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 09/04 — THE T-RUMP RALLY IN PENNSYLVANIA

OLD SH*T LIKE HATE - LIES - MORE LIES — DISGUST, FULL BLOWN OLD RHETORIC 

👺  Donald Trump has called President Joe Biden an "enemy of the state" at his first rally since the FBI searched his Florida resort for sensitive files.

👺  Speaking to thousands of supporters in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the ex-president accused Mr Biden of weaponizing the FBI against him.  The raid was "one of the most shocking abuses of power by any administration in American history", Mr Trump claimed.  

👺  He was in the state to promote two Republican candidates.  Dr Mehmet Oz is running for the US Senate, and state Senator Doug Mastriano is in the race to become Pennsylvania's next governor.  Both spoke only briefly - as always, the rally on Saturday night was really about one person: the headliner and Supreme Scumbag—  

👺Mr Trump, 76, spent the first part of his nearly two-hour speech criticizing the FBI search early last month.  FBI agents conducting the search found dozens of empty folders marked as classified, and top secret files were recovered from his personal office.  Mr Trump, who is being investigated over his handling of classified records, denies wrongdoing.   If he is charged with treason, he might have to worry the evidence is overwhelming. 

👺  Apart from the raid, the former president returned to familiar themes at the Pennsylvania rally: false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, attacks on rivals in the Democratic Party, and promises to “ Save our country".  Several times, he called for people who deal drugs to receive the death penalty.

👺  He only reminded us what a denigrating scumbag he really is and actually opened two rabbit holes — 

👺  T-Rumps guest speaker was a Jan 6th - sympathizer calling herself a Charity, with the purpose of support for the prisoners and convicted felons of January 6th.   Her “ Charity” is a fraud —  with several states and the IRS now digging — She wants us to believe we should free those held by the government on charges of sedition,  insurrection etc and calls herself a charity — 

👺   He said only liars and crooks took the firth amendment to the constitution — When subpoenaed by Congress he took it 440 times —   If Trump were subpoenaed to turn over material that may be classified, his lawyers would have the right to claim that the very act of producing these documents would be incriminating. It would constitute an admission that he possessed these contraband documents. 

09/05/2022   CNN  —  “When President Biden warned there are some elements in this extreme group that are semi-Fascist, maybe he didn’t need to use ‘semi,” the California Democrat told CNN’s Jim Acosta on “Newsroom,” referring to the current President’s recent remarks about “MAGA Republicans.” 

Biden in late August rebuked Republicans who have stuck to the credo of his predecessor, labeling it “semi-fascism.”

The speaker at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally was Cynthia Hughes, the leader of a support group for January 6 defendants like Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, “Hitler mustache.” whose case went viral after the Justice Department released photos of him sporting a distinctive growth on his upper lip —  Make Adolf proud!

Trump’s decision to feature a speaker highlighting such a case, when there are hundreds of other Capitol riot defendants to cite as examples, prompted a pointed response from Lofgren, also a member of the House Judiciary Committee:

“Being a supporter of Adolf Hitler does put you in the Fascist category; there is no semi about it. I do think this is troubling.”

ED- COMMENT — Would some one tell Cynthia Hughes she parked her broomstick in a no-parking zone  

Signaling support for Capitol rioters was just one example of how Trump used his first rally since the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago to pander to his base, railing against Biden, whom he called an “enemy of the state,” the FBI and Justice Department, and only briefly touting the Pennsylvania Senate and gubernatorial candidates he was in Wilkes-Barre to campaign for. 

The rally came just days after the former President said he would “very, very seriously” consider full pardons for Capitol rioters if he runs in 2024 and wins.

ED COMMENT — Is this an optical illusion or am I looking at those Trumpets really scraping the bottom of the barrel getting people to attend — the mal-function —  

During the Saturday rally, Hughes pointed to the fact that Hale-Cusanelli, whom she called her nephew, had been kept in jail since his arrest nearly two years ago as an example of what she called the broader injustice facing defendants in January 6-related cases. 

While true that Hale-Cusanelli was not charged with any violent crimes, the judge in his case decided he should remain in jail while he awaited trial because he posed a threat to the public and that there was a potential for an “escalation of violence” from his alleged long-held neo-Nazi beliefs. 

“I am very concerned about the statements after January 6 suggesting that the defendant is looking forward to a civil war,” federal Judge Trevor McFadden said at a court hearing roughly two months after Hale-Cusanelli’s arrest in January 2021. 

“Every judge is afraid of releasing somebody who then goes crazy,” McFadden, a Trump appointee, said during the March 2021 hearing. “There’s a lot in here that makes me worried about that.” 

Prosecutors had brought up police reports from 2020 where Jewish people accused Hale-Cusanelli of harassment. They said they were worried he might go after an informant who gave the FBI information that helped their case. And they mentioned that some coworkers at the Navy base where he worked in New Jersey felt afraid to confront him about his racist and sexist comments. 

Marshall Cohen Greatly Contributed To This Report —

During his May trial, prosecutors played video of Hale-Cusanelli yelling a sexist slur at a female police officer during the riot and played audio and showed text messages from the defendant where he expressed anti-Semitic views, accusing Jewish people of controlling Biden, and said he wanted civil war.

Hale-Cusanelli, who claimed he didn’t know Congress met at the United States Capitol, has denied being a member of any White supremacist groups. He testified that he is half Jewish and half Puerto Rican – and that his racist slurs were always meant to be “ironic” and “self-deprecating humor.” 

A jury convicted him on all counts earlier this year and he’ll be sentenced later this month.  He was the fifth January 6 rioter to be convicted by a jury in Washington, DC, and faces up to 20 years behind bars for the felony of obstructing an official proceeding. The ultimate sentence, however, will likely be far lower.

An internal Navy probe found 34 colleagues who said he held "extremist or radical views pertaining to the Jewish people, minorities and women." FBI found racist memes with the N-word on his phone. He told an informant that he hoped for "civil war.” 

He'll be sentenced later this month. For his part, Cusanelli has denied being a member of any white supremacist groups.  He testified that he is half Jewish and half Puerto Rican — and that his racist slurs were always meant to be "ironic" and "self-deprecating humor."

TWITTER COMMENTS  —  Names Withheld — Verified - Humor is Not Dead Yet

👺  This guy should never walk the streets again — 
👺  As if his mustache was not a giveaway —  
👺  Anytime the FBI needs some credit they go to this well. Like throwing a fishing net into a koi pond— 
👺  "Nazi sympathizer." Obvious he was, but that photo and his history make it pretty clear that he is an actual Nazi—    
👺  Come on. He's just a simple Charlie Chaplin fan. This is just so UNFAIR.
👺  Let me guess — he's angry because he keeps getting rejected by women  —  
👺  Scratch the surface of a Trump Supporter and this is what you find --
👺  I've sent some rap music to you - 
👺  Wonder how long until CNN deletes that =
👺  FBI already jailed many Jan 6 insurrectionist. The last one from NY get 10 years. We have more room on jail—   
👺  Mustache was a clue —  
👺  It was immediately obvious to everyone --
👺  And he’s never, ever, been laid --
👺  How did he hold that job acting like this?
👺  But he dressed in a suit & wore his favorite hat!!!

TIME FOR TRUTH NOT LIES ABOUT — OUR SYMPATHIZER — HISTORY — 

Timothy Louis Hale-Cusanelli (born c. 1990) is an American convicted felon and White supremacist. He is a former U.S. Army reservist and civilian security contractor at the Naval Weapons Station Earle. Hale-Cusanelli was convicted of five charges including a felony for his participation during the 2021 United States Capitol attack.

After high school, Hale-Cusanelli enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves as a human resources specialist. He studied history at a community college. On August 4, 2010, twenty year old Hale-Cusanelli of Freehold Township, New Jersey was charged with the unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, criminal mischief, and conspiracy.

In March 2011, after stabbing his mother's boyfriend in a domestic dispute, Hale-Cusanelli was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. The charges were dismissed.

By 2020, Hale-Cusanelli was employed by HBC Management as a civilian security contractor at Naval Weapons Station Earle. He held a security clearance.    Hale-Cusanelli served in the U.S. Army Reserves for 12 years.   At the time of the 2021 United States Capitol attack, he was a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves working in human resources.   In May 2021, he was demoted to private and then had an other than honorable discharge in June 2021.

Hale-Cusanelli drove to Washington, D.C. the morning of January 6. He entered the Senate Wing Door of the United States Capitol at 2:12 pm and remained inside for 40 minutes.  On January 17, 2021, Hale-Cusanelli was arrested in Colts Neck Township, New Jersey due to his participation in the 2021 United States Capitol attack.  He was arraigned on March 23, 2021 where he pleaded not guilty on all counts.   On May 27, 2022, Hale-Cusanelli was found guilty on all charges including a felony for his participation in the January 6 attack.   The case held before U.S. district judge Trevor N. McFadden.  Court documents showed Hale-Cusanelli's affinity for Adolf Hitler, support of the Nazi genocide, and his dislike of women, minorities, and immigrants.  During the trial, he self-identified as half-Jewish and half-Puerto Rican.  Prosecutors cited examples of him supporting White supremacy.  His sentencing is scheduled for September 16, 2022. 

TIME FOR TRUTH NOT LIES  —  WHATS IN A NAME TRUTH SCORE  —ZERO—

THE PATRIOT FREEDOM PROJECT  —  

👺  The nonprofit Patriot Freedom Project became one of the most prominent groups supporting the "political prisoners" criminally charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Now - after facing criticism from some on the pro-Trump right, family members of defendants and experts in charity law - the controversial group has announced it is replacing members of its board of trustees and "revamping" its website.

👺  In January, NPR first reported that family members of Capitol riot defendants felt the Patriot Freedom Project was not transparent enough about how it was spending the roughly $900,000 it had received in donations. Charity experts also told NPR they saw "red flags" in the group's practices, such as the fact that the organization's board of trustees consisted of three people: group president Cynthia Hughes, Hughes' sister-in-law, and Hughes' 24-year-old son. 

👺  A spokesperson for the Patriot Freedom Project previously rejected any criticism of the group. The spokesperson, who would only comment to NPR on the condition of anonymity, insisted that the group was a model of transparency and argued that it was an asset that family members made up the Patriot Freedom Project's board, likening it to a mom-and-pop operation.

Since NPR's story, however, Hughes has said publicly said that her family members are no longer on the board.  ED-  They just hang around —  

The Patriot Freedom Project's website also now features an updated document entitled "Statement of Activities." The document was first uploaded to the group's site in December, but the content of the document has changed since NPR's story. (Despite the modifications, it still bears the date of Dec. 9, 2021.) 

Among those changes: the document previously included a sentence that stated, "No one is going to get rich off the Foundation.”   $900,000 dollars is not chump change.  That sentence no longer appears in the document on the group's website.

🚩  Experts see 'red flags' at nonprofit raising big money for Capitol riot defendants  —   The document currently on the group's website also features a caution to potential donors that the group "cannot guarantee" the IRS will grant the Patriot Freedom Project tax-exempt status, so their donations may not be deductible at tax time. The earlier version of the document stated the group was preparing its application for tax-exempt status and "contributions are deductible."

👺  Some Capitol riot defendants and their families tell NPR they remain skeptical of Hughes and her organization. Concerns highlighted by charity experts have not all been addressed. And government authorities in four states told NPR they were examining whether the Patriot Freedom Project was complying with their state's laws on charitable registration.

👺  A spokesperson for the Patriot Freedom Project did not respond to NPR's detailed questions for this story. Instead, the organization sent the same statement it provided in January, which said, in part, "We will never stop fighting for these people, their families and children, and if the government funded media doesn't like it will do it even more.”

CHANGING THE BOARD — PROMISES AND MORE LIES —  

👺  After NPR's initial story on the Patriot Freedom Project, Steve Bannon invited Hughes to respond on his popular pro-Trump show, "War Room," which is available nationwide as a podcast, online video stream, and even on satellite TV. Hughes has become a "War Room" regular and Bannon has pledged that a portion of  “ transaction fees" from his latest cryptocurrency venture will be donated to the Patriot Freedom Project.

👺  In her interview,  Hughes suggested the decision to install her family members on the three-member board of trustees was the result of moving to set up the organization quickly.  "I had to come up with board members," Hughes told Bannon. “ I put my son, my sister-in-law - who is a Democrat, by the way - on the board."   In general, nonprofit boards are supposed to provide independent oversight of the group's activities. Charity experts say having a board made up exclusively of family members can create conflicts of interest.

👺  “ They're not on the board now," Hughes told Bannon. "We have diversified the board. We have two board members that are not related to me that will be released very soon.”  Since that interview on Bannon's show, which aired on Jan. 31, the group does not appear to have publicly identified the new board members, and did not provide their names when NPR asked.

More stalling , more bullshit

THE CAPITOL SIEGE: THE CASES BEHIND THE BIGGEST CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION IN U.S. HISTORY

👺  In her interview with Bannon, Hughes also alluded to other growing pains for the group, which formed last summer.    "In the beginning of this process, I didn't have good people around me," Hughes said. "I had people who were not so honest with me. Now I have great people in my camp."  

👺  Hughes also discussed for the first time her financial problems, including a bankruptcy filing from the early 2000s. 

👺  The spokesperson for the Patriot Freedom Project previously declined to comment to NPR regarding Hughes' financial situation. On Bannon's show, Hughes said that her earlier bankruptcy stemmed from what she characterized as an abusive previous marriage. "I had to file bankruptcy because of the financial problems that this man brought to my life," Hughes told Bannon.   Now, Hughes said, "I don't have financial problems."

👺  Hughes did not address the lawsuits she has filed in recent years, in which she publicly disclosed more current money troubles.
For example, in 2018 she stated in court documents that her family had experienced "serious financial hardship" in a lawsuit against credit rating agencies, demanding changes to her credit rating and $15,000 in damages.
That lawsuit resulted in a settlement with one party, and outright dismissal with the others. 

REGISTERING WITH STATE CHARITY REGULATORS  

👺  In her interview with Bannon, Hughes also did not address the fact that the Patriot Freedom Project, which is headquartered in New Jersey and operates under the legal name Hughes Advocacy Foundation, had not registered with the state Attorney General's office. Under New Jersey law, charities are generally required to register with the state within 30 days of raising $10,000 in a fiscal year. 

👺  Because the group solicits donations online and on national platforms like Bannon's "War Room," experts said the group also has to be mindful of charity registration requirements in other states, too.  "Most states have some requirement of registering within their state," said Philip Hackney, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and an expert in nonprofit law. "If you are soliciting across radio and TV or even the internet, you're pretty quickly soliciting across 50 states."

👺  In some cases, those registration requirements kick in before an organization starts raising money. Regulators often "require advanced registration prior to soliciting charitable donations or holding funds for charitable purposes in that particular state," said Erin Bradrick, an attorney with the NEO Law Group, who has worked in nonprofit law for nearly a decade. 

👺  "I think that we're seeing state Attorneys General increasingly step into an expanded role in terms of data collection and enforcement with respect to charities," said Bradrick.   NPR checked with government regulators in places where the group appears to have solicited or received donations from local residents: California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, and New York.   Government agencies in all of those jurisdictions told NPR the group had not yet registered. 

👺  In California, the state's Department of Justice issued a "Notice to Register" to the group on Feb. 1, requesting that the organization provide a set of detailed records within 30 days. The offices of attorneys general in Illinois and New York said they were examining whether the group was complying with state law. In Florida, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services oversees charities, and they said they were also evaluating whether the organization needed to file a registration. 

👺  As for the organization's home state of New Jersey, a spokesperson for the Division of Consumer Affairs at the state Attorney General's office said the agency was "aware of reports regarding Patriot Freedom Project," but could neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation, citing general policy. 

The Patriot Freedom Project did not respond to NPR's questions about its registration. The organization does state on its website that it “ is committed to operating prudently and effectively, with appropriate transparency, and in compliance with the Internal Revenue Code; state laws regulating fundraising; and all other applicable laws.”

POLITICAL STATEMENTS — 

👺  There may be another obstacle to the Patriot Freedom Project receiving the IRS' blessing as a tax-exempt entity: its statements about politics.   The IRS has "an absolute prohibition" on 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations intervening in partisan political campaigns, said Bradrick.

👺  On Jan. 26, the group's twitter account said, “ We need to take down Chris Smith and the alleged [R]epublican VanDrew!" Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew are both Republican members of Congress from New Jersey and are currently running for re-election. 
We need to do the same here in NJ and take down Chris Smith and the alleged republican VanDrew! Chris Smith claims he is for veterans but yet refuses to lift a finger to help the 3 NJ men being held against their will at DC GITMO! We will never achieve change with these RINOS! 

"That's exactly the type of thing that violates the prohibition on political campaign intervention," said Hackney. The group has also tweeted statements suggesting Trump should run for President again.   Because Trump has not officially declared that he is running for office, Hackney said, it's less clear whether those statements violate the law.  Either way, the IRS may give those statements a close look when evaluating whether to grant the Patriot Freedom Project tax-exempt status.

"The IRS might say, 'Sorry, you appear to be engaged in political campaign intervention' and deny your application as a result," Hackney said.   If the IRS does deny the group's application, the Patriot Freedom Project may have to pay taxes, and donors would not be able write off their contributions to the group. 

RESPONSE FROM CAPITOL RIOT DEFENDANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES —  
The Patriot Freedom Project has received national prominence and support from leading pro-Trump figures such as Bannon, US Senate candidate J.D. Vance, author and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza and radio host Clay Travis. But opinions of the group among actual Capitol riot defendants and their families remain divided. 

Some, such as Trish Priller, have publicly vouched for the group. Prosecutors have said Priller's husband, Christopher Worrell, is a member of far-right group the Proud Boys, and that he attacked police guarding the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 with a can of "pepper spray gel." Worrell has pleaded not guilty. Priller told NPR in a message that the group "helped many wives & children pay their bills, home repairs, food, car repairs, diapers, Christmas and has also secured lawyers. If Cynthia didn't create the Patriot Freedom Project many families would have suffered."

Bonnie Nichols, whose husband Ryan has pleaded not guilty to allegations that he used a chemical spray to assault police on Jan. 6, 2021, told the conservative website The Federalist that the group provided financial assistance and emotional support to her family. "I don't know where we would be if we didn't have that support," she said.

Other family members remain highly critical of the group. "I really am pissed off," said the family member of one defendant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of backlash from the group. They were particularly upset that the group said it may use a portion of the hundreds of thousands of donated funds to hire employees, rather than directly support defendants.

On its most recent "Statement of Activities" the group said that while, “  no one has taken a salary" yet, "we will potentially hire several employees, all of whom will be paid reasonable salaries for the work they are doing." 

Two men charged in connection with the Capitol riot also contacted NPR and raised concerns about "favoritism" by the group's leadership.   Troy Smocks did not go to the Capitol on Jan. 6, but was present in Washington, D.C. that day. He pleaded guilty to sending threats against public officials on the social media platform Parler, and was recently released from the D.C. jail. He said the Patriot Freedom Project only seemed to support a small fraction of all defendants. 

"More than half of the guys in jail  are not listed on their site," he said. In fact, out of more than 700 Capitol riot defendants, only 40 are currently listed on the group's website along with their individual fundraising pages. 

UPDATE AND COLLUSION , LIES AND BULLSH*T—  

As of last December, the group stated that it held more than $500,000 that it had not yet spent. Though Smocks said he is dealing with serious money trouble from being locked up, he said he had not received any support from the Patriot Freedom Project, and questioned why the group had not provided aid to more defendants. 

Smocks said he felt like groups like the Patriot Freedom Project and others raising money for these cases were more in it for themselves than the defendants.

"They use the events of Jan. 6 and the detainees in order to pad their own resumes and enrich themselves," said Smocks. The spokesperson for the Patriot Freedom Project declined to address Smocks' criticisms on the record.