Great article by @JaneMayerNYer that pulls together threads based on reporting from @anelsona & others on CNP, ALEC, etc. One thing national reporters still need is #Florida angle, particularly #SarasotaSeditionSquad. How to tell story of Trumpworld w/o Florida? You can't! /1
#Sarasota@HeraldTribune's @ChrisA0213 shows many local connections in his reporting. Cyber Ninjas based in Sarasota, plus Mike Flynn, not to mention Charlie Kirk, Steve Bannon & Florida GOP Chair Joe Gruters, head of RNC's "election integrity" unit /2
See several Twitter threads I've put together below for more information about the #SarasotaSeditionSquad & local connections to the Jan. 6 #CapitolAttack
Read this story today from @ChrisA0213 in the #Sarasota@HeraldTribune about former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne, who helps fund Big Lie audit done by Sarasota-based Cyber Ninjas in Maricopa County, AZ. 1/
Remember Patrick Byrne? As the @NewYorker's @sheelahk reported, the former Overstock CEO dove deep into the world of conspiracy theories after his affair with Russian spy Maria Butina. /2
Patrick Byrne was part of the group at the White House with #SarasotaSeditionSquad member Mike Flynn, Sidney Powell, etc urging Trump to have US military seize Dominion voting machines, as @axios's @jonathanvswan & @zacharybasu reported /3
Want to know some of the deeper political forces behind the disturbances at so many #Florida school board meetings about masks & COVID? Read my thread & this @JRMcKinnon story 👇 /1
In December 2020, @sarasotaschools member Bridget Ziegler & two former school board members elsewhere created "Moms for Liberty" group for "parental rights" using new FL Parents' Bill of Rights, as @JRMcKinnon explains. It spurred anti-mask protests. /2
.@sarasotaschools board member Bridget Ziegler's husband is @SRQCountyGov Commissioner & #Florida@GOP Vice Chair who was in DC for Big Lie Stop the Steal rallies on January 6. /3
The Manatee-Sarasota area has many connections to the horrific scene of insurrection in Washington DC yesterday. Want to see? Buckle up for this thread: /1
The Manatee GOP expressed support for Josh Hawley’s objections to certification of the electoral college vote. /2
Josh Hawley’s home-state newspaper says Hawley has blood on his hands for a “Capitol coup attempt.” This is who the Manatee GOP cheered on. /3