Those spreading hate now worked previous ops too. Chad Prather & CJ LeRose, backing DeSanti's anti-immigrant stunt with a viral song, were inner-circle Stop the Stealers in 2021: here with police-assaulter Nathan Hughes, rally MC Matt Couch, Russian influencer Anna Khait. 1/
It's actually comforting that the same folks are involved, because it means it's not a mass movement. Instead it's highly manufactured, recycling the same faces. Also politically unsuccessful: Prather tried to unseat TX Governor Greg Abbott in 2022... 2/
... but Prather failed miserably, getting just 3.8% of the vote. The ultra-MAGA fascist movement is amplified by stunts and social media, powered by complicit judges and politicians - but actual popular support is not deep. It can be defeated. 3/ ballotpedia.org/Chad_Prather
When influencers switch from die-for-Trump to go-go-DeSantis, pay attention. The organization folks are backing DeSantis. Trump is playing to a shrinking base, forcing him to make increasingly radical references to please the QAnoners left behind. 4/ dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…
The keynote speakers at the recent "National Conservatism" conference are instructive. DeSantis and Hawley first. Rubio & Scott, maybe just because it's in FL. Mohler heads the main school in the Southern Baptist Convention. And billionaire Peter Thiel. 5/ nationalconservatism.org/natcon-3-2022/…
DeSantis' press sec. Christina Pushaw is also a speaker. American but ties to Russia since 2011. Parachuted into Florida in 2021 from former Soviet republic Georgia, rose to lead DeSantis' comms, now on his campaign. We have to avoid the mistakes of 2016 - with real reporting 6/
Christina Pushaw, whose only major prior employment was in Tbilisi, Georgia, used the role as DeSantis' press secretary to "pick public fights...on social media, amplify right-wing media outlets..and attack individuals." (Politico). Awkward for a taxpayer-funded position. 7/
DeSantis' stunt of flying asylum seekers to MA was not simple - it cost over $600,000, involved transit through 4 airports in 4 states. One month before, Pushaw had abruptly stepped down from her taxpayer-funded position and moved to DeSantis' campaign. 8/ politico.com/news/2022/08/1…
Be alert: MAGA influencers ignored Trump's rally, focused on DeSantis & Martha's Vineyard. Sen. Ted Cruz Tweeted about it 35 times in 2 days, Christina Pushaw even more - & celebrated getting #MarthasVineyardRacists to trend. QAnon & Trump are declining. DeSantis is rising. 9/
We nearly lost the country in 2021. In 2022 we need to be more savvy. And that doesn't mean finally calling Trump dangerous - it means understanding what brought him to power, and who is in line next. We win by fighting tomorrow's war, not yesterday's. 10/
Update: George Papadopoulos is now boosting the script. He's a Trump adviser convicted for Russia contacts (via foreign gf, married in whirlwind courtship). Pardoned 2020; partied in the VIP tent Jan 5 (video). The influence machine is with DeSantis. 11/
Adding another voice on the alarming DeSantis / Martha's Vineyard disinformation operation. Hunter Walker of Rolling Stone calls it "coordinated and organized activity" higher than anything seen in "ages". 12/
Many people are talking about the WSJ's new reporting that Kash Patel wants to live part-time in Las Vegas and run the FBI remotely. Seems like people missed some key context provided earlier by the Nevada Independent: Kash lives there with timeshare scammer Michael Muldoon. 1/
The Nevada Independent reports that Patel, who's known Muldoon since at least 2019, has been registered to vote at Muldoon's Las Vegas home since January 2022. Muldoon states in FEC filings he lives there too. But he won't answer questions about Patel. 2/ thenevadaindependent.com/article/trump-…
What's disturbing about this is the secrecy. Kash won't explain, and Muldoon hung up on reporters. The FBI Director, who is privy to the nation's secrets, isn't supposed to have secrets of his own. It's a security risk. Reporters must demand an explanation. 3/
Trump kicks Huffpost out of the press pool and the Axios reporter just.. takes over his slot. Shameful. Reporters should have all quit the pool immediately. Complying is the first step towards meekly taking dictation. You have to resist! No coverage unless it's on your terms. 1/
This is White House reporters failing Authoritarianism 101. Resist and they back down. Comply and they demand more. We all know this! And to comply for a stupid pool report no one cares about, so you can tell your readers what Trump ate for lunch. It's just a disgrace. 2/
White House reporters have been mocking Dem leadership for not having a plan, but when the time came for them, they flopped just as hard. They knew this was coming! And yet they had no plan. It's humiliating for us Americans. The French put us to shame. 3/ the-independent.com/news/world/ame…
A big milestone: former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFault finally accepts it - Trump backs Putin. The US is led by a traitor. McFaul held out hope for a long time but the evidence is now undeniable. And Russia's been fueling division in the US for over a decade... 1/
In a tally of influencers who brought the crowds to the Capitol on Jan 6, nearly 20% have a deep Russian tie - Russian residency or family, Russian-speaking spouse, hired by Russian media. It is not random. Russia has waging information war on the US, especially since 2014. 2/
Here are the names behind that chart, with color codes. Russia is all over the US far right. The names in red here don't even include those just boosted by Russia (e.g. Brandon Straka). These are direct payments or family ties - likely people on a list, then cultivated. 2/
Newsflash: Deputy DoD Press Sec. Kingsley Wilson, whose Twitter profile shows her wearing a "MAGA" T-shirt, is violating the Hatch Act, which says employees may not "wear or display partisan political buttons, T-shirts, signs, or other items". See next Tweet to report it. 1/
It's undoubted that Wilson is using this Twitter account for official DoD business, since she uses it to respond to a WaPo reporter. Hatch Act guidance on this is very clear. This OSC page tells you how to file a complaint about a Hatch Act violation. 2/ osc.gov/Services/Pages…
Strangely Deputy DoD spokeswoman Kingsley Wilson's Twitter account seems not saveable on - someone has blocked it? - but it is saved on other platforms. Plenty of other Hatch Act violations here, including her pinned Tweet, for those who want to dig. 3/ archive.org
In tonight's military purge, Tump named as Chair of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine, a retired Lt. Gen so underqualified he'd need a waiver. Oddly, Caine was installed last month at 3 VC firms doing crypto, AI, and defense tech, including Thrive, founded by Jared Kushner's brother. 1/
It does look bad if the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is taking a paycheck from relatives of the president. But since Trump also fired the Judge Advocates General from all four military branches tonight, we might have to wait for an ethics ruling. 2/ military.com/daily-news/202…
The New York Times article tonight calls Lt Gen Caine a "serial entrepreneur and investor", but doesn't mention his role in Joshua Kushner's company. It's not a secret - it's on his LinkedIn. And it's very relevant - the public deserves to understand. 3/ archive.is/8Je1R
For journalists who need a handy reference guide to our new FBI Director, Kash Patel, the Jan 6 "Big Timeline" has 35 entries on him, from his early days attacking the FBI for investigating Trump's Russia ties to his 2024 book calling the FBI "gangsters" and promising a purge. 1/
The "1950-2019" historical tab has 5 entries, starting with Kash's attempts to subpoena the FBI and DOJ for investigating Trump's Russia ties. This is pushback even before Robert Mueller was appointed as Special Counsel. Just ctrl-F search on "Patel". 2/ docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…
The "2020-Jan 6" tab has 6 entries. (More on that later). Kash was installed as part of Trump's maneuvers AFTER he lost the election. Chris Miller was made Acting SecDef and Kash his Chief of Staff. Kash delivered the order to withdraw from Afghanistan. 3/ docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…