Attacks From All Sides
These increasingly personal attacks have been embraced by the right and the left, Levin, the expert on extremism, said, citing Black Lives Matter protesters who targeted former Los Angeles County district attorney Jackie Lacey, who is Black, for declining to charge police officers in some shootings.
In D.C., activists affiliated with the Sunrise Movement and the Black Youth Project have increasingly protested outside the homes of D.C. Council members. Tensions flared earlier this year when Sunrise activists gathered late at night outside the home of Council member Anita Bonds to condemn her approach to housing and support for a business-friendly council candidate. The protests drew fierce criticism over the optics of young White activists demonstrating on the lawn of a Black grandmother. Bonds likened their tactics to those used by the Ku Klux Klan to terrorize African Americans.
I protested many times in my life span and I do understand it and how it is used, but my issue was coming to my house at late hours of the night and early morning, Bonds said in October.
Edward Maguire, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Arizona State University, said state and local governments can place reasonable time, place and manner restrictions on First Amendment rights such as freedom of assembly. No state allows trespassing on private property, he said, but other rules governing demonstrations around homes can vary.
Ive Never Experienced Anything Like Before For Sure And I Hope I Never Will Again After This Said Niaid Director
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Dr Anthony Fauci has said he hopes he never receives death threats of the kind sent to him during the Covid-19 pandemic, some of which he described as extraordinary.
In an interview with CNNs John Berman on Wednesday, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director said although death threats came and went, they were extraordinary and unlike anything he has had before.
The threats come and go, its just really amazing, said the NIAID director. I could say something to you that somebody doesnt like, like you shouldnt be removing mask mandates, and then all of a sudden you get a bunch of threats because people dont like what you say.
Its just extraordinary, he added. Ive never experienced anything like before, for sure. And I hope I never will again after this.
Before becoming the public face of the United Statess response to Covid-19 in spring last year, the NAID director had advised as many as six US administrations on crises including HIV/AIDS.
How Mark Zuckerberg Helped Dems Sway The 2020 Election
One of President Trumps campaign lawyers in Pennsylvania was placed under official protection following threats against her, according to court papers filed Wednesday evening.
Philadelphia lawyer Linda Kerns has been the subject of threats of harm, to the point at which the involvement of police and US Marshals has been necessary to provide for her safety, the filing says.
The stunning revelation came two days after Kerns, a solo practitioner, sought sanctions against a lawyer from the firm representing Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar for leaving her an abusive voicemail on Saturday night.
Kerns also said in court papers Monday that shed been subjected to continuous harassment in the form of abusive emails, phone calls, physical and economic threats, and even accusations of treason all for representing the President of the United States campaign in this litigation.
Later Monday, Kerns sought permission to quit the case, in which Trumps campaign is challenging his projected loss to Joe Biden in the crucial Keystone State.
The move came after Williamsport, Pa., federal Judge Matthew Brann on Friday allowed the firm of Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur to withdraw from the case after the firm came under attack by the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project.
Brann also let two Texas lawyers who were subsequently hired by Trumps campaign withdraw on Monday, just hours after they officially joined the case.
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The Squad Questions Why Death Threats Against Republican Lives Are Taken More Seriously Than Theirs
Tweets hoping that Donald Trump dies have been circulating on Twitter since last Friday, after Trump tweeted confirming he tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 2. But instead of ignoring them, as Twitter does for many comments and threats directed at people of color, the social media giant retweeted a post mentioning that tweets referencing death wishes are against its policies. “Tweets that wish or hope for death, serious bodily harm or fatal disease against *anyone* are not allowed and will need to be removed,” the post said.
The post quickly garnered criticism, with many accusing Twitter of having a double standard when it comes to threats affecting white individuals and people of color. Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaibknown as ‘The Squad’joined the conversation to express their views on the issue as well. All four women of color serving in the House have faced a number of threats due to their identity and ideology. “So… you mean to tell us you could’ve done this the whole time?” New York Rep. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted in reply to the announcement.
Seriously though, this is messed up. The death threats towards us should have been taking more seriously by https://t.co/RSc8aHLNf2 Rashida Tlaib 1601691026.0
“Seriously though, this is messed up,” Michigan Rep. Tlaib said in her own response. “The death threats towards us should have been taking more seriously by @TwitterComms.”
Trumps Bid To Subvert The Election
A monthslong campaign.During his last days in office, President Donald J. Trump and his allies undertook an increasingly urgent effort to undermine the election results. That wide-ranging campaign included perpetuating false and thoroughly debunked claims of election fraud as well as pressing government officials for help.
Baseless claims of voter fraud.Although Mr. Trumps allegations of a stolen election have died in the courts and election officials of both parties from every state have said there is no evidence of fraud, Republicans across the country continued to spread conspiracy theories. Those include 147 House Republicans who voted against certifying the election.
Intervention at the Justice Department.Rebuffed by ranking Republicans and cabinet officials like Attorney General William P. Barr, who stepped down weeks before his tenure was to end, Mr. Trump sought other avenues to peddle his unfounded claims. In a bid to advance his personal agenda, Mr. Trump plotted to oust the acting attorney general and pressed top officials to declare that the election was corrupt. His chief of staff pushed the department to investigate an array of outlandish and unfounded conspiracy theories that held that Mr. Trump had been the victor.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trump unleashed a 46-minute video full of wild accusations of fraud and tweeted: Rigged Election. Show signatures and envelopes. Expose the massive voter fraud in Georgia.
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What Happens To Moderation
The Republican Party with a few notable exceptions embraced Donald Trumps post-election rhetoric and the massive lie about election fraud. This is as a result of Trumps control throughout the party, from its general members up through party leadership and affiliated media outlets who felt obligated to support Trump no matter what he said or did.
Even though many Republicans have denounced the use of violence on Jan. 6, most officials continue to validate their voters concerns about election integrity, which are rooted in the Stop the Steal effort. Republican Party members defend their actions by claiming they are legitimate efforts to protect democracy.
As extremism rises, moderates who are willing to challenge the groups direction are the first to be intimidated or silenced. Party leaders who have now called out the Stop the Steal lie and voted for impeachment are facing repercussions.
Cnn’s Acosta Says ‘a Number Of Us’ Get Death Threats From Trump Supporters
James AcostaSchiff says holding Bannon in criminal contempt ‘a way of getting people’s attention’NIH director pleads with evangelicals to ‘look at the evidence’ on vaccinesDemocrats brace for battle on Biden’s .5 trillion spending planMORE said Sunday that he and numerous other White House correspondents have received death threats from supporters of the president while covering the Trump administration.
“I am not the only reporter who covered this White House who has had death threats,” Acosta said on CNNs “Reliable Sources” Sunday. “We can’t be at a place in this country where political reporters, White House correspondents, need bodyguards to cover political campaign events.”
“It is just a pervasive hostility and anti-democratic hostility towards the process that I just hope we never receive the likes of ever again,” he added. “It is just so damaging and destructive for our democracy.
Reliable Sources
Acosta has frequently sparred with both President Trump and White House press secretaries over the presidents attacks on the media. In 2018, the White House suspended Acostas press pass after he resisted a White House interns attempt to take the microphone from him.
CNN and Acosta sued for the restoration of his credentials, and the District Court for the District of Columbia ordered them returned for 14 days on due process grounds. The network dropped the lawsuit after the White House restored Acostas press pass.
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Tech Ceo Fired For Trump Death Threats
DONT GO LOW
Matt Harrigan, CEO of the San Diego-based cybersecurity firm PacketSled, was fired Tuesday after a series of Facebook posts by Harrigan threatening to kill President-elect Donald Trump went viral on Reddit. Im going to kill the president. Elect. and Bring it secret service. Another comment suggested he would get a sniper rifle and perch himself near the presidential residency. Find a bedroom in the whitehouse that suits you motherfucker. Ill find you. Harrigan posted the comments in response to the election results. The CEO was placed on administrative leave by PacketSled shortly after the posts became wide-spread. In a statement on PacketSled’s website, Harrigan explained that the statements were intended to be a joke… and only privately shared as such. The apology has since been removed, but a new post stating that the board of directors has accepted the resignation of President and CEO Matthew Harrigan, effective immediately was put on the site.
When A Joke Is Not A Joke
Tech entrepreneur Matt Harrigan says he was just kidding around with his buddies when he : Im going to kill the President Elect. Bring it secret service.
Harrigan, now 44, tells Quartz it was a friend of a friend grabbed a screenshot, stripped the image of necessary context , and circulated it on alt-right message boards. Thats when Trump fans began appearing at Harrigans San Diego, California home, threatening to kill him and his family.
A few days later, the Secret Service showed up.
The agents questioned Harrigan, evaluated his psychological state, and searched his home. Harrigan, who described his message to the Washington Post as a very bad joke in very poor taste, says the agents seemed aware from the start that he was not a threat. But they were still required to go through the investigative process.
The end result was that the Secret Service was required to interview me, which was very unfortunate, as Im sure they have actual important work to do, says Harrigan, who lost his job at the company he founded over the incident.
They looked around the house, and that was it, says Harrigan.
He says he hasnt heard from the feds since.
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Republican Election Officials Push Back After Conspiracies Lead To Threats
When Trump doubled down on his attacks on Georgia with a Tuesday night tweet, asking what Georgia officials were afraid of and calling on them to expose the massive voter fraud in Georgia,” the state’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger hit back, too.
This is exactly the kind of language that is at the base of a growing threat environment for election workers who are simply doing their jobs,” Raffensperger, a Republican, said on Wednesday, directly blaming the president’s claims that he won the election.
Sterling said Tuesday that Raffensperger’s wife and home have been targeted.
There is no evidence of significant voter fraud in the 2020 election, in which Joe Biden beat Trump to become president-elect, and dozens of lawsuits filed by the president and his allies have confirmed this fact. Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday there is no sign of voter fraud that would change the outcome of the election.
But election officials across the country have said they are paying a personal price for their involvement in the democratic process.
Sophia Solis, a spokesperson for Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, said the office has received threats via email, social media, and by phone, and that they are working with the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center.
These actions are utterly abhorrent, especially when directed at my family and my staff,” Hobbs, a Democrat, said in a statement last month.
Trump Ally Receives Racist Death Threats Following Jan 6 Panel Subpoena
A former Defense Department official who was subpoenaed last week by the select committee investigating the has received racist death threats in recent days, The Post has learned.
Two messages were sent to Kash Patel from the same email address following Thursdays subpoena announcement by committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson .
The first message, sent on Saturday, referred to Patel as a treasonous bh, as well as by the disparaging term sand monkey. It bore the all-caps subject line GET THE FK OUT OF OUR COUNTRY STINKING SAND MONKEY.
America is gonna chew you up and theyll slice that fking sand monkey neck of yours in prison on day ONE The fact you are a fg sand monkey is the reason why those old white racist republicans are gonna serve you up nice right off the bat, the email read, in part. You are as worthless to them as you are to America.
In the second message, sent Monday, the writer reiterated to Patel: Looking forward to watching those old white racist republicans throw you the wolves. You may think they think youre white but to them youre just a fing stinking sand n-r. They always need a couple token n-rs to use.
We may even be able to execute you bastards, cut your fing head off the way they do in YOUR country, the email concluded. YOU ARE A TRAITOR AND WILL PAY.
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