Tag: Trump fake voter fraud crisis

Airbnb to cancel all D.C. reservations during inauguration week as security in the city is tightened

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Airbnb said it will cancel and block all reservations in the Washington metro area in the coming days as efforts to secure the capital were ratcheted higher ahead of right-wing protests this weekend and the presidential swearing-in on Jan. 20.

The mass cancellation came as regional leaders announced that a number of Metro stations would be closed for a week to discourage visitors from going into downtown Washington. Airbnb also discovered and banned accounts for many people involved in hate groups and last week’s Capitol siege, the company said in its announcement Wednesday.

D.C. officials announced that the number of National Guard troops flooding the capital would be increased from as many as 15,000 to more than 20,000 as a special security zone went into effect around the White House, the Mall, the Capitol and other key parts of downtown. The security zone will be maintained through Inauguration Day. People entering the perimeter may be subject to security screening and may have to provide proof of their reason for visiting. Continue reading.

Major Radio Network Shuts Down Conspiracy Propaganda By Talk Jocks

In AM talk radio, a long list of far-right pundits have been promoting the debunked conspiracy theory that President Donald Trump was the victim of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. But following the storming of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6 by a mob of violent extremists, domestic terrorists and white nationalists, Atlanta-based Cumulus Media has ordered its employees to quit promoting voter fraud conspiracy theories.

The Washington Post’s Paul Farhi reports that in an internal memo — which was first reported by Inside Music Media — Brian Philips, executive vice president of content for Cumulus, wrote, “We need to help induce national calm NOW.” Phillips went on to say that Cumulus and Westwood One, which syndicates Cumulus programming, “will not tolerate any suggestion that the election has not ended. The election has been resolved, and there are no alternate acceptable ‘paths.'”

Phillips warned Cumulus employees, “If you transgress this policy, you can expect to separate from the company immediately.” Continue reading.

‘Love MAGA’: Clarence Thomas’ wife cheered on anti-democracy rally before rioters stormed the Capitol

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Hours before a violent mob of far-right extremists attacked the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, President Donald Trump and his supporters spoke at an event in Washington D.C. — where they demanded that Congress overturn the electoral college results for the 2020 presidential election. And one of those supporters was conspiracy theorist Ginni Thomas, wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Ginni Thomas tweeted her support of that event on January 6, saying, “LOVE MAGA people!” and “God bless each of you standing up or praying.” Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern notes that after the attack on the Capitol Building, she added an addendum and posted, “Note: written before violence in US Capitol.”

Stern, in an article published by Slate on January 8, notes, “Thomas, a conservative lobbyist and zealous supporter of Donald Trump, has fervently defended the president over the last four years. On her Facebook page, she frequently promotes baseless conspiracy theories about a ‘coup’ against Trump led by Jewish philanthropist George Soros, a frequent target of anti-Semitic hate. Thomas draws many of these theories from fringe corners of the internet, including an anti-vax Facebook group that claimed Bill Gates would use the COVID vaccine to kill people.”

A Capitol Police Officer On Duty During The Coup Attempt Has Died By Suicide

Officer Howard Liebengood was 51 years old.

A US Capitol Police officer on duty during Wednesday’s coup attempt by Trump supportersdied by suicide on Saturday, his family has announced.

Officer Howard Liebengood, 51, had been assigned to the Senate Division and joined the department in 2005.

Barry Pollack, a lawyer for Liebengood’s family, told BuzzFeed News the officer had been at the Capitol during the insurrection. Continue reading.

Minneapolis investigating two employees who may have attended rally-turned-insurrection in D.C.

The city of Minneapolis confirmed it is investigating complaints against two employees who may have traveled to Washington, D.C. last week to attend the pro-Trump rally which led to a violent siege of the U.S. Capitol.

The city said it is prohibited from disclosing the identities of the employees at this time under state law.

“The city takes complaints against its employees very seriously, especially those that might involve crimes. The City is cooperating with federal authorities and urges the public to report any information it has to local and federal authorities,” spokeswoman Sarah McKenzie wrote in an email. Continue reading.

Campaign finance system rocked as firms pause or halt contributions after election results challenged

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Several major companies on Monday said they planned to cut off political donations to the 147 members of Congress who last week voted against certifying the results of the presidential election, while other major corporations said they are suspending all contributions from their political action committees — a sign of corporate America’s growing unease with the election doubts and violent attacks encouraged by President Trump.

Companies that collectively pour millions of dollars each year into campaigns through employee-funded PACs are registering their worry and anger about last week’s chaos with a reexamination of their role in powering the nation’s fractious politics.

AT&T’s PAC decided Monday to suspend donations to the eight Republican senators and 139 Republican House members who voted against certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win, according to a company spokesman. Continue reading.

Arnold Schwarzenegger compares US Capitol mob to Nazis

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger compared the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol to the Nazis and called President Donald Trump a failed leader who “will go down in history as the worst president ever.” 

The Republican said in a video he released on social media on Sunday that “Wednesday was the Night of Broken Glass right here in the United States.” In 1938, Nazis in Germany and Austria vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses during an attack that became known as Kristallnacht or “the Night of Broken Glass.”

“The broken glass was in the windows of the United States Capitol. But the mob did not just shatter the windows of the Capitol, they shattered the ideas we took for granted,” he said. “They trampled the very principles on which our country was founded.” View the post here.

Campaign finance system rocked as firms pause or halt contributions after election results challenged

Washington Post logo

Several major companies on Monday said they planned to cut off political donations to the 147 members of Congress who last week voted against certifying the results of the presidential election, while other major corporations said they are suspending all contributions from their political action committees — a sign of corporate America’s growing unease with the election doubts and violent attacks encouraged by President Trump.

Companies that collectively pour millions of dollars each year into campaigns through employee-funded PACs are registering their worry and anger about last week’s chaos with a reexamination of their role in powering the nation’s fractious politics.

AT&T’s PAC decided Monday to suspend donations to the eight Republican senators and 139 Republican House members who voted against certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win, according to a company spokesman. Continue reading.

Analysis: A GOP reckoning after turning blind eye to Trump

WASHINGTON — At the heart of the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was a lie, one that was allowed to fester and flourish by many of the same Republicans now condemning President Donald Trump for whipping his supporters into a frenzy with his false attacks on the integrity of the 2020 election. 

The response from some of those GOP officials now? We didn’t think it would come to this. 

“People took him literally. I never thought I would see that,” said Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former chief of staff. Mulvaney resigned his post as special envoy to Northern Ireland last week after the riots. Continue reading.

The Memo: GOP and nation grapple with what comes next

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“This is the beginning of the divorce,” former GOP Rep. Carlos Curbelo told The Hill on Friday as aftershocks from insurrectionary violence two days before reverberated across the nation.

Curbelo, who represented Florida’s 26th District from 2015 to 2019, was predicting a final and permanent split between President Trump and the Republican Party.

His assessment took another step toward reality a few hours later when Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) became the first GOP senator to call for Trump’s resignation, even though there were then only 13 days left in his White House tenure. Continue reading.