Extremists

Media Matters reports: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has kicked off a national speaking tour about the upcoming election titled “The Plot to Steal 2020.” It’s a thinly veiled attempt to spread conspiracy theories and discredit any efforts to ensure that citizens can vote safely. Bannon, who recently pleaded not guilty to federal fraud charges, has stated that …

The Williamette Week reports: Portland Parks and Recreation has denied a permit for a planned Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer rally in Delta Park on Saturday. In a statement, City Commissioner Amanda Fritz, who oversees city parks, said the rally of right-wing groups would violate social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. It remains unclear whether the permit denial will …

The Guardian reports: Leaked chat logs show Portland-area pro-Trump activists planning and training for violence, sourcing arms and ammunition and even suggesting political assassinations ahead of a series of contentious rallies in the Oregon city, including one scheduled for this weekend. The chats on the GroupMe app, shared with the Guardian by the antifascist group Eugene Antifa, show conversations between …

Time Magazine reports: Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has defended 17-year-old Illinois double murder suspect Kyle Rittenhouse as a “little boy” who was merely “trying to protect his community” during the shootings in Kenosha, Wisconsin last month. Bondi appeared on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show to discuss new video footage released by Rittenhouse’s attorney which paints the suspect in …

Politico Europe reports: The U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands has been accused of interfering in national politics after hosting an event for the far-right Forum for Democracy party. The event, held at the American Embassy in Wassenaar on September 10, featured between 30 and 40 “party officials and wealthy entrepreneurs,” according to Dutch magazine De Groene Amsterdammer. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra …

Media Matters reports: Roger Stone endorsed Nick Ochs, the leader of a Hawaii chapter of “western chauvinist” hate group the Proud Boys, in his campaign for a state representative seat. The Proud Boys, whose members have been linked to acts of street violence, often provide security for Stone. Ochs is the Republican nominee for Hawaii House of Representatives District 22 …

“I want the Judiciary Committee — that could be great if it were skipped. We don’t need to open that up for whatever length of time, so that whoever this nominee is can be Kavanaughed, or Borked, or Thomased. Because that’s what it’s going to be, especially when it’s not even required. “In addition, there are people on the Judiciary …

First a reminder on who we’re talking about: Throughout most of 2019, Lauren Witzke avidly tweeted out QAnon content, particularly the cult’s “Where We Go One We Go All” slogan as the #WWG1WGA hashtag. She also was photographed wearing a QAnon shirt at a campaign event. She has moreover openly identified with the “America First” agenda, first touted by Donald …

Media Matters has the transcript: ROGER STONE: What I said was I urged [President Donald Trump] to use both Insurrection Act and declare martial law if there was overwhelming and blatant and flagrant evidence of election fraud — as would be his legal right as the sitting president of the United States. ERIC METAXAS (HOST): I mean it wouldn’t just …

The Nation reports: The assessment, dated August 17 of this year and marked for official use only, provides an overview of different threats to the election. Threats are said to include not just white supremacists but also individuals wary of the government’s Covid-19 restrictions, Second Amendment extremists, and confrontations between protesters and counterprotesters. The report reads: “We continue to assess …

Law & Crime reports: Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s record of losing legal battles remained unblemished this week when the Connecticut Supreme Court denied three separate delay motions in a defamation lawsuit filed against him by Sandy Hook families. Lead plaintiff Erica Lafferty sued Jones and his InfoWars media empire in the spring of 2018 for invasion of privacy by false …

“For those of you that say, ‘Well, it really doesn’t impact me, I don’t care if Trump goes to prison.’ Well, first of all, you absolutely should care. “Because if we lose, they’re going to come after the churches, they’re going to come after the organizations, they’re going to come after the people, they’re going to come after the social …

The Michigan Advance reports: Thursday’s legislative session in both chambers was canceled, sparking criticism from some Democrats that it was a precautionary move by GOP leadership to avoid armed visitors entering the state Capitol. Session on Thursday would have coincided with the annual “Second Amendment March” event on the Capitol lawn, hosted by a slew of pro-gun groups. Open carry …

Will Sommer reports at The Daily Beast: With her victory still just hours old, the newest Republican Senate nominee publicly thanked a white nationalist leader who marched in the “Unite the Right” rally and has questioned the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust. Witzke has posted racist messages of her own on social media, calling Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) …

The Moscow Times reports: A convicted Russian neo-Nazi has been found dead in what appears to be a suicide inside his jail cell in the Urals region of western Siberia, prison authorities confirmed Wednesday. Maxim Martsinkevich, who went by the nickname Tesak (Russian for machete), was serving a 10-year sentence for a violent attack on synthetic cannabinoids dealers. Martsinkevich, 36, …

Delaware Today reports: Political newcomer Lauren Witzke will be the GOP’s candidate to try to unseat Sen. Chris Coons. Witzke took nearly 57 percent of the vote to defeat James DeMartino – winning by a margin of close to 10,000 votes. After the race was called, Witzke took to Twitter to thank voters and tout her America First foreign policy …

Media Matters reports: The Arizona Republican Party recently ran a Facebook video spotlighting congressional candidate and self-described QAnon follower Daniel Wood. During that video, AZGOP state chair Kelli Ward [photo] told him that “you are a man after my own heart” and encouraged people to volunteer and contribute to his campaign. Daniel Wood is running against Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva …

Politico reports: George Soros directs a “Deep State” global conspiracy network. A Joe Biden win would put America in control of “Jews and Blacks.” The Democratic nominee has a pedophilia problem. Wild disinformation like this is inundating Spanish-speaking residents of South Florida ahead of Election Day, clogging their WhatsApp chats, Facebook feeds and even radio airwaves at a saturation level …

The Associated Press reports: Vice President Mike Pence has canceled plans to attend a Trump campaign fundraiser in Montana following revelations that the event’s hosts had expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory. The change comes after the AP reported Wednesday that hosts Cayrn and Michael Borland in Bozeman, Montana, had shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts. …

The Jerusalem Post reports: A new political advertisement for Jewish Republican congressional candidate Laura Loomer uses Holocaust imagery to attack her Jewish opponent, Democrat Lois Frankel, and calls Frankel “meshuggah,” Hebrew for crazy. Mark Mellman, CEO of the Democratic Majority for Israel, which supports Frankel, said the Loomer ad was “wholly and completely dishonest” and called Frankel “a key advocate …