Tag: Trump white supremacy

FBI investigating threatening emails sent to Democratic voters in apparent bid to stoke election fears

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Sender address was from the far-right Proud Boys, but the origin is unclear

The FBI on Wednesday was investigating threatening emails sent to Democratic voters that claimed to be from the Proud Boys, a far-right group supportive of President Trump, but appeared instead to be a deceptive campaign making use of a vulnerability in the organization’s online network.

First identified on Tuesday by local law enforcement and elections officials in Florida and Alaska, the emails were soon turned over to federal authorities, according to U.S. officials speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.

The messages appeared to target Democrats using data from digital databases known as “voter files,” some of which are commercially available. They told recipients the Proud Boys were “in possession of all your information” and instructed voters to change their party registration and cast their ballots for Trump. Continue reading.

Supreme Court will review Trump plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from calculations for congressional seats

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The Supreme Court announced Friday that it will review President Trump’s attempt to exclude undocumented immigrants when calculating how congressional seats are apportioned among the states.

The unprecedented proposal could have the effect of shifting both political power and billions of dollars in federal funds away from urban states with large immigrant populations and toward rural and more Republican interests.

A three-judge panel in New York said Trump’s July 21 memorandum on the matter was “an unlawful exercise of the authority granted to” him by Congress. It blocked the Commerce Department and the Census Bureau from including information about the number of undocumented immigrants — it is unclear how those numbers would be generated — in their reports to the president after this year’s census is completed. Continue reading.

Plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor grew from the militia movement’s toxic mix of constitutional falsehoods and half-truths

The U.S. militia movement has long been steeped in a peculiar – and unquestionably mistaken – interpretation of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and civil liberties. 

This is true of an armed militia group that calls itself the Wolverine Watchmen, who were involved in the recently revealed plot to overthrow Michigan’s government and kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. 

As I wrote in “Fracturing the Founding: How the Alt-Right Corrupts the Constitution,” published in 2019, the crux of the militia movement’s devotion to what I have called the “alt-right constitution” is a toxic mix of constitutional falsehoods and half-truths. Continue reading.

‘We Need to Take Away Children,’ No Matter How Young, Justice Dept. Officials Said

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Top department officials were “a driving force” behind President Trump’s child separation policy, a draft investigation report said.

WASHINGTON — The five U.S. attorneys along the border with Mexico, including three appointed by President Trump, recoiled in May 2018 against an order to prosecute all undocumented immigrants even if it meant separating children from their parents. They told top Justice Department officials they were “deeply concerned” about the children’s welfare.

But the attorney general at the time, Jeff Sessions, made it clear what Mr. Trump wanted on a conference call later that afternoon, according to a two-year inquiry by the Justice Department’s inspector general into Mr. Trump’s “zero tolerance” family separation policy.

“We need to take away children,” Mr. Sessions told the prosecutors, according to participants’ notes. One added in shorthand: “If care about kids, don’t bring them in. Won’t give amnesty to people with kids.” Continue reading.

Trump condemns white supremacist groups 48 hours after debate

The fallout of the debate comments was swift.

President Donald Trump condemned white supremacist groups Thursday, two days after he came under fire for his comments on the issue during a debate with Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

“I condemn the KKK. I condemn all white supremacists. I condemn the Proud Boys. I don’t know much about the Proud Boys, almost nothing, but I condemn that,” Trump said in a phone interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “But [Biden] should condemn also Antifa. Antifa is a horrible group of people.”

During the first presidential debate Tuesday night, moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump if he would denounce white supremacist groups. Trump responded, “sure.” When Wallace followed up and invited Trump to voice his condemnation, the president told the far-right group Proud Boys to “stand down and stand by.” Continue reading.

Furious Fox News’ John Roberts blows up on the White House after contentious press briefing: ‘I’m tired of it’

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Fox News’ John Roberts was enraged after the White House press briefing on Thursday in which Kayleigh McEnany refused to denounce white supremacy or explain why the president refuses to do so.

During Tuesday’s debate, Trump hammered former Vice President Joe Biden on denouncing violent protesters, which Biden did, saying that violence is not the answer and anyone who induces violence should be prosecuted. President Donald Trump, by contrast, refused to condemn white supremacists and militias who are trying to stir up more unrest to help Trump craft a narrative that Democrats are dangerous and create violence.

“All of you on Twitter who were hammering me for asking that question, I don’t care!” Roberts said after the contentious press briefing. “Because it’s a question that needs to be asked and clearly the president’s Republican colleagues, a mile away from here, are looking for an answer for it too. So stop deflecting! Stop blaming the media! I’m tired of it!” Continue reading.

Trump cuts refugee cap to lowest level ever, depicts them on campaign trail as a threat and burden

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The Trump administration has capped the number of refugees it will admit into the United States at 15,000 during the next year, a historic low that reflects the president’s increasing vilification of immigrants on the campaign trail.

Refugee advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers reacted with outrage and disgust after the State Department sent its notification to Congress late Wednesday, issuing the decision hours before the start of the government’s 2021 fiscal year Oct. 1.

The 15,000 figure, the lowest since the 1980 Refugee Act took effect, is a drop from the 2020 cap that was set at 18,000. Since March, the number of refugees admitted to the United States fell sharply as the coronavirus outbreak slashed global travel. Fewer than 12,000 refugees have arrived in the past 12 months, statistics show. Continue reading.

McEnany defends Trump comments on white supremacy at combative briefing

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White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany sparred with reporters Thursday over President Trump’s recent comments on white supremacists, arguing Trump denounced hate groups at this week’s presidential debate and denying that he has a mixed record on the issue.

McEnany fielded questions from several journalists about the president’s record on condemning white supremacy, but largely parried them away by dismissing the inquiries as “partisan.” It marked the second consecutive day where the White House has struggled to answer questions about the president’s remarks from Tuesday night.

Fox News correspondent John Roberts asked McEnany for a “definitive and declarative statement” that the president denounces white supremacy and groups that espouse it. McEnany pointed to Trump’s previous comments condemning that ideology, including remarks from Wednesday and in the aftermath of a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, in August 2019, but she would not offer a fresh condemnation from the podium. Continue reading.

Ex-Homeland Security official describes how Trump suppressed efforts to fight white supremacist terrorism

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On CNN Wednesday, former Trump administration national security staffer Miles Taylor outlined how the president’s soft spot for white supremacy — put on full display at the previous night’s presidential debate — carried over into federal policy.

“You previously told me President Trump didn’t prioritize white supremacist violence or domestic threats in general,” said anchor Wolf Blitzer. “How did that become clear in your meetings with him and your work deep inside the Trump administration?”

I’ll tell you this,” said Taylor. “From the beginning of the Trump administration, we had a sense that the numbers were going in the wrong direction. By the numbers, I mean, the number of terrorist plots we were tracking in the United States. When we first came in, ISIS was the big threat. That was obvious to everyone. There was a surging threat from violent extremist groups here domestically, primarily focused on white supremacy. And that was a big concern for us. The FBI and our own DHS analyst came to us and said this is worrying.” Continue reading.