fight for President @ realDonaldTrump”.... “This is one of the most important days our republic has ever seen. We need all hands on deck.” 3/ azmirror.com/2021/02/10/the…
On Jan 6 Finchem was in the VIP section of the morning rally at the Ellipse, then rushed by golf cart to the Capitol, where he was due to speak, texting en route with fellow #SeditionVIPs Ali Alexander and Michael Coudrey (btw Ali funded his hotel). 4/ phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-r…
Finchem is first seen on the Capitol E. Plaza at 2:13, walking south. What is chilling about 2:13? It’s the exact time when the Capitol is first breached, and when Ali Alexander sent a Tweet: “First official day of the rebellion.” 5/
Ali tweeted 2:13, then went up the Capitol steps with Alex Jones. Ca. 2:21 PM (L) Finchem posted a photo of the mob on the steps with Jones speaking. “What happens when the People feel they have been ignored, and Congress refuses to acknowledge rampant fraud. #stopthesteal,” 6/
At 2:25, at exactly the time when the East Main Doors are first breached, Finchem is seen backtracking N up the Plaza. Coincidence? Maybe - he could be fleeing the several vans full of DC police who arrived just beforehand. Either way, bad timing for an innocent tourist. 7/
Updates #IamMarkFinchem sponsored the ongoing AZ ‘fraudit’. He is running for Sec. of State to oversee AZ elections. He has refused to comply with a public records request.
Trump just declared Harvard ineligible for all grants and the NYT botches the story. It's not that "Harvard.. relies on federal money..[for] its projects". It's the federal government that relies on Harvard for its projects. Harvard provides services for you, the taxpayer. 1/
The NYT's phrasing is as dumb as saying gosh, your plumber relies on your money for HIS plumbing projects! What happens is the federal government puts out a call for research in some area, on YOUR behalf. Individuals then submit proposals to do that work. Just like plumbers. 2/
The NYT article is astoundingly backwards. You'd think @alanblinder, an education reporter, would know better, if he'd ever lifted his head beyond admissions grievances and culture wars to consider what universities actually do. Unpaywalled link. 2/ archive.is/Mcwtc#selectio…
Reporters: yes, alt-right gadfly Ivan Raiklin says crazy stuff, but what's most interesting about him is the backstory, how he was groomed to be an influencer. Because Raiklin is of Russian origin: parents are Russian emigres, brother a Russian scholar, wife a Russian teacher. 1/
Ivan Raiklin could have been on a list since his summer in Moscow in 2002. His brother Ben would be known from his PhD ("Stalin’s Documentary Filmmaking Industry, 1926-1946"). And Ben's insecure little brother, an officer in the National Guard, would be such a tempting target. 2/
We have to stop pretending far-right influencers appear spontaneously. They have histories: normal childhoods, then they're recruited into the game. It's rarely natural. Always ask: how did this person become known, who set them onto this new path? That's the bigger story. 3/
Stephen Miller confirms what anyone who studies Jan 6 knows: Trump's government wants to control education and impose a national 'patriotic' curriculum. It was OBVIOUS this was coming: Trump promised this in 2020 in exchange for support for his coup. But pundits ignored it. 1/
This account first called it in 2022. THE DAY BEFORE THE ELECTION Trump set up a commission on patriotic education. The people who led it - from Hillsdale & Claremont - then wrote his election-fraud lawsuits, arranged fake electors. They met on Jan 5. 2/
Education was Trump's barter with the religious right: public funds for private religious schools and a national 'patriotic' curriculum. It could have been stopped: Michigan should have indicted Larry Arnn, Hillsdale president, 176 Commission leader. 3/
Our new Navy Director of Communications watched the action at the Capitol on Jan 6 for Breitbart News. Her worst post might be this one: she flippantly captioned a video of people attacking the North Doors: "Things got a lil sporty here". To her it was a joke. Video tk. 1/
Here's Wong's video of the attack on the North Doors. She can claim she was just a reporter, but her caption shows that she thinks an attack on our Capitol and officers is funny. @SECNAV: is this the message you want to send to the troops, who swear to uphold the Constitution? 2/
Actual reporters, not Breitbart hacks, should ask @SecNav John Phelan: why was Kristina Wong picked? Is this the right message to send the US Navy? That attacking our own Capitol to prevent the peaceful transfer of power is just "a lil sporty"? 3/
It's clear by now: we WILL lose US democracy without a civil society pushback. Today the universities finally rose up, bluntly denouncing "undue government intrusion". The coalition is is now top-heavy with establishment heavyweights. Summary follows. 1/ theguardian.com/us-news/2025/a…
Who signed? Let's start with the Ivies. Status-worship is gross, but it matters that they're nearly all leading now:
* Ivy: Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Cornell, Penn, Brown
NOT Columbia, Dartmouth
* Ivy-plus: MIT, Duke
NOT Stanford, Univ. of Chicago
2/
continuing... universities with big research arms:
* Other elite tech:
NOT Caltech, Rice, Georgia Tech
* Big state R1s: Rutgers, U WA, U MD, U WI Madison, U HI, UC Riverside, Stony Brook
NOT U MI, UIUC, other UCs, UT, etc.
3/
When Trump's goons threatened Harvard it was clear what would happen: first PR, then lawyers. Harvard has now filed suit, solo against 8 government agencies. Two main points: 1) government did not follow procedure, 2) government cannot dictate speech. 1/ harvard.edu/research-fundi…
As you'd expect, Harvard has also put out a smooth letter explaining their lawsuit. It starts by outlining the 5 attacks Trump has made on Harvard. Then pivots to defending research. Then thoughts on antisemitism - giving Trump an offramp he could take. 2/ harvard.edu/president/news…
More careful work: Harvard has kept the 2 ultra-Trumpy lawyers originally hired to negotiate, but added 14 more from 2 specialty law firms: Ropes & Gray, experts in life sciences & pharma research, and Lehotsky Keller Cohn, experts in federal regulations. Choose your fighter. 3/