Trump supporters and conspiracy theory - Part 2

[Richard Smith]

It wasn't a "Minor skirmish". It was an ongoing war that was going on under Donnie's nose for 4 years and he helped weaken Ukraine which allowed this full scale invasion.

You were wrong and you go right back to posting more propaganda.     

If there was any ongoing hostility between the Russian and Ukrainians during the Trump administration it was the aftermath of invasion that took place during the Obama/Biden administration.  And minor.  Even the most outlandish revisionist could not suggest that the full scale war and invasions under Biden has any relation to the situation under Trump.  Trump managed to maintain the peace.  The people of Ukraine are now paying for Old Joe's weakness.  Incredibly, the US is still paying for Putin's invasion over a week after it began.  While Ukrainians are dying by the hundreds, Biden is sending Putin nearly half a billion dollars every week in oil money.  He is too weak and indecisive to cut off the Russian oil.   

[Rick Plant]

The GOP aka GQP is getting scared. They know Donnie is about to be indicted for his crimes. This criminal committed treason against the United States of America.

Republicans warn Justice Department probe of Trump would trigger political war
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/596955-republicans-warn-justice-department-probe-of-trump-would-trigger-political

[Richard Smith]

The GOP aka GQP is getting scared. They know Donnie is about to be indicted for his crimes. This criminal committed treason against the United States of America.

Republicans warn Justice Department probe of Trump would trigger political war
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/596955-republicans-warn-justice-department-probe-of-trump-would-trigger-political

What is with the obsession with posting pictures of Trump's face?  You have probably done that ten thousand times or more on this forum.  It's downright creepy to have that level of obsession with someone.  You are like Robert DeNiro's character in Taxi Driver. 

[Rick Plant]

Donald Trump is the accelerant
A comprehensive timeline of Trump encouraging hate groups and political violence (Part II)



2017: With Trump in office, white supremacists organize and are emboldened to march in public; Trump also amplifies his attacks on the press

In 2017, Trump sharply criticized the press, calling it the “enemy of the American people,” fueling hostility toward journalists that many say led to violence. He also failed to condemn white supremacist and white nationalist groups that organized in Charlottesville, Virginia. The “Unite the Right” rally became a turning point for the nation, prompting many people to finally stop and question the impact of Trump’s rhetoric.

January 27, 2017: On the day the Trump administration instituted a ban against travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries, a Muslim Delta employee wearing a hijab was physically and verbally attacked at JFK International Airport in New York. The perpetrator told the victim “[Expletive] Islam. [Expletive] ISIS. Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you,” according to ABC. On the campaign trail, Trump said he was open to the idea of closing mosques and creating a database of all Muslims in the US, consistently saying that Muslims were a “problem” and a “sickness.”

February 17, 2017: In what the New York Times called a “striking escalation in his attacks,” Trump tweeted that the news media is “the enemy of the American People.”

The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017

Trump had long blamed news organizations for misrepresenting his agenda and performance, but in February he more explicitly positioned the media as a key opponent. At a press conference on February 16, Trump strategically called the media “dishonest” and labeled reporting from outlets like CNN “fake news.”

Onlookers argued that Trump’s rhetoric toward the press led to violent attacks on reporters. As Jeff Guo reported in 2017, “Anti-media rhetoric has abounded since the election,” pointing to examples of physical hostility toward journalists at the time:

In West Virginia last month, Dan Heyman of Public News Service was handcuffed and arrested at the state capitol building for posing questions to Tom Price, the secretary of Health and Human Services. And in Washington last week, a reporter from CQ Roll Call was pushed against a wall by security guards for asking an FCC commissioner questions in the lobby of a public building.

July 28, 2017: During a speech to law enforcement officials in Long Island, New York, Trump encouraged police to be more violent when handling suspects and potential offenders:

"Now, we’re getting them [criminals] out anyway, but we’d like to get them out a lot faster, and when you see these towns and when you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, you just see them thrown in, rough, I said, please don’t be too nice. Like when you guys put somebody in the car and you’re protecting their head, you know, the way you put their hand over, like, don’t hit their head and they’ve just killed somebody. Don’t hit their head. I said, you can take the hand away, okay?"

In the 35-minute speech, Trump discussed his plan to fight MS-13 gang violence, calling the gang’s members “animals” who had “transformed peaceful parks and beautiful quiet neighborhoods into blood-stained killing fields.”

August 12, 2017: One of the clearest moments in which Trump refused to denounce violence, and thereby encouraged it, was when he equated the white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, as part of a “Unite the Right” rally with the leftist protesters who demonstrated against them. During the rally, a Nazi sympathizer drove a car into a crowd of anti-racism counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. The evening before, on August 11, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups marched at the University of Virginia, carrying lit tiki torches and chanting anti-Semitic slogans, in response to the impending removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

As Tara Golshan reported for Vox, Trump’s very first response to the events in Charlottesville was to condemn violence on the part of many players, while initially refusing to even mention the presence of white supremacist groups. In a short statement issued that day, Trump said from his golf club in New Jersey, “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides. It has been going on for a long time in our country — not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. It has been going on for a long, long time. It has no place in America.”

That same night, he tweeted condolences to Heyer’s family but made no mention of who was responsible for the violence. Trump called for there to be “a study” to understand what happened in Charlottesville.

Condolences to the family of the young woman killed today, and best regards to all of those injured, in Charlottesville, Virginia. So sad!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2017

On the Tuesday following the weekend rally, Trump infamously said, “You had some very bad people in that group. You also had some very fine people on both sides.”

The president also attempted to identify the “good people” in the sea of white nationalists that weekend: “You had people and I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists. They should be condemned totally. ... You had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists. Not all of those people were neo-Nazis, believe me. Not all of those people were white supremacists by any stretch.”

September 22, 2017: At a rally in Alabama, Trump took aim at football players like Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and systemic racism. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bi**h off the field right now. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired!’” he said.

In the following days, Trump underscored his disdain for the anthem protests.

Sports fans should never condone players that do not stand proud for their National Anthem or their Country. NFL should change policy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our Flag!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017

Trump turned the NFL player’s silent protest about police violence into a debate about nationalism. This became emblematic of a larger push: Trump continues to spin issues of racial injustice as an affront to American life, riling up his base (many supporters set fire to NFL team merchandise).

2018: Trump still fails to condemn white supremacists as hate crimes are on the rise

Multiple studies released between 2017 and 2019 showed how hate crimes reached a high during the first two years of Trump’s presidency. A report from the FBI found that hate crimes, especially against Muslims, increased by 5 percent in 2016 and were up 17 percent in 2017; in 2018, hate crimes reached a 16-year high, with a significant rise in violence against Latinos.

According to a 2019 report, counties that hosted a rally with Trump as a headliner experienced a 226 percent increase in hate crimes. The report’s authors noted: “Trump’s rhetoric may encourage hate crimes.” At the middle point of his term, when confronted with opportunities to condemn white supremacy and attempt to unify the country, Trump declined to do so.

June 24, 2018: Amid his administration’s family separation crisis, Trump fanned the flames of anti-immigration sentiment. He tweeted rhetoric that justified his administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which featured ICE raids and migrant detention facilities. Between October 1, 2017, and May 31, 2018, at least 2,700 children were split from their families at the border. “We cannot allow all of these people to invade our Country. When somebody comes in, we must immediately, with no Judges or Court Cases, bring them back from where they came. Our system is a mockery to good immigration policy and Law and Order. Most children come without parents ...” he wrote.

August 11, 2018: A year after the inaugural “Unite the Right” rally, organizers planned a second “Unite the Right” event, yet Trump still failed to condemn the hate groups by name. Ahead of the rally, he tweeted a rather vague statement against hate and did not acknowledge and condemn the people perpetrating the violence.

The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 11, 2018

October 18, 2018: At a rally in Montana, Trump celebrated Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte, who body-slammed a reporter in May 2017, telling the crowd, “Any guy who can do a body-slam ... he’s my guy.”

Gianforte assaulted journalist Ben Jacobs after Jacobs asked him a question about the GOP health care bill, on the day before Gianforte won election. He ultimately apologized (after his spokesperson first denied the assault) and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault. Gianforte was sentenced with 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management, and a $300 fine along with an $85 court fee, in addition to a deferred 180-day jail sentence.

As Jeff Guo reported for Vox in 2017, the assault revealed how the Republican Party, at Trump’s behest, has grown comfortable with verbal and physical violence against the press.

October 22-November 1, 2018: Cesar Sayoc, a Florida Trump supporter, mailed 16 inoperative pipe bombs to Democratic leaders, including Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton, who had been critical of Trump’s presidency. Sayoc had been living in a van that was covered in photos of Trump and “decals attacking the media,” according to NBC News. Sayoc’s lawyers argued that Trump’s rhetoric fueled his actions and that Sayoc viewed Trump as a “surrogate father.” On August 4, 2019, Sayoc was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Trump first condemned Sayoc’s actions, but then walked back his condemnation. “In these times we have to unify,” Trump said. “We have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America.”

As Vox’s Alex Ward reported, Trump had opportunities to unite the country after Sayoc was detained, but instead blamed the media and Democrats for the anger that his supporters were acting out.

A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News. It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 25, 2018

October 27, 2018: An anti-Semitic terrorist murdered 11 worshippers and injured seven others at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Though the shooter criticized Trump for being a “globalist” who was controlled by Jews, many critics linked Trump’s rhetoric to the mass shooting. Jewish leaders in Pittsburgh wrote an open letter to Trump demanding that he “fully denounce white nationalism” before visiting a city in mourning. “For the past three years your words and your policies have emboldened a growing white nationalist movement,” the letter said. “You yourself called the murderer evil, but yesterday’s violence is the direct culmination of your influence.”

Trump first lamented the shooting but then suggested that the victims should have protected themselves by having an armed guard inside the synagogue, and distanced himself from the National Rifle Association when asked about his ties to the organization.

https://www.vox.com/21506029/trump-violence-tweets-racist-hate-speech

[Rick Plant]

The Ukraine invasion is a direct result of 4 years of weakness from Criminal Donald appeasing his puppet master Putin. Also, Donnie's extortion of Ukraine by holding up their military aid until they helped him try to steal the 2020 election is another reason why we are in this mess today. Here's a good article from 2020 that details Donnie's treason and the weakening of Ukraine.

Trump is being impeached over an extortion scheme, not a 'policy dispute'
Trump was shaking down Zelensky while trying to keep the rest of the government in the dark. That’s not a 'policy,' that’s a conspiracy.

January 30, 2020

Donald Trump’s lawyers in his Senate trial, along with the usual enablers among elected Republicans, are hiding behind the argument that the president cannot be impeached for policy disagreements. Even Utah's Sen. Mike Lee, who prides himself on his fidelity to the Constitution, is pitching softballs at Trump’s legal counsel about the president’s right to set policy.

If Trump were in the Senate dock for a policy dispute, Lee and others would be right — and I would be the first among the president’s critics to argue that he must be acquitted. But this is not a policy dispute, and if the president’s defenders win the day on this argument, then there will be no limit on what any president, ever, can do with the power of the office.

The “policy dispute” defense rests on the obvious truth that under Article II of the Constitution, the president of the United States has the right to set foreign policy. Subject to the restrictions of federal law, the Constitution and the power of the purse that is reserved for Congress in Article I, the president can choose to bring us closer to some countries, give the cold shoulder to others, and negotiate treaties and other international agreements as he or she chooses.

A secret plot run by shady figures

None of that is at issue in this impeachment. What Trump did was to state one policy in public — that is, the policy his subordinates and the executive departments of the United States were expected to follow — and then to run a second policy, a plot concocted in secret and executed by an unaccountable circle of conspirators.

This scheme (it is too misleading even to call it a “policy”) was a rogue operation against Ukraine’s new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, conducted by Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and a squad of shady characters, none of whom were answerable to anyone but Trump himself. (One wonders how Sen. Lee’s constitutionalism squares with foreign operations being conducted by the likes of Giuliani and Lev Parnas, out of sight of pesky members of Congress and their annoying questions.)

Official U.S. policy was to help Ukraine resist Russia as a sign of our commitment to international order, the rule of law and the indivisible security of the Atlantic community and the world itself.

Trump’s personal goal, however, was to hold Ukraine hostage and risk the lives of its people and soldiers until Zelensky would agree to stand in front of a television camera and lie for the benefit of one Donald J. Trump.

Trump and his apologists are playing a double game here, arguing that the president has the right to set policy, and then picking and choosing which policy civil servants and appointees were supposed to follow. This allows them to recast the objections of people like Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor, National Security Council officials Fiona Hill and Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, as well as former national security adviser John Bolton, as insubordination or disloyalty.

In reality, there was no way that anyone in the government could have served both the official U.S. policy and Trump's hidden objectives at the same time, and we should be grateful that so many of them chose the Constitution over Trump.

In effect, the president’s defenders are arguing that whatever a president does — legal or illegal, constitutional or unconstitutional — is “policy” and therefore obligates every member of the government to follow it without question.

This is madness. If the outcome of this Senate trial is to accept that every act committed by a president is “policy,” we might as well delete impeachment from the Constitution and remove every last vestige of congressional oversight and control. We will instead have to accept that for his or her entire term of office, a president of the United States may engage in any misconduct he or she chooses so long as it is called a “policy.”

An extortion scheme is not 'policy'

Sen. Lee and others should be ashamed of themselves even to feint at this argument. Our government functions because we trust every president to put the interest of the country above personal interest. We may not always agree on “the national interest,” but we know, or at least should know, the difference between careful stewardship over a policy of assistance to a friend at war with a common enemy, and an odious, scummy extortion plot hatched purely for the personal gain of one man.

When pressed, Trump’s people argue that President Barack Obama also refused to aid Ukraine, an argument so mendacious that it is almost beneath response. Obama and other presidents have negotiated with Congress over whether aid should be given to many countries, and Congress has regularly set conditions for the granting of such assistance. Obama had concerns about escalating the conflict in Ukraine, a policy with which I disagreed, but which he stated clearly as a foreign policy matter.

That’s not what happened here. Trump’s own executive departments certified that all conditions had been met. In theory, Congress and the White House were on the same page about helping Ukraine fight back against Russia. Trump and his minions worked to hold back the aid anyway, shaking down Zelensky while trying to keep the rest of the government in the dark. That’s not a “policy,” that’s a conspiracy.

President Trump has the right to set policy. He does not have the right to shake down our friends. He does not have the right literally to break the law and withhold aid duly authorized by the people of the United States, purely for his personal benefit.

Trump has demanded that he be acquitted, and the GOP’s terrified senators will obey his command. But let them at least stop the nonsense about how extortion is a “policy.” They’ve done enough damage without inflicting yet one more injury on the Constitution.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/01/30/trump-impeachment-blackmail-extortion-conspiracy-column/4612952002/

[Rick Plant]

Trump is ‘Putin’s No. 1 American apologist’ — and Republicans cheer him anyway: analysis



Donald Trump's years-long support for Vladimir Putin is not yet causing a major split in the Republican Party, even as the issue as grown to the point of a war in Europe causing a major refugee cisis.

"For years, I’ve been hoping that some outrage would finally turn the Republican Party against Donald Trump, and for years, I’ve been bitterly disappointed," Max Boot wrote for The Washington Post. "Will the Republican Party finally come to its senses now that one of Trump’s favorite dictators is waging a cruel war of aggression against Ukraine? Hope springs eternal."

He noted recent comments by Mike Pence bashing "apologists for Putin" and a new ad by the Republican Accountability Project running on Fox News.

Watch:

"Even rank-and-file Republicans, who might be expected to listen to the siren song of Putin apologists such as Tucker Carlson, have turned hawkish on Russia. In one recent poll, only 4 percent of Republicans say Putin’s claims on Ukraine are justified, and only 6 percent have a positive view of Putin," he wrote. "So Republicans should be turning against Putin’s No. 1 American apologist, right? They should, but they likely won’t."

Trump has long since lashed out at anyone who has criticized his love for Putin, which was ridiculed again on "SaPersonay Night Live" once again over the weekend.

"Some people HATE the fact that I got along well with President Putin of Russia. They would rather go to war than see this. It’s called Trump Derangement Syndrome!," Trump tweeted in July of 2018.

"When you hear the Fake News talking negatively about my meeting with President Putin, and all that I gave up, remember, I gave up NOTHING, we merely talked about future benefits for both countries. Also, we got along very well, which is a good thing, except for the Corrupt Media!" Trump complained again, less than a week later.

Less than 18 months later, Trump would be impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of justice for attempting to make aid to Ukraine dependent on political support going into the 2020 election.

"This is how a cult of personality works: Voters support a demagogue regardless of his policies, which can often shift," he wrote. "In fact, the Orange Emperor has been kowtowing to Putin for years — who can forget his simpering performance in Helsinki in 2018? — without impairing his GOP support. It’s not as though there was any secret before about how awful Putin was: Even before the latest invasion of Ukraine, the Russian dictator had already attacked that country in 2014, potentially committed war crimes in Syria, interfered in the United States’ 2016 election and jailed dissident Alexei Navalny, among other offenses. There has long been a vocal pro-Putin minority in MAGA land, but most Republicans were never big fans of Russia to begin with. They simply hate Democrats more."

He noted "I’d rather be a Russian than a Democrat" T-shirts.



"In short, for most Republicans, partisanship trumps — pardon the word — any principle, even devotion to our democracy. Because most Republicans hate Democrats more than they hate Russia, Trump likely doesn’t have to worry that his Putinphilia will cost him a significant amount of support with his base no matter how many civilians Putin slaughters," Boot warned.

On "The View" on Tuesday, former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham discussed the former president's affection for Putin.

"He really admired Putin, and I saw that firsthand," Grisham said.

The Recount: On The View today, former Trump WH Press Sec. Stephanie Grisham says Trump would have had "a completely hands-off approach" on Ukraine and would have told Putin to "go on in there."

"He really admired Putin, and I saw that firsthand," Grisham says.

Watch:
https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1501232582071136256

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/08/will-trump-praise-for-putin-cost-him-republican-support/

[Rick Plant]

Donald Trump is the accelerant
A comprehensive timeline of Trump encouraging hate groups and political violence (Part III)



2019: Mass shootings and hate crimes linked to Trump’s rhetoric continued, while he lashed out at a group of newly elected congresswomen

Instead of denouncing the white supremacy and hate fueling many mass shootings, Trump pointed to mental illness as a key factor behind domestic terrorism. As Trump returned the campaign trail in an attempt to gain a second term, he targeted a new group at his campaign events — a group of young congresswomen of color, known as “the Squad.”

May 8, 2019: At a Florida rally, Trump turned the idea of shooting migrants and asylum seekers into a punchline. In his remarks, he asked, “How do you stop these people?” A woman at the rally reportedly yelled “shoot them” in response. Trump then joked, “That’s only in the Panhandle, you can get away with that statement.”

Trump’s statement came a day after reports that a border militia member said of migrants, “Why are we just apprehending them and not lining them up and shooting them. ... We have to go back to Hitler days and put them all in a gas chamber.”

July 14, 2019: Trump attacked the group of congresswomen known as “the Squad,” saying on Twitter that they should “go back” to the “crime infested places from which they came.” Trump didn’t initially name the lawmakers he was attacking, but it was clear he was directing his ire at first-term members Reps. Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The women, who advocate for progressive policies, became the target of backlash and scrutiny.

....and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2019

Three days later at a Trump 2020 campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina, the crowd repeatedly chanted “Send her back! Send her back!” directed at Rep. Omar, whom Trump began to single out from the Squad, which he described that night as a group of “hate-filled extremists.”

Trump’s rhetoric toward Omar and the rest of the Squad led to death threats and increased security for the women. In April, just hours after a man was charged for threatening to assault and murder Omar, Trump again told harmful lies about her at an event. The man told officials that “he loves the president” and “hates radical Muslims in our government.” In June, Tlaib read out a death threat she received that said, “The only good Muslim is a dead one.”

August 3, 2019: In one of the larger calamities of Trump’s presidency, a 21-year-old white man opened fire at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 23 people and injuring 22 others. As Alexia Fernández Campbell reported for Vox, the shooter drove more than 10 hours to the store to target Mexicans. Officials believe that the gunman was the author of a racist, xenophobic online manifesto that warned of a “Hispanic invasion” of Texas and echoed the president’s language, according to the New York Times. Trump responded to the shooting in a brief speech but “said nothing about widespread criticism of his own anti-immigrant rhetoric, which some say inspired the El Paso attacks,” Fernández Campbell reported.

August 5, 2019: A 39-year-old Montana man was charged with felony assault for choking, slamming, and fracturing the skull of a 13-year-old boy who didn’t take his hat off for the national anthem. The man’s attorney told the local newspaper that Trump’s “rhetoric” led to the violent act. “His commander in chief is telling people that if they kneel, they should be fired, or if they burn a flag, they should be punished,” the lawyer said, referencing Trump’s harsh words against athletes like Colin Kaepernick who protested for social justice.

October 1, 2019: A New York Times report stated that Trump, as part of his border security plan in early 2019, reportedly wanted to shoot migrants in the legs and keep them away from the southern border with a trench filled with water, alligators, and snakes. Trump also reportedly asked for a cost estimate for an electrified wall with spikes that could “pierce human flesh.”

November 1, 2019: A 61-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested and charged with a felony hate crime after allegedly throwing acid at a Peruvian American who was walking to a Mexican restaurant. The perpetrator accused the victim of being in the country illegally, asking him, “Why you invade my country?” and “Why don’t you respect my laws?” before attacking him. When police searched the perpetrator’s home, they found three letters addressed to Donald Trump. The victim suffered second-degree burns.

2020: Trump is explicit about the kinds of violence he is willing to use against Black Lives Matter protesters

As Black Lives Matter protests swept the country this summer following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a key thread running through Trump’s response was to call for and send in law enforcement officials — the National Guard, Secret Service police, local police, US Park Police, and state troopers — who dressed in riot gear and used a variety of weapons, from tear gas to rubber bullets. While he said violence was out of hand in cities, the protests were mostly peaceful, outside of escalation by police.

In fact, after Homeland Security agents were deployed in Portland in the summer, violent demonstrations increased from under 17 percent to over 42 percent, according to a report. Amid the unrest, Trump also repeatedly failed to identify and call out white supremacist agitators and counterprotesters who traveled to cities and towns and incited violence.

And throughout the country, Asian Americans faced violence due to fears about the coronavirus. Trump has repeatedly used a racist name for the virus, calling it the “Chinese flu” or the “Chinese virus.” It’s one of many ways he has downplayed Covid-19 and cast blame elsewhere for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans, many of whom are people of color.

March 14, 2020: 19-year-old Jose L. Gomez stabbed three members of an Asian American family, including a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old, at a Sam’s Club in Texas. According to the FBI’s report obtained by ABC News, Gomez said he attacked them because “he thought the family was Chinese and infecting people with the coronavirus.” Gomez was charged with three counts of attempted capital murder and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

In a report released in late March, the FBI warned that hate crimes against Asian Americans would surge (and were already surging) due to rhetoric that associated the disease with China and Asian American populations. Trump began calling the coronavirus the “Chinese virus” early in the pandemic and defended his use of the phrase against frequent criticism, saying, “It did come from China. It is a very accurate term.”

Catherine Kim reported for Vox that the phrase fits into Trump’s “pattern of xenophobia” and “pattern of deflecting blame.” After a week of anti-Asian rhetoric, Trump tweeted, “It is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community” (but othered Asian Americans — “they” and “us” — in his next tweet).

....is NOT their fault in any way, shape, or form. They are working closely with us to get rid of it. WE WILL PREVAIL TOGETHER!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020

On October 8, a few days after being released from Walter Reed Medical Center, where he was treated for the virus, Trump released a video in which he again blamed China. “China’s going to pay a big price for what they’ve done to this country,” Trump said.

May 29, 2020: Following the first weekend of social justice protests after George Floyd’s killing, Trump threatened to shoot looters in Minneapolis. His tweet thread showed the tone that would dominate his reaction to the unrest in the following months: He called protesters “thugs” and said, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Twitter flagged Trump’s tweet for “glorifying violence.”

....These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020

As Katelyn Burns reported for Vox, a day later, “Trump tried to walk back the phrase on Twitter by claiming he meant that when looting starts, people end up getting shot.”

Looting leads to shooting, and that’s why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night - or look at what just happened in Louisville with 7 people shot. I don’t want this to happen, and that’s what the expression put out last night means....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020

June 1, 2020: Police officers in Washington, DC, attacked hundreds of peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square with tear gas to make way for Trump, who traveled from the White House to St. John’s Church for a photo op. Before visiting the church, Trump said in a speech, “If a city or state refuses to take the actions necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.” The remarks fit into Trump’s repeated call for “law and order.”

Allie Malloy @AllieMalCNN "This is what happened on the other side of the White House only 5 minutes before President Trump began remarks in the Rose Garden.

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1267588286840803328

August 29, 2020: At an emergency operations briefing in Texas, Trump expressed interest in sending the National Guard to Portland to meet protesters with force.

“We sent in 1,000 National Guard, and that’s not even a big force. We could clean out — as an example, Portland: We could fix Portland in, I would say, 45 minutes.”

The big backlash going on in Portland cannot be unexpected after 95 days of watching and incompetent Mayor admit that he has no idea what he is doing. The people of Portland won’t put up with no safety any longer.The Mayor is a FOOL. Bring in the National Guard! https://t.co/bM6ypak94t

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2020

August 31, 2020: After Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot seven times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, protests broke out across the country. The next day, a group of armed men including 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse from Illinois showed up in Kenosha, saying they were there to protect property. Rittenhouse, a law enforcement enthusiast and a Trump supporter, shot and killed two people and injured another; he was later charged with murder.

Trump later appeared to justify Rittenhouse’s actions by saying he was acting in self-defense. At a press briefing, Trump told reporters, “I guess it looks like he fell and then they very violently attacked him and it was something we’re looking at right now and it’s under investigation. I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would have been killed. But it’s under investigation.”

September 1, 2020: Before traveling to Kenosha, Trump said he was going to the city to show support for law enforcement. He did not visit Blake’s family or mention Blake by name. Instead, he said the officer who shot him must have “choked.”

Trump also said that law enforcement was ready to stop protests “very powerfully.” “As soon as they came in, boom, the flame was gone. Now maybe it will start up again, in which case they will put it out very powerfully,” he said.

Blake’s family and Wisconsin leaders feared that Trump’s visit would lead to more violence and destruction.

September 17, 2020: In August 2020, an antifa supporter was accused of shooting and killing a pro-Trump activist during Portland, Oregon protests. The suspect, Michael Reinoehl, was killed by law enforcement officers in early September. In an interview with Jeanine Pirro on the 17th, Trump praised law enforcement for killing Reinoehl. Vox’s Aaron Rupar wrote, “It’s bad enough that the president is more or less endorsing extrajudicial killings before all the relevant facts are known, and despite an eyewitness saying it was unjustified. But it’s even worse viewed in light of how Trump is politicizing street violence.”

September 29, 2020: At the first presidential debate for the general election, when given the opportunity to denounce white supremacy, Trump spoke directly to a hate group, the Proud Boys, instructing them to “stand back” and “stand by.” In response, the Proud Boys instantly expressed gratitude and joy at being recognized by the president.

Days later, after receiving bipartisan criticism, Trump told Fox News that he condemns far-right hate groups. “Let me be clear again: I condemn the KKK. I condemn all white supremacists,” he said. “I condemn the Proud Boys. I don’t know much about the Proud Boys, almost nothing, but I condemn that.”

However, as EJ Dickson argued in Rolling Stone, there are reasons to believe that Trump knows who the Proud Boys are, from his connection to Roger Stone — who has close ties to the Proud Boys — to the fact that Proud Boys regularly attend Trump rallies, with a Proud Boy co-chair sitting directly behind Trump at a Miami rally in 2019.

October 8, 2020: Six men face conspiracy charges in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. As Vox’s Andrew Prokop reported, “the conspirators were in contact with a militia group based in Michigan — training in tactics and weapons with the group, and attempting to build an explosive device with a militia group member.” The men were reportedly angry about Whitmer’s coronavirus shutdown policies.

In August, Trump had tweeted “LIBERATE MICHIGAN” after the state instituted a stay-at-home order to combat the pandemic. In response to the FBI’s investigation of the kidnapping plot, Trump demanded that Whitmer thank him. And he chastised Whitmer for the very thing that the conspirators targeted her for — taking action against the spread of a deadly virus that Trump has waved off as a threat.

Governor Whitmer of Michigan has done a terrible job. She locked down her state for everyone, except her husband’s boating activities. The Federal Government provided tremendous help to the Great People of Michigan. My Justice Department and Federal Law Enforcement announced...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2020

...I do not tolerate ANY extreme violence. Defending ALL Americans, even those who oppose and attack me, is what I will always do as your President! Governor Whitmer—open up your state, open up your schools, and open up your churches!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2020

In a livestream address, Whitmer said that Trump gives “comfort” to those who “spread fear and hatred and division.” She pointed to Trump’s comments at the presidential debate and called him “complicit”:

Just last week, the president of the United States stood before the American people and refused to condemn white supremacists and hate groups like these two Michigan militia groups. ... Hate groups heard the president’s words not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry, as a call to action. When our leaders speak, their words matter. They carry weight. When our leaders meet with, encourage, or fraternize with domestic terrorists, they legitimize their actions and they are complicit. When they stoke and contribute to hate speech, they are complicit.

2021: After losing the presidential election to Joe Biden, Trump continued a dangerous effort to overturn Biden’s victory

January 6, 2021: On the day that Congress moved to certify the 2020 presidential election results confirming Biden as the winner, Trump encouraged thousands of his supporters to dispute vote counts. At an outdoor rally in Washington, DC, Trump turned on Republicans who refused to support his efforts to overturn the election results, calling them weak, and urged Vice President Mike Pence to reject the Electoral College results.

Trump told listeners, “You will never take back our country with weakness.” (Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani also delivered a speech in which he encouraged “trial by combat.”) He encouraged them to head to the Capitol to support objections to certification of the vote.

Hours of violence followed the speech when supporters stormed the US Capitol, as well as state capitols across the country. Capitol Police fatally shot Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter, as she and others tried to breach the halls of the Senate. Four others died, including a police officer. Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser imposed a city-wide curfew beginning at 6 pm, and few people were arrested, though many rioters violated the restriction.

That evening, Trump again equivocated in messages to supporters, making little attempt to try to stop the violence. He later denounced the violence, but refused to clearly state he lost the election. According to the New York Times, he soon expressed regret to White House aides about committing to a peaceful transfer of power and condemning the Capitol attack.

https://www.vox.com/21506029/trump-violence-tweets-racist-hate-speech

[Rick Plant]

Indictment sheds new light on Putin's efforts to target Trump at the 2016 World Chess Championship



On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it is "charging Elana Branson, a dual Russian and U.S. citizen, with acting and conspiring to act in the United States illegally as an agent of the Russian government, willfully failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”), as well as conspiring to commit visa fraud and making false statements to the FBI."

The indictment illuminates previous government reports on Donald Trump and the 2016 U.S. Chess Championship.

"Former FIDE [International Chess Federation] President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov invited the Trump Organization to host the 2016 World Chess Championship at Trump Tower. This was revealed by Donald Trump himself in the Mueller report, where chess is playing a minor role and FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich is also mentioned," Chess.com reported in 2019. "The match was eventually held in Manhattan’s South Street Seaport. It is known that at least one Russian government official attended: Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov. Apparently, investigator Robert Mueller suspected that the match might have served as a vehicle for contacts between members of the Trump team and Russian government officials."

More information about the 2016 championship between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin was revealed in Branson's indictment, which says she "also attempted to arrange meetings for Russian officials at the 2016 World Chess Championship."

"On or about November 10, 2016, Branson emailed an advisor to the now-former President of the United States (“Advisor-1”), expressing congratulations for their victory in the presidential election and attaching an invitation to the World Chess Championship addressed to the then-President-elect," the criminal complaint alleges. "On or about November 11, 2016, Branson was photographed at the World Chess Championship with CC-6 and a second individual who I recognize, based on my review of publicly available photographs, to be the current Press Secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin."

The Mueller report noted Kirill Dmitriev, the "closely connect to Putin" CEO of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, "Dmitriev undertook efforts to meet members of the incoming Trump Administration in the months after the election. Dmitriev asked a close business associate who worked for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) royal court, George Nader, to introduce him to Trump transition officials, and Nader eventually arranged a meeting in the Seychelles between Dmitriev and Erik Prince, a Trump Campaign supporter and an associate of Steve Bannon."

"Dmitriev invited Nader to the opening of the tournament and noted that, if there was 'a chance to see anyone key from Trump camp,' he 'would love to start building for the future.' Dmitriev also asked Nader to invite Kushner to the event so that he (Dmitriev) could meet him," the report noted, but said the invitation was not passed on.

Trump denied attending the chess championship.



https://www.rawstory.com/trump-putin-chess-championship/