Category Archives: Antifa

For the past year-and-a-half, police reform has been at the center of public debate. After President Joe Biden and leftist Democrats took power, the radicals reintroduced their legislation to reimagine policing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

We were told that it was of momentous importance, yet three weeks ago, when it was announced that Senate negotiations had failed and the bill was finished, the overall reaction from the left was general indifference. Ruling class media expressed perfunctory outrage for a day or two, and then the issue disappeared. Why?

Lets take a moment to consider how we got here.The real purpose of Democrats Black Lives Matter-inspired legislation was to destroy policing, not to improve it, as I observed last May. The bill was poison. It was built upon the big lie that American policing is systemically racist.

We saw almost a year of Black Lives Matter and Antifa mob violence with 574 riots; $2 billion in destruction, arson, and looting; at least 25 dead; and more than 2,000 police officers injured. To re-enforce this spirit of lawlessness, leftist prosecutors dismissed most charges against rioters and looters in Portland, New York City, and across the country.

While every aspect of the Democrat bill was designed to undermine law enforcement, two provisions would have directly dismantled the police and resulted in thousands more black people being killed.First, the bill would have stripped the protection of qualified immunity for individual officers, causing more officers to leave the job or retreat from fighting crime. Second, in deference to tenets of critical race theory, the bill would have made it law that any group-identity statistical disparities in investigation or enforcement results would constitute prima facie proof of racial profiling.

Law-abiding minority citizens want the police in their communities. Eighty-one percent of black Americans want to keep or increase the number of police officers in their neighborhoods. But this bill would have prevented police from proactively policing high-crime black communities. A leftist, race-based enforcement quota system would have permanently diverted vital police resources away from high violent-crime neighborhoods.

So why was the radical left so quiet when its legislative plan to destroy policing failed? Because their mission has already been almost completely accomplished. In virtually every major Democrat-run city and beyond, policing as we know it has been undermined beyond recognition perhaps beyond repair.

The numbers speak for themselves. Americas crime epidemic saw a 30 percent homicide surge in 2020, the biggest ever. Almost 10,000 homicide victims were black 53 percent of all victims, despite blacks constituting only 13 percent of the U.S. population.

The Black Lives Matter Marxists program of defunding, demonizing, and dismantling the police has emboldened criminals and caused police to pull back. The war on cops has also escalated. Already this year, 241 officers have been shot, 44 killed by gunfire, and ambush attacks have increased 103 percent.

Black Lives Matter, Democrats, the ruling class media, and rogue prosecutors have broken the police. Perpetuating the myth of systemic police racism has justified eliminating cash bail, ending qualified immunity, and enacting laws that practically legalize theft. In Democrat-run cities, proactive policing is dead. Officer morale is at rock bottom and many of the most qualified veterans are bailing out. Last year across the country, retirements increased by 45 percent and resignations by 18 percent.

Finally, the radical left has insidiously and effectively undermined our law and civil order through an organized takeover of states attorneys offices by radicals. Funded by leftist billionaire George Soros, these rogue prosecutors subvert the system from within dismissing thousands of felony cases, failing to charge violent criminals, and arbitrarily refusing to prosecute quality-of-life crimes, such as public urination or prostitution.

In this way, no matter how effective local police are at arresting criminals, their efforts are sabotaged. Massive spikes in violence are directly connected to pro-criminal Soros prosecutors in Chicago, Baltimore, Austin, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and other Democrat-run jurisdictions.

Last years BLM/Antifa armed rioting and todays out-of-control violent crime demonstrate that when the mob and street criminals run wild and police pull back, American civilization disintegrates. This is the ultimate objective of the leftist elites.

Faced with such a vast array of anti-police power, what can we do? Two options remain. In Democrat-run cities, residents and neighbors must organize, speak out, and take grassroots political action outside the Democratic Party machine. In Republican states, citizens and elected leaders must enact unabashedly pro-police laws and policies everything the Democrats are not.

Unfortunately, in most Democrat-run cities with leftist mayors and city councils, subversive prosecutors, and increasingly more woke police chiefs, things will get a lot worse before they get better. Violent crime is intensifying and spreading, but average citizens are beginning to fight back.

Austin, Texas, is ruled by a leftist Democrat mayor and city council who enacted one of the most radical defund the police efforts in the country $150 million, one-third of the police budget, was cut. The result has been a public safety disaster. Homicides in the city have increased 44 percent over last year and 200 percent compared to five years ago. During the past year, police retirements increased 65 percent and resignations 63 percent. Undermanned, the Austin Police Department no longer responds to citizens 911 calls for eight categories of crimes and disturbances.

But Austin residents have stood up, putting an initiative on the November 2 ballot to hire more police officers and increase officer training. However, the arrogance and extent to which leftist elites will go to demolish the police knows no bounds. Soros, who funded the radical Travis County district attorney, has also sunk $500,000 into a campaign to defeat Austin citizens public safety initiative.

Fighting for the police and preserving the rule of law in every Republican state is crucial. In this fight, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida is leading the way.

Of all Americas governors, DeSantis has been the most outspoken in his support for police and the rule of law, proclaiming, Make no mistake: the reason that you have such huge spikes in crime in many parts of the country is because of not standing up for law enforcement, having weak policies where youre letting people out, and youre not prosecuting people who are committing habitual offenses. That is clearly causing disastrous consequences.

Under DeSantis, Florida enacted the Anti-Riot Bill, increasing penalties for crimes committed during violent assemblies and protecting law enforcement officers and law-abiding citizens. The Florida law also makes it more difficult for municipalities to defund the police.

The leftist elites, whether in the form of Black Lives Matter Marxists, Antifa anarchists, socialist Democrats, subversive district attorneys, or critical race theory race hustlers, know that American civilization cannot survive without law, order, and public safety. This is the reason they are destroying the police. And this is the reason that the American people must stop them.

Maurice Richards is the former chief of the Martinsburg Police Department in West Virginia. He served as chief from 2015 to 2020 after 24 years as an officer and lieutenant in the Chicago Police Department. Richards holds a doctorate in adult education from Northern Illinois University.

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The Left Wanted To Destroy The Police, And So Far They've Succeeded - The Federalist

This is a profile of one of the three candidates for the District D seat on the Cherry Creek School District's board.

As a student at Cherry Creek High School, Schum Navarro wasn't doing the best academically, weighed down by life at home and having trouble learning.

But her guidance counselor saw a creative, entrepreneur spirit in her and helped her into a trade program that allowed Navarro to go to beauty school in the afternoons, Navarro said. By the time she graduated, she had become a licensed cosmetologist.

The counselor had foresight to put me in a position that would really change the trajectory of my life, Navarro said.

She went on to do volunteer work with teen mothers through an organization called Mothers of Preschoolers, providing young moms with parenting classes and other resources.

I was a young, single mom, and so I just had a really big heart for those ladies, Navarro said.

Now she's running to represent Cherry Creek school board District D, the area that encompasses parts of east Centennial and southeast Aurora. Navarro's opponents are Jennifer Gibbons and incumbent Kelly Bates.

Navarro, 35, grew up in the Centennial-Aurora area as well as in Englewood. About 10 years ago, she started Peacock Vanity, a business that specializes in event hair and airbrush makeup, Navarro said.

She now lives in Centennial, with one child in the Cherry Creek School District and another in a charter school.

Having been a single mom and living that low-income life, I have some insight into some areas in the district that a lot of people in the school board, maybe they don't have that life experience, Navarro said in an interview.

She came from parents who were tradespeople her mom owned a housecleaning business and her dad worked as a carpenter for custom homes, she said.

'Pronoun agenda'

Navarro was chosen to be secertary of the Arapahoe County Republican Party this year, and among her main reasons to run for school board was her concern about curriculum in the district, Navarro said.

Regarding the teaching of racial issues, Navarro said: I think we need to continue to push on recognizing and meeting the needs of the individual versus putting kids in complete boxes based on their skin color.

Navarro, who is Hispanic, said in response to a Centennial Citizen issues questionnaire that she is adamantly against teaching that is not American exceptionalism.

She's suspicious of the medical facilities that Cherry Creek School District is creating, arguing that it's not the proper role of a school district to facilitate health care.

The district recently kicked off building two school-based health centers that are slated to open to district students and families in January. They'll offer primary-care clinics that can provide mental health, dental and vision care, according to the district.

When you have teachers that are pushing this pronoun agenda, I'm concerned about what that could look like, Navarro said, also bringing up gender dysphoria and the possibility of kids consenting to medical treatment on their own.

Asked whether she was suggesting that the district's medical facilities would be performing sex reassignment surgery or hormone therapy, Navarro said: I mean, I guess it's just, what kind of services are they going to be providing? Are they going to be giving out birth control? Are they going to be vaccinating our kids? Just, what does it look like?

Navarro added: I am not against the gay community or anything like that. I am actually endorsed by the Log Cabin Republicans. Log Cabin Republicans describes itself on its website as "the nations largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies."

Navarro, who said she has friends who are gay, said sexual orientation is not the issue to her.

The issue is almost grooming kids to be a trans-like existence, Navarro said. I think it should happen naturally, not by (the district's actions). It's not age-appropriate.

She added: I'm like, love who you want to love, be who you want to be. I just think that when it's supposed to be time for education, asking kids what their pronouns are (is inappropriate).

At the U.S. Capitol

Navarro attended the Jan. 6 rally near the White House where then-President Donald Trump spoke -- a rally that preceded the riot that day at the U.S. Capitol.

My lived experience was completely different than how the media has portrayed it, Navarro said. She added: You had Trump talking at the start of it, and after he talked, that's when people started walking down there (to the Capitol). It was like a low-energy football game.

Then we were down on the (Capitol) grounds for a little bit; eventually we were hungry we left and ate dinner, said Navarro, who said she went to the rally by herself and met up with random people. She had walked from the White House to the Capitol grounds with the crowd from the rally at the end of the rally, she said.

Navarro said she wasn't at the Capitol doors or on the steps.

We left, and I think what happened is it progressively maybe got worse. It's hard to know, said Navarro, adding that she did not see people fighting with police or pushing down barriers.

She said she did not participate in any criminal aspect of the events. I believe in civics and having your voice be heard, Navarro said.

When she was planning to go to the rally, her impression was that it was 'go support the president for election integrity and just show the support,' she said.

Navarro said she reposted on the internet a video from Twitter that shows some of the crowd's actions close to the Capitol building. She said the video showed that there were instigators of the violence and that someone screamed antifa, antifa!

The crowd that showed up and stormed the Capitol was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters, the AP reported as of Jan. 10. The AP's reporting was based on social media posts, voter registrations, court files and other public records. Reuters and other national and international news outlets reported that evidence doesn't show that antifa caused the riot.

Five people died in the attack, including a police officer, the AP reported.

Navarro also commented to the Citizen about a photo of her posing with a large letter Q a symbol often associated with the QAnon conspiracy theory at a rally for Trump in February 2020.

"The Q thing was a prank to try to get on the screen" at the rally, Navarro said.

The QAnon conspiracy theory emerged on fringe internet message boards in 2017, the AP reported. At root, the movement claims Trump is waging a secret battle against the deep state and a sect of powerful devil-worshipping pedophiles who dominate Hollywood, big business, the media and government, according to the AP.

I would say that I've always been one to kind of question authority, question government, Navarro said. She added: I enjoyed some creative thought, and it was something you'd look online and follow the memes, make a couple memes.

Navarro said regarding how QAnon is represented by the media, that was not my lived experience. It was literally a distraction that was harmless. It was a phase. She said it hasnt been an aspect of her life lately, and she feels it's unreasonable to think it would influence her decision making if she were elected to school board.

She compared people deeply involved in QAnon to situations where "you have some people who are weirdly into the 'Twilight' series or the 'Lord of the Rings.'" She said she was aware that QAnon involves claims about sex trafficking and said talk regarding Jeffrey Epstein's legal case was part of what interested her.

Asked whether she was aware that QAnon backers were trying to overturn the election results or help cause a riot at the Capitol, Navarro said: No, it (QAnon) was just a space where you want to support the president You have fray outliers in every group, I'm sure. But (that's) not at all like what I was connected to at all.

Navarro also has expressed support for Trump's unproven claim that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent; she said that then-President-elect Joe Biden wouldn't become president and that there was a coup behind Biden's impending presidency. (She expressed the opinions in a video posted on Rumble, a rival video platform to YouTube.)

"If you look at (Biden) and his cognitive decline, when he says things like, 'Im gonna get in trouble for answering questions', ... are we all truly believing he is the president and hes making the decisions?" Navarro now says.

Different voice

Navarro noted the relatively small number of contributions her campaign for school board has received, calling her effort grassroots.

Two notable contributions were both from current Centennial City Council candidates: $100 from Robyn Carnes and $250 from Neal Davidson, according to Colorado Secretary of State's Office records online.

Navarro said she participated in the Leadership Program of the Rockies with Carnes and, through being a county GOP officer, met Davidson. The Leadership Program of the Rockies is an effort to train emerging leaders to reach new heights in public policy and the political process, its website says. Alumni photos suggest it used to be called the Republican Leadership Program.

Regarding Carnes and Davidson, Navarro said: I think they're both really awesome people that are just really unifiers and will do really well in their prospective roles, Navarro said.

She said some parents feel like they don't hear their viewpoints represented at all on the Creek school board.

She feels that her life experience differs from that of other Cherry Creek candidates, partly because she was a student in the district.

I think my life experience of going the route of a trade versus the pipeline from high school to college to career I have a very different journey, and I think that it could add some insight to the discussions on the school board, Navarro said.

Read more from the original source:

Election 2021: Navarro wants more viewpoints on Cherry Creek school board: Candidate attended Jan. 6 rally that ignited U.S. Capitol riot - Englewood...

Thenewest Republican tasked with certifying election results in Wayne County said he would not have certified the results of the 2020 presidential election and gave no assurance thathe would certify the results of future contests.

The appointment of new canvassers across Michigan comes at a time of growing concern that partisans at the local level could derail the election certification process.

Robert Boyd, 73, of Rockwood, will soon replace Wayne County Board of Canvassers' Republican chair Monica Palmer on the bipartisan panel responsible for certifying election results in Michigan's largest county. Asked about the 2020 election and what he would have done, Boyd said he would not have certified the results of theelection.

"I believe they were inaccurate," he said. Boyd said that he was told that "by people that knew what went on there." Asked to explain the basis for the claim, Boyd responded: "I dont know, I wasnt there, you know? Its hard to second guess that kind of stuff until youre there, thats one reason I wanted to be on the committee."

He criticized Palmer andWilliam Hartmann, the other Republican member of the board, for certifying the election results following an agreement struck with the two Democrats on the panel at the time to conduct an audit of the election.

Boydsaid that affidavits signed by poll challengers who worked at the TCF Center in Detroit cast a cloud over the legitimacy of the election. However, many of those challengers mistook standard processes for election fraud, and Michigan courts rejected lawsuits that relied on challengers' allegations of election fraud and misconduct.

Joe Biden won Michigan by over 154,000 votes and Wayne County by more than 332,000 votes. More than200 postelection audits, including a dozen audits in Wayne County, affirmed Biden's victory in the state and county. Acomprehensive state Senate report approved by GOP lawmakers found no evidence of widespread fraud and said voters in Michigan should have faith in the election outcome.

More: Republican to replace Monica Palmer on Wayne County Board of Canvassers selected

More: Donald Trump called Monica Palmer after Wayne County Board of Canvassers meeting

Boyd declined to say whether he would certifythe results of the 2022 and 2024 elections."I can't make a judgment on it until I see," he said.

County commissionsarechargedwith selecting canvassers, but the Wayne County Commissiondeclinedto approvea Republican nominee for the position, so the decision fell to Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett who selected Boyd after he was nominated by William Rauwerdink, whochairsthe Michigan 14th District Republican Committee.

Michigan's four-member county canvassing boards are made up of two Democrats and two Republicans. If there is a partisan deadlock to certify the results of an election, the Board of State Canvassers is tasked with reviewing and certifying the county's results.A partisan deadlock on the state board would likely lead to a legal challenge against the board, and it would fall to the courts to order the state panel to certify the results.

Boyd said his previous election experience includes working as a poll watcher and poll challenger in southwest Detroit, Dearborn and the Dearborn Heights areaduring the 2016 presidential election.

Boyd, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, declined to say whether he believes Trump's false claims that the election was stolen. "I'm sure he knows more about it than I do," he said.

Boyd said he supports a so-called forensic audit in Michigan. "We ought to do all we can do to find out all we can find out," he said. "People lose their faith in the voting system, then the country would be in great trouble."

Trump repeated false claims of election fraud, including claims about Michigan's election, ahead of the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. Boydsaid that Black Lives Matter protesters and antifa were "agitators" that day and said that "a lot of them caused the disruption."Following the insurrection, prominent Trump supporters levelled afalse conspiracy theory that Black Lives Matter protesters and antifa not Trump supporters bore responsibility for the violence.

Trump supporters went into the Capitolbuildingthat day, Boyd said. "At most,that's trespassing," he said. Boyd did not blame Trump supporters for breaking into the building, andsaid that the man wearing horns whoentered the Senate chamber was with antifa.

Boyd seemed to be referring toJake Angeli, known as the QAnon Shaman. Angeli, shirtless and wearing horns, took the dais of the Senate whereformer Vice President Mike Pence had presided moments before over the vote certification of the presidential election.

Angeli is one of hundreds of pro-Trump rioters facing criminal charges for their actions on Jan. 6.

Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA.Contact her at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.

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Next GOP Wayne County canvasser says he would not have certified results of 2020 election - Detroit Free Press

Police arrested a man in connection to the shooting of a member of the Proud Boys during a skirmish between the right-wing group and antifa at an anti-vaccine mandate protest in Olympia, Washington.

Benjamin Anthony Varela, a 36-year-old from Olympia, was arrested on Thursday on the charge of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon.

THE CHURCH OF ANTI-FASCISM

The clash took place on Sept. 4 when members of the left-wing militant group antifa showed up at the state Capitol to counter-protest a demonstration against vaccine mandates.

The protests security included members of the Proud Boys, who chased the counter-protesters away. One of the reported antifa members shot toward the Proud Boys with a handgun, injuring member Tusitala Toese in the ankle. Toese's injury was not life-threatening, and he cooperated with the police investigation, according to local K5 News.

The alleged antifa members were dressed in all-black and had their faces covered, making immediate identification difficult.

Varela has numerous ties to antifa and other far-left, anarchist, and communist organizations, according to journalist Andy Ngo. Ngo said he'd been physically attacked by members of antifa several times for reporting on their activities.

Though Valera deleted most of his social media accounts before he was arrested, his Twitter bio said he is a professional anarchist, thug, and paid protester.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Antifa-linked Twitter accounts implied it was one of their own who was responsible for the shooting immediately after it happened.

Varela is being held in Thurston County Jail under $100,000 bail. His arraignment is set for Oct. 5.

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Tags: News, Antifa, Washington, Vaccination, Gun Violence

Original Author: Virginia Aabram

Original Location: Man with alleged ties to antifa arrested on charges of shooting Proud Boy at anti-vaccine protest

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Man with alleged ties to antifa arrested on charges of shooting Proud Boy at anti-vaccine protest - Yahoo News

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., paid next to nothing in 2017 state income taxes compared to previous years, despite reporting an individual income of at least $450,000.

According a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report released Thursday, the Republican lawmaker paid exactly $2,105 in state income taxes a staggeringly small amount compared to the $60,000 average he paid over the past decade.

Johnson's office has declined to explain the aberration. "The senator had a smaller tax payment because he had less income to report in 2017," said Vanessa Ambrosini, a spokeswoman for Johnson, told the Journal Sentinel. "The senator will not be providing media with his tax returns."

There are myriad reasons Johnson's declared income may have been substantially lower than what he's reported in the past, Andrew Reschovsky, a professor emeritus of economics and public policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Channel 3000. For instance, Johnson may have made a sizable donation to a nonprofit organization, incurred significant business losses, or benefited from a special deduction.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Johnson has not yet signaled whether he'll run for a third term next year. If he does, Ambrosini told the Journal Sentinel, he will provide a similar "tax detail" to that seen in previous years. During his 2010 Senate race, Johnson provided three years of federal tax returns, though he failed to do the same in 2016.

According to Johnson's most recent tax filing, the senator's net worth lies somewhere between $16.5 million and $78.1 million, as of last year. Most of his wealth appears to have stemmed from a 2020 sale of his share in Pacur LLC, an Oshkosh manufacturer of plastics.

"Wisconsinites deserve to know what Sen. Johnson is hiding in his financial records," said Philip Shulman, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Democratic Party.

It isn't the first time Johnson has been under scrutinyover tax issues.In August, ProPublica reported that the Wisconsin legislator threatened to voteagainst Donald Trump's 2017 tax overhaul if the bill didn't include a provision to "sweeten the tax break for a class of companiesknown as pass-throughs" a classification that allows those companies"to effectively skirt corporate income tax by letting profits directly pass through to owners, who then pay income tax on the gains," ProPublica explained. Two of Johnsons' major donors ended up being major beneficiaries of the tax break, which Johnson's pressure secured. He thenin turn voted yes on Trump's tax plan.

Johnson has also been widely criticized for his ardent support of Donald Trump. The senator voted to acquit Trump following the Capitol riot, which he claimed "didn't seem like an armed insurrection to me." Then, in March, the senator said in a radio interview that he would have been "a little more concerned" if the rioters were affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement or Antifa. His comments were widely panned by his colleagues in Congress.

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Sen. Ron Johnson, worth millions, paid almost nothing in 2017 state income taxand won't explain why - Salon

A Washington State prosecutor has found no crime but much to criticize in the September 2020 law enforcement raid that killed the anti-fascist activist Michael Forest Reinoehl in a hail of bullets.

Rienoehl was a murder suspect wanted for the shooting death of right-wing agitator Aaron Jay Danielson in the streets of Portland in late August 2020. In a 24-page report, Prosecuting Attorney Jon Tunheim of Thurston County, concludes that, although Reinoehl never drew a weapon on the U.S. Marshal task force that came to arrest him, his killing was justified under Washington State law.

Yet even as he absolved the shooters of criminal liability, the prosecutor called for further scrutiny of a confrontation that was marred by miscommunication and ad hoc decision-making and put innocent parties in danger. I feel compelled, Tunheim writes, to say how fortunate it was that no bystanders were injured or killed.

The killing of Reinoehl by law enforcement sparked controversy from the start. An initial statement by the U.S. Marshals insisted its task force members had attempted to peacefully arrest Reinoehl, and only fired on him after he produced a firearm, threatening the lives of law enforcement officers. An eyewitness soon contradicted this account, however, describing a sudden and violent ambush by officers who never attempted to apprehend Reinoehl but rather opened fire on him without warning.

The Trump administration, for its part, proudly politicized Reinoehls death, touting the killing of the self-proclaimed anti-fascist in terms that marked an erosion of the rule of law. First, Attorney General Bill Barr lauded the takedown of an admitted Antifa member. President Trump then celebrated Reinoehls death as an official act of revenge, insisting: There has to be retribution when you have crime like this. Trump later used Reinoehls killing as an applause line at a rally: We got him, he told a crowd in North Carolina, insisting the task force had no aim to take Reinoehl into custody: We sent in the U.S. Marshals, Trump said. They knew who he was. They didnt want to arrest him, and 15 minutes [later], that ended.

The Thurston County prosecutors report does not fully cut through the fog of conflicting accounts. But it describes a raid that was chaotic, gung-ho, and hampered by glitchy radios and poor planning. It recounts how an impulsive decision by two officers sparked the task force to suddenly close in on Reinoehl, and how that apprehension effort almost immediately devolved into gunfire after officers saw the suspect reach for an object they could not see clearly, but said they believed to be a gun. The prosecutor adds that the evidence is conflicting as to whether the officers even turned their police lights on: I cannot conclude with any certainty, he writes, whether the emergency lights in the unmarked cars were activated at the time they approached.

At the time of the killing on September 3rd, 2020, Reinoehl had been on the lam for days. But Washington State law enforcement officers operating as a task force under the authority of the federal U.S. Marshals service tracked him down in a housing complex in Lacey, Washington, outside the state capital, Olympia.

Commanded by a Deputy U.S. Marshal, the task force was made up primarily of Washington state sheriffs deputies. The report criticizes the officers communication plan, under which they tuned their radios to a channel in neighboring Pierce County: Because they were operating outside of Pierce County, communication became intermittent and the transmissions had considerable static, making communication difficult.

This communication deficiency the report adds, created confusion during the critical tactical decision to attempt an arrest, and it appears that the leader of the team could not effectively communicate a decision to the other officers.

The report describes how task force members were waiting in their vehicles, conducting surveillance, when they spied Reinoehl enter a VW Jetta parked on the street at about 6 p.m. This sparked a debate over the glitchy radios. Some task force members felt they were too far away and should wait and tail Reinoehl as he drove away. One Pierce County deputy who was not in command of the task force shouted: Lets go take him, soon adding, OK, were moving, and then barking: Take him, take him now.

Referring to this deputy and a partner in the same car, the prosecutor writes: It appears the decision to proceed with attempting an arrest was actually made by the two officers who simply decided to move in.

The deputy who had shouted take him now was the first to fire shots at Reinoehl through the windshield of his own vehicle. According to the deputys statement, his partner pulled their Ford Escape in front of the Jetta to block Reinoehl from moving. The deputy claimed he opened his door and shouted police! which provoked Reinoehl to make suspicious gestures. I could not see where his hands were, the deputy wrote, but he was making a movement with his arms consistent with the moves that someone makes when they are attempting to grab a gun they have on their person.

The deputy was armed with a department-issued rifle and immediately began firing it from inside the Ford. I fired my rifle through the front windshield of our vehicle towards Reinoehl, he wrote. The front windshield did not shatter and I still had a clear unobstructed view of the suspect and I continued to fire several shots at the suspect through the windshield.

The deputys decision to fire on Reinoehl was so quick that his partner initially believed their vehicle was taking fire. The windshield was cracking and splintering in front of me and spraying me with glass dust, the partner wrote. I realized the windshield was being struck by bullets. I thought we were being shot at and I needed to get out of the vehicle to respond to the threat.

The partner quickly reassessed, coming to understand that the shots were being fired from inside the vehicle. He exited the Ford and took aim at Reinoehl. I recall clicking the safety off on my rifle and I may have fired one or more rounds at him at that time, he wrote, but I am not completely certain as the events were unfolding quickly.

Nearly simultaneously, a deputy in another car had pulled up on Reinoehl. In his statement this deputy wrote: Reinoehl seemed to recognize us as law enforcement because he mouthed Oh Shit as he reached down with his right hand and frantically pulled on his waistband/front right pocket area. This officer also opened fire at the suspect.

Amid the gunfire, according to the prosecutor, Reinoehl jumped out of the Jetta. The deputies statements describe Reinoehl as continuing to grab at his waist, as though attempting to retrieve a weapon. Several describe concern that Reinoehl would escape or take a hostage. As described by the prosecutor: They continued to believe Reinoehl was armed, although none of them had yet observed a gun. All three then fired additional rounds at Reinoehl until he fell.

The barrage of gunfire from the deputies was poorly aimed. Earlier reports have described more than 30 rounds being fired by officers. But according to the autopsy discussed in the prosecutors report, only three bullets were recovered from the suspects body: a 9mm bullet from Reinoehls back, a 9mm bullet from his head, and a .223 caliber bullet from the back of his neck.

Jonathan Smith, a former litigator for DOJs Civil Rights Division, tellsRolling Stone that a serious review of the task forces operation should weigh two questions. First, did the shooters have legal authority to use deadly force. Probably, the answer is yes, he says. But the other question is, Was that use of force avoidable? Was there another way to have approached his arrest? In Smiths view, the officers failed gravely here. They went in to create confrontation, he says. It was like cowboy stuff. And weve learned over the years that there are much more effective strategies that are safer for everybody for taking people into custody.

The local prosecutor did not find cause to prosecute based on this second question, but his report underscores how dangerous the fusillade by the task force was to the public. There is a distinct possibility that a small child was struck by some sort of object or debris during the shooting, he writes, adding that the child described being hit by one of the sparks from the officers gunfire. The prosecutor also highlighted that one bullet struck a nearby apartment building, traveling through the exterior wall, through a room, and lodged in another interior wall. Fortunately, no one was in its path.

Despite his criticism of how the encounter unfolded, the prosecutor nonetheless found the killing of Reinoehl was justified. Washington Law does not require officers to actually see a weapon, he writes, when they have probable cause to believe a person is armed and a good faith belief the person is intending use of deadly force against officers or others in an effort to escape capture.

As it turned out, Reinoehl was armed. The prosecutors report describes that a .380 caliber handgun was later found in Reinoehls pocket, and that the clip was fully loaded and there was no round in the chamber. A single shell casing fired from that gun was also found in the Jetta, although the report notes there is no way to determine when it was fired or how it came to be in the location it was found.

While clearing the kill under state law, the prosecutor also emphasized that even if he had decided to press charges federal law might have prohibited him from bringing a case. Task forces operating under the U.S. Marshals service, despite being comprised of local officers, are likely immune from local prosecution, and instead would have to be charged for violations of federal law by the Department of Justice.

The Thurston County prosecutor concluded his report with a clarion call for federal oversight of the Reinoehl confrontation. I strongly recommend this matter be reviewed by the United States Attorneys Office or other appropriate federal authority, he writes, to determine if the use of force was in violation of federal law or policy. The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment.

Smith, the former DOJ litigator who now serves as executive director of the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, describes the lack of local accountability for task forces operating under federal jurisdiction as a huge problem. In part, he says, it arises because the local rules of engagement and restrictions on officer conduct go out the window. Rather than having the local rules apply to the federal agents, its just the opposite: You have federal rules that apply to the local agents on the task forces. Those federal standards, he insists, are often fast-and-loose, and violations rarely lead to serious consequences. There is really just no accountability. Theres no mechanism, he says. You cant shine a light on the bad conduct of the feds in the same ways you can on locals, and you have a culture in the [justice] department that allows them to get away with anything.

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Deputies Escape Charges in a Killing Trump Touted as Retribution - Rolling Stone

Incendiary comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slamming US officials as being linked to terrorists came after Turkey held high-level meetings with Moscow.

Turkey opposes the US role in eastern Syria, where the US helped the local Syrian Democratic Forces defeat ISIS. Ankaras ruling party, which has backed extremists in northern Syria and has ethnically cleansed Kurds, Christians and Yazidis, has frequently bashed the US in the past.

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Turkey singled out US White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk in the recent attack by Erdogan on the Biden administration. Turkeys Daily Sabah, a pro-government daily, said Erdogan was speaking to reporters on his way back from Sochi, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

McGurk supports terrorism and has almost become the PKK/YPG/PYDs manager, Erdogan was quoted as saying.

It deeply disturbs me that this man is arm in arm with terrorists in an area where Im fighting them, he reportedly said.

The comments were reported in leading Turkish media, indicating that the ruling party wants the comments to be known widely.

Turkey has slammed McGurk and Biden in the past. During the US election campaign in 2020, Ankara and its media, which is almost all linked to the ruling party, often slammed Biden and was openly pro-Trump.

Turkeys ruler, Erdogan, had close relations with Trump and often tried to use the media to get favors from the US, such as trying to portray the SDF as linked to Antifa during riots in the US.

The US views HTS, a group linked to al-Qaeda that has worked with Turkey in Idlib province, as being a terrorist group similar to ISIS.

The US has also sanctioned Ahrar al-Sharqiya, a Turkey-backed extremist group, for abuses in October 2019 when Turkey invaded and occupied part of northern Syria.

This means that both Turkey and the US appear to accuse each other of backing terrorists. The main difference is that groups such as Ahrar al-Sharqiya and HTS have engaged in terrorizing activities against civilians, crushing dissent and murdering and harassing minorities and women. The US-backed SDF has not engaged in documented terrorist attacks in eastern Syria.

Turkey claims the SDF is linked to the PKK, which both Turkey and the US view as a terrorist group. Turkey has invaded part of northern Iraq to fight what it claims is the PKK. Turkey has also launched numerous airstrikes on Yazidi minorities in Sinjar in Iraq, claiming it is fighting terrorism.

In one case, Ankara bombed a medical facility. It is unclear why Ankaras claims to fight terrorism often coincide with bombing minorities in Iraq and Syria and carrying out attacks against Christian, Kurdish and Yazidi minorities.

The recent comments attacking McGurk, a key member of the Biden administrations Middle East team, is designed to create a divide with Washington and to showcase Ankaras close relations with Moscow. Ankara appears to be ditching any pretense it might work with the US now in Syria, using the usual bullying and hate rhetoric that underpins how Ankara treats the US. Ankara doesnt use such language with Iran, Russia or other authoritarian regimes it prefers.

It is unclear if the US will respond to the incitement against McGurk and the US administration by Turkey, which claims to be a NATO ally of the United States.

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Turkeys president bashes Biden admin as being 'arm-in-arm' with terror - The Jerusalem Post

Fi Doung wearing Japanese-style face mask

A Virginia man who allegedly wore a Japanese-style face maskand all black clothes to pose as an anti-fascist activist on Jan. 6 pleaded not guilty on Friday to a five-count federal indictment related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol.

First charged in July, Fi Duong allegedly described himself as a militia man who had coordinated additional surveillance efforts on Congress in the months after the riot, prosecutors claim.

On Aug. 25, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging himunder his real name and his aliases Jim, Monkey and Monkey Kingwith obstructing an official proceeding, entering and remaining on restricted grounds, disorderly conduct in a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading in a Capitol building.

Those charges focus on his alleged participation in the siege of the U.S. Capitol.

While on the West Terrace, Duong is surrounded by other protestors yelling comments such as Everybody inside, Stop the steal, Fight for Trump, and Traitor,' an FBI affidavit supporting his charges states.

That affidavit contains allegations about conduct following the Jan. 6 siege for which Duong has not been formally charged, including what prosecutors describe as his interest in Molotov cocktails, affinity for militia groups and coordination of surveillance of the Capitol.

The recipe that I have. This is just from my own study and from looking at sources that I will not yet name, Duong allegedly told an undercover FBI operative in May, supposedly referring to the homemade incendiary devices. But again, this is all just in theory. I have not tested any of this out.

Prosecutors do not accuse Duong of any violent acts or actually using the weapons, but the FBIs affidavit quotes him speaking in favor of political violence and preparing for what he called the second American Civil War.

Duong also opined that he likes to be connected to militias in the area and know which groups are organized and that it is important for the groups to stay nice and tightif you know what I mean,' according to the FBIs affidavit.

Authorities claim that Duong claimed to have a contact among the Three Percenters, a group whose name comes from the myth that it represents the portion of colonists who participated in the American Revolution. Historians have debunked that dubious statistic.

After President Joe Biden nominated David Chipman to lead the Justice Departments Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Duong allegedly told the FBI operative that his property could turn into Waco 2.0, apparently referring to the 1993 standoff of the Branch Davidian compound with cult leader David Koresh, according to court papers.

According to the New York Times, Duongs attorney Sabrina Shroff argued in a past hearing that the government sought to entrap her client, who was previously released on bond pending trial. The terms of his release called for high intensity supervision.

You are restricted to 24-hour-a-day lock-down at your residence except for medical necessities and court appearances or other activities specifically approved by the court, the conditions of Duongs release state, under the heading Home Incarceration.

She reportedly said at the time that the government had produced no evidence that his talk of bombs went beyond chatter.

Her clients indictment does not charge him with weapons offenses.

According to the complaint, Duong on Jan. 13 told the undercover agent that he was filming rioters inside the Capitol while wearing all black in an effort to look like a member of Antifa, referring to an amorphous collection of anti-fascist activists.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Allen said he started providing substantial discovery to the defense on Friday morning.

U.S. Judge Paul L. Friedman scheduled the next hearing for Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.

Jerry Lambe contributed reporting for this story.

(Image via FBI affidavit)

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Man Who Allegedly Joined Fight for Trump Crowd and Wore All Black to Pose as Antifa Pleads Not Guilty in Jan. 6 Case - Law & Crime

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

When in doubt, turn to Lincoln. A house divided against itself cannot stand, he told the Illinois Republican State Convention in 1858. It was considered radical and politically incorrect, but it still has the virtue of being true. Todays Republicans should take note.With poll numbers trending their way as Americans watch a weak Biden presidency unfold, Republicans must resist the temptation to tear at each other.

The damaging effect of party divisions can be devastating. An analysis of the Georgia runoff elections, for instance, showed that while Democrats were pushing new voters to the polls, there was a drop-off of an estimated 200,000 voters in Republican areas, which helped hand the race to Leftist Senator Raphael Warnock and the Senate majority Bernie Sanders.

Recently, many Republicans with prominent platforms again played into the hands of left-wing media and the Democrats by attacking President George W. Bush for two lines in his 9/11 anniversary remarks. Mr. Bushs comments gave conservatives a prime opportunity to talk about Antifa, BLM Marxists, those who torched Americas cities in 2020, and the Leftist cancel culture that seeks to rewrite our nations history.

Instead, Republicans decided to bash the 43rd President injecting the January 6th riot into the news cycle. You would expect that from the New York Times or CNN, not from conservatives.

Every time Republicans attack each other, it cuts against the party unity necessary to beat the Left. What was so curious and caustic about this recent circular firing squad was that it was a totally unforced error.

Approximately 70 percent of Republican voters in a Morning Consult poll from the summer disagreed with the statement, The people who broke into the U.S. Capitol on January 6 are representative of the Republican Party. Recent polling data has shown that a solid majority of Americans also appreciate that the January 6th committee investigation is biased toward Democrats.

Extremists on the far-right like white supremacist groups are small, poorly-funded fringe players in our nations politics with no credible platform for their views. Denying they exist, however, doesnt pass the smell test.

On the other hand, Leftist activists count on Big Tech, Big Media, Big Government, academia, and the leaders of the Democrat Party among their supporters. Thats where the GOP should focus their political fire.

Of course, January 6th wasnt 9/11. Nor was it Pearl Harbor or an insurrection. Americans understand that, and so does George W. Bush. Mr. Bush, for his part, understands that real conservatives embrace pluralism, individual liberty, and constitutional freedoms. To suggest otherwise is nonsense.

January 6th rioters have been treated in some respects much worse than Antifa and BLM terrorists. That should certainly justify some outrage.

But there is a common principle of effective communication. If youre explaining, youre losing. Republicans have tied themselves in knots trying to explain away or even defend January 6th for nine months. In their criticism of Mr. Bushs comments, they played into Democrats continued efforts to weaponize the travesty of that day to paint the party as extreme.

You cant defend the indefensible. Trump supporters, Republicans, and Conservatives shouldnt try.

Indeed, there are conservatives in name only who should be called out for squishy principles or lack of political courage. However, Republicans should be wary of any one group or person within what used to be called the big tent party, appointing themselves the arbiter of who is and who isnt a real Republican.

Intra-party Inquisitions, vanity politics, vicious social media campaigns, personal vendettas, and nasty labels should be consistently resisted.

Pro-freedom Americans are in a battle for the soul of this nation. Republicans need to keep their eye on the ball. Party divisions depress turnout and push voters to the other side. Republicans cant carry the mantle of American freedom and unity against the Left without exemplifying it themselves.

Tom Basile, host of Newsmax Televisions America Right Now, is an author and adjunct professor at Fordham Universitys Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, where he teaches earned media strategy.

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Republican divides boost the left - Washington Times

Pat Cole

By Pat Cole

It certainly has gotten nasty with the bizarre and violent protests weve been getting in Olympia, not only last week but for a while now. To be clear, Im not referring to Black Lives Matter or any one of a number of peaceful political protests with a clearly defined purpose and message that we get in our capital city.

Protesting in itself is a patriotic activity. The right to gather non-violently for sending a message to our politicians and other citizens is protected in the very first amendment to the U.S. Constitution in the Bill of Rights. Heres what it says (my emphasis):

Congress shall makeno law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Though we may not like the message we cant dispute the right to gather and send that message as long as its peaceful and non-violent.

In case you missed it, on Sat., Sept. 4, armed groups identifying as Proud Boys and Antifa showed up in downtown Olympia. They shouted obscenities, intimidated shoppers and visitors and damaged property. Other right-wing activists have pledged to reassemble in Olympia and Washington, DC this Saturday.

Seems we now have two groups of intense and violent activists from the political extremes facing off with no apparent political agenda except to cause trouble. That seems clear by just looking at how they are dressed and the weapons they carry. After watching some videos that were available about the recent events, plus seeing what the few representatives, or at least people familiar with the groups, were saying, its clear that neither group has a good grasp on what peaceful political protest is about. Nor do they seem to perceive, or maybe care, what a negative effect they are actually having on the rest of us.

They dont seem to understand how to get a political message sent in a way that anyone can understand it. Then again, that might not be their intent. A question to ask ourselves when we want to make a public stand on an issue, either by protesting, publicly speaking, writing, or privately communicating is Are we trying to get something done, or are we trying to make ourselves feel better? That question can be used to guide our behavior, moderate our language, and change our approach to a situation. Thats not a bad question to consider in any kind of negotiation or conflict; it can guide us to a more favorable outcome. What we are seeing are people behaving poorly, clearly more interested in themselves than actually trying to accomplish anything.

What are the political goals?

Im wondering if anyone can actually tell what the political goals of either of these groups are? They both came armed, spoiling for a fight. Im sure they are convinced of the righteousness of their actions and rationalize their behaviors.

Its understandable why the political left, those that believe in programs like new forms of public safety funding, progressive taxation, universal health care, dont like the Proud Boys and what they represent. But they equally dislike the behavior by the Antifa (or Anarchists or whatever flavor-of-the-month group they are) because of the harm they do to how people perceive what progressives believe in and who they are. They undermine efforts to have reasonable discussions or advance political goals, some of which they may even share. Politics are hard enough for both sides without having these clowns get in the way.

What these people dont seem to comprehend is that they are harming their own cause rather than helping it. Not only do they leave the rest of us angry and resentful, but we are left with shallow and inaccurate stereotypes of those on the opposite side of the political spectrum. The reality is that most folks on the political right are not racist, violent, ignorant bigots any more than those of us on the left are unpatriotic, violent moochers who hate America. Sadly, thats often what makes the news. We are better than that. Our beliefs have more depth, are complex and shouldnt be reduced to sound bites or left to those who embody a loud but unrepresentative minority.

The behavior of these groups also puts the police in a precarious position. How they draw the line allowing peaceful protest while dealing with violent groups is fraught with risk. Most likely some of us will be pleased with their actions and some of us will be angry. This is another example of the challenges facing our public safety system. The tone coming from Chief Jelcick in his public statement was clear yet restrained, something we can all appreciate. Ideally this will send a significant enough message to those who would re-create the conflicts we had on September 4.

I dont personally know anyone in either of these camps causing the trouble. Maybe you do? Im asking that if you do, please ask them to stop. This kind of behavior, from yelling obscenities at the top of their lungs to breaking windows and tagging buildings only makes things worse and more hostile while doing nothing to address any of the many real problems and challenges that we face. We have to do what we can to stop this community-destroying behavior. Hopefully there is a way for the more level-headed among us to reach out and stop this damaging behavior before it escalates into something worse.

Pat Cole -pcbiglife@gmail.com- is a former member of Olympia's city council. As a private citizen, he seeks to set a positive tone and lead informed discussion about local civic issues.

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Trying to get something done or just please themselves? - The Jolt News