#SeditionHunters - a big one has dropped, the first major arrest of Nick Fuentes' Groypers: the neo-Nazi #SuitGuy, Joseph Brody, and his 4 friends (#SuitGuysFlock). This is a big one and some things about it are still embargoed - it will only get bigger. 1/
#SeditionHunters have maintained a mega-thread on this set since March 2021. #SuitGuysFlock walked in with Fuentes' Groyper Army (he brought over 200 followers) but then moved together all day: four young college-aged men and their older mentor. 2/
The iconic picture of #SuitGuy in Tweet 1 is by Victor Blue and was named one of Time's Top 100 photos of the year. He is as scary as the photo implies. Inside the Capitol, his flock following him, he reached the Senate floor. 3/ storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
#WhitePufferBrat, one of the Flock members, is SUNY Binghamton student Jon Lizak, president of the NY Federation of College Republicans and a public figure in his own right, famous for suing his university in 2020: he felt he was 'censored' after a 'leftist mob' hassled him. 4/
SUNY-Binghamton students scuffled before a talk by economist Art Laffer; Lizak's group and TPUSA sued the college president. Figuring out what happened is hard since articles are mostly from one side. Lizak's vandalism on Jan 6 doesn't help his case. 5/
On Jan 6 morning, Fuentes' Groypers gathered near the Washington Monument, then marched to the Capitol, chanting "we want Trump". #SuitGuy had his gaiter down. 7/
Photojournalist @sandibachom filmed the Groypers marching too, now chanting "Christ is King" and "f-k you journalist". The older guy in front with the megaphone is S. Calif. extremist Kim Sorgente (#BigBadSamaritan), arrested for assault at the tunnel. 8/
#SuitGuysFlock thought they were super-stealthy going covered up all day on Jan 6, but they went to the 'rehearsal' rallies in months before with faces uncovered, sometimes even wearing the same clothes. On Dec. 12 they marched with Proud Boys around them. 9/
Correction: Kim Sorgente, the older man with the Groypers carrying a megaphone & wearing a "Deus Vult" Jesus shirt, is tagged #BadSamaritanGrey. He & #BigBadSamaritan got their tags by falling on Rosanne Boyland at the tunnel - and walking away from her body without helping. 10/
The Jan 6 Capitol attack was fueled by a long, deliberate campaign of rallies and social media. Nick Fuentes (#IamNickFuentes) - who praised Hitler at this year's AFPAC conference - was a major player. His extremism was tolerated if he brought a crowd. 1/
Hitler-loving Nick Fuentes brought the 2nd largest group to the Capitol on Jan 6, after the Proud Boys. He showed his intent in his speech from the Peace Monument: "We should not leave this Capitol until Donald Trump is inaugurated president!" Conspiracy charges may be coming 12/
Footage in Tweet 12 is from @LCRWnews; search hashtags for much more. On Jan 6 Fuentes' Groypers spread all over the Capitol, often moving in groups with their flags. Since that day he's called the attack "f--ing awesome". But reckoning is coming. 13/
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…