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GOP Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona joined forces last week with some of the most reprehensible figures on the far-right for "stop the steal" protests against the presidential election.
The election didn't go the way authoritarians wanted it to, you see. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/paul-gosar-far-right-protest-arizona_n_5fada218c5b6370e7e311861
The election didn't go the way authoritarians wanted it to, you see. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/paul-gosar-far-right-protest-arizona_n_5fada218c5b6370e7e311861
MAGA mobs around the country tried to stop the counting of mailed votes for Biden as he caught Trump in several states.
In AZ, however, they thought Trump had a chance of catching up. So Gosar's group demanded that ... all votes be counted.
Which is what officials were doing.
In AZ, however, they thought Trump had a chance of catching up. So Gosar's group demanded that ... all votes be counted.
Which is what officials were doing.
Gosar organized the multi-day protest with Mike Cernovich, a far-right propagandist and anti-democratic activist best-known for helping orchestrate the Pizzagate disinfo campaign that almost got kids killed in DC.
Gosar and Cernovich appear to go back years.
Cerno at the rally:
Gosar and Cernovich appear to go back years.
Cerno at the rally:
Gosar also worked with Ali Akbar aka Ali Alexander, a convicted felon and longtime Republican dirty trickster with ties to the Mercer family and numerous far-right brigands such as Logan Cook aka Carpe Donktum.
Alexander has organized "stop the steal" campaigns in the past.
Alexander has organized "stop the steal" campaigns in the past.
Alexander set up a Facebook page for his current "stop the steal" campaign that quickly amassed over 300k followers. Facebook was forced to shut it down after journalists discovered members calling for violence and civil war. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stop-steal-protests-republican-operatives-far-right_n_5fa4a744c5b6600956983a3e
But Twitter has let Alexander do as he pleases, even if he uses the site to abuse people and seemingly condone bloodshed.
Troubling: Alexander has advised Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in the past about platform issues, which Dorsey admits.
Jack Dorsey should not be running Twitter.
Troubling: Alexander has advised Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in the past about platform issues, which Dorsey admits.
Jack Dorsey should not be running Twitter.
Alexander and Cernovich weren't the only extremists working with Gosar in AZ. Crazy person Alex Jones showed up to issue a violent speech about destroying leftist scum (by which he means any non-fascist, at this point).
And armed militia members and boogaloo boys turned up.
And armed militia members and boogaloo boys turned up.
Some of the militia members barged into the elections center trying to "observe" the vote-counting. As local election law attorney, Tom Ryan, told HuffPost, there should have been immediate legal consequences.
Gosar and Cernovich could also face trouble for conspiracy or aiding/abetting if officials felt threatened by protestors, which would violate a local statute.
And the mob was certainly menacing. Officials needed a police escort back to their cars.
https://www.azleg.gov/viewdocument/?docName=https://www.azleg.gov/ars/16/01004.htm
And the mob was certainly menacing. Officials needed a police escort back to their cars.
https://www.azleg.gov/viewdocument/?docName=https://www.azleg.gov/ars/16/01004.htm
Protestors directly threatened local reporters on the scene. One female reporter had a man tell her he would find where she lives. She filed a police report.
Another reporter was threatened with lynching after Gosar and Cernovich attacked her on Twitter.
Another reporter was threatened with lynching after Gosar and Cernovich attacked her on Twitter.
Trump supporters harassed other reporters on other nights as the protest outside the elections center continued.
Gosar and Cernovich didn't respond to requests to comment. GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's office had nothing to say. https://twitter.com/ZachCrenshaw/status/1324885679508090880
Gosar and Cernovich didn't respond to requests to comment. GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's office had nothing to say. https://twitter.com/ZachCrenshaw/status/1324885679508090880
But Gosar has some explaining to do. The pol appears to be quite the fan of far-right extremism. Gosar has blamed the deadly Charlottesville rally on the political left, praised authoritarian Hungarian leader Viktor Orban and been photographed with Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.
In 2018, Gosar dined in London with Steve Bannon and European ultranationalists with ties to white nationalists and violent extremists.
One of them was British propagandist Raheem Kassam, who played a key role in spreading disinfo in the 2020 election. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-vast-far-right-web-behind-the-hunter-biden-story_n_5fa0c7c7c5b63dc9a5bfffb9
One of them was British propagandist Raheem Kassam, who played a key role in spreading disinfo in the 2020 election. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-vast-far-right-web-behind-the-hunter-biden-story_n_5fa0c7c7c5b63dc9a5bfffb9
At the dinner, Filip Dewinter, a racist far-right Flemish nationalist, beseeched Gosar for support in U.S. Congress for pan-fascist organizing in Europe.
Gosar smiled and nodded.
Watch him do it here in a clip from "The Brink" documentary about Bannon:
https://trailers.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/the-brink/
Gosar smiled and nodded.
Watch him do it here in a clip from "The Brink" documentary about Bannon:
https://trailers.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/the-brink/
You can read more about Gosar's fashy foreign adventure -- and his attempt to conceal it -- in this excellent piece by @alexkotch. https://readsludge.com/2019/04/04/paul-gosar-omitted-dinner-with-far-right-nationalists-in-travel-report/
In short, the Republican rep doesn't seem to like little 'l' liberal democracy much, relying on it mostly to get into a position to undermine it.
No wonder 6 of Gosar's siblings slammed him for betraying their values during his campaign.
He still won.
No wonder 6 of Gosar's siblings slammed him for betraying their values during his campaign.
He still won.
