Establishment media and Democrats are still falsely conflating the unlawful Capitol Hill riot with the peaceful Trump rally that preceded on Jan. 6.
Establishment media and Democrats are still falsely conflating the unlawful Capitol Hill riot with the peaceful Trump rally that preceded on Jan. 6.
Bloomberg News on Friday claimed that the Trump campaign had paid the organizers of what they called the "pre-riot rally" over $2.7 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The news outlet alleged that this law-abiding demonstration "led to violent rioters storming the U.S. Capitol."
The payments, which reportedly span Trump's re-election campaign, "show an ongoing financial relationship between the rally's organizers and Trump's political operation," the Jan. 22 article argues.
The contributions were all made through Nov. 23—the most recent date covered by Federal Election Commission filings—before the rally was announced.
Eight of the paid Trump campaign officials were named on the permit issued by the National Park Service for the rally, including the niece of Trump's former chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.
Megan Powers, listed as one of two operations managers on the permit, was paid $290,000 by the Trump campaign from February 2019 through the most recent filing period. She served as director of operations for Trump's campaign.
GOP fundraiser Caroline Wren was also identified on the permit as an advisor to the backstage manager Ronald Holden. Both were paid by the Trump campaign.
According to the report, the top recipient of campaign funds was Event Strategies Inc. The firm was paid more than $1.7 million by Trump's campaign and joint fundraising committee. The company's owners, Justin Caporale and Tim Unes, served as rally production manager and stage manager, respectively.
Women for America First, the organization that requested the permit on Nov. 24, held financial ties to America First Policies, the pro-Trump advocacy nonprofit formed to advance the president's policy agenda during his time in office.
"Now do the BLM money and protests that led to burning and looting in multiple cities on many businesses," former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell commented. "Be consistent in your assumptions and outrage."
Now do the BLM money and protests that led to burning and looting in multiple cities on many businesses.
Be consistent in your assumptions and outrage. https://t.co/LNbPj7Jmlw
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell)
Bloomberg News attempted to attribute the violent aftermath of the Washington seize to outgoing President Donald Trump's last-ditch effort to stop the purported steal of the 2020 presidential election.
Trump's censored video statement even called for peace in the nation's capital after pro-Trump protesters stormed the Capitol building that fateful day and clashed with federal forces.
Still, the publication aligned the subsequent events and suggested that Trump's remarks at the 11th-hour "Make America Great Again" rally incited violence on Capitol Hill.
Bloomberg News spun the well-funded, orchestrated operation into this premeditated "pre-riot" rallying cry to overturn the Electoral College votes through barbaric means.
As Grenell pointed out, Antifa's plans for "direct action" tend to foreshadow ensuing riots. The gatherings are assembled on social media hours, days, and weeks in advance—yet the mainstream media refuses to cover the correlation and ignores the far-left movement's widespread destruction.
These are antifa's plans for "direct action" (i.e. rioting) in Portland today. #J20 #antifa #PortlandRiots #AntifaRiots pic.twitter.com/GE6BJTMo9r
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo)
Vice President Kamala Harris, once California's chief prosecutor, cheered rioters on, but she was not accused of championing violence nor was she lambasted by the press for her repeated statements.
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
"Everyone, beware. [Protesters] are not going to stop before Election Day in November and they're not going to stop after Election Day," Harris told "The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert back in June on his long-running late-night talk show, adding that "they should not" and "we should not."
FLASHBACK: As violent rioting continues across Democrat controlled cities, Kamala Harris' comments from June are striking: Protesters "should not" let up.
Does Harris believe the rioting and rampant vandalism in Kenosha should let up? pic.twitter.com/hqkLmC5nRu
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest)
That same month, Harris urged the public to fund the bail of suspects arrested during the George Floyd riots. "If you're able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota," Harris had tweeted at the beginning of June, promoting the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF), which has bailed out defendants from Twin Cities jails charged with murder, violent felonies, and sex crimes.
If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota. https://t.co/t8LXowKIbw
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris)
Drunk on their newfound power, Democrats in the Senate aimed their partisan volleys at right-wing colleagues, firing ethics complaints against Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz and insisting that they both "coordinated" with those who organized the Trump rally on Jan. 6.
The filings implored the Senate Ethics Committee to "offer recommendations for strong disciplinary action, including up to expulsion or censure, if warranted by the facts uncovered."
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told CNN's Chris Cuomo on Thursday that she does not "feel safe" in the presence of Republican legislators.
In the interview, Cuomo asked the firebrand congresswoman why she did not attendant President Joe Biden's inauguration, noting that the career Democrat sought to turn the ceremony into an ostentatious display of "unity."
The "Squad" member responded, pointing to "very real security concerns" about the intentions of GOP lawmakers. "We still don't yet feel safe around other members of Congress," she answered, citing an abstract "considerable amount."
WATCH: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) explains the reason she did not attend President Biden’s inauguration. AOC says she did not feel safe around Republicans. pic.twitter.com/Ihr7aDSl8l
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial)
Ocasio-Cortez has since proposed that there should be limits on the free press and pushed for Trump supporters to undergo education in "deradicalization."
Many others on the political left seized the opportunity to call for the "deprogramming" of Trump supporters and the eradication of Trumpism.
Former co-anchor of NBC's "Today" show Katie Couric ripped the Republicans in Congress who voted against impeaching Trump and certifying the election results.
"And the question is: How are we going to really, almost deprogram these people who have signed up for the cult of Trump?" Couric said during an appearance last Friday night on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher."
Her language mirrored that of liberal Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson who also sought to deprogram "millions of Americans, almost all white, almost all Republicans."
Robinson asked his fellow panelist, The New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones who created the revisionist "1619 Project," how American citizens who voted for Trump could be purged of their conservative ideology. Hannah-Jones advocated to force these conservatives to suffer "consequences."
