This week in Arizona far-right extremism...
October 26, 2022 - November 2, 2022
MINIMIZING AN ATTEMPTED POLITICAL ASSASSINATION:
On October 28, 2022 Paul Pelosi, the husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked in a home invasion. The (alleged) assailant, David DePape, assaulted Paul Pelosi with the hammer that left Pelosi with a skull fracture and requiring surgery. DePape maintained an online blog featuring many notable conspiracies/beliefs now common in the right-wing ecosystem, including QAnon, Pizzagate, Holocaust denial, COVID-19 misinformation, anti-vaccination propaganda, and overall racism and misogyny. DePape himself cited “Gamergate” as his point of radicalization. DePape also admitted his attack was politically-motivated, hoping to target Speaker Pelosi, who was away in D.C., instead of her husband.
Despite the obvious nature of the attack, the usual purveyors of disinformation were working overtime to state otherwise. Some cried “false flag,” while others pushed a homophobic lie about a “lover’s quarrel” turned sour between Paul Pelosi and his attacker. Twitter’s new top shitposter, Elon Musk, also contributed by sharing a “news” article from a website that previously claimed Hillary Clinton had been replaced by a body double.
In Arizona, the radicalized GOP laughed at the attempted political assassination. Groyper-friendly, Oath Keeper state senator Wendy Rogers shared a fake post mocking the attack. She would double down on the fake Amazon screenshot after getting called out by local news.
“Phony?! REALLY? At last count, Amazon had THREE DIFFERENT ads for said item,” Rogers lied across her social media accounts.
State senate candidate, dirty ex-cop, and January 6th insurrectionist Anthony Kern also laughed at Paul Pelosi’s attempted murder:
At a MAGA-friendly rally, Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake “joked” about the violent assault on Paul Pelosi: “Nancy Pelosi, well, she’s got protection when she’s in DC — apparently her house doesn’t have a lot of protection.”
Multiple journalists on-the-ground reported that Lake’s “joke” was the most well-received comment of the night. The crowd erupted in laughter, including the man interviewing Lake on stage.
On Tuesday November 1st, Lake also held a joint rally with Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk, who had also mocked the Pelosi attack on The Charlie Kirk Show the day before:
“If some amazing patriot out there in San Francisco or the Bay Area wants to really be a midterm hero, someone should go and bail this guy out. I bet his bail is like 30 or 40 thousand bucks. Bail him out and then go ask him some questions. They’re going after him for attempted murder, political assassination, all this kind of stuff. I’m not qualifying it, I think it’s awful, it’s not right but why is it that in Chicago you’re able to commit murder and be out the next day?”
MORE INFO: In an excellent article highlighting the relationship between the Phoenix-headquartered Turning Point USA and the Arizona Republican Party see: Hostile takeover: Turning Point USA and the Remaking of Arizona's Republican Party by Richard Ruelas [archived link for non-subscribers] or LISTEN: I briefly cover some of TPUSA’s shenanigans in Arizona on this week’s episode of “THE ABSOLUTE STATE” with Abner Häuge of Left Coast Right Watch.
”WE ARE WATCHING YOU:” Local journalist Elias Weiss covers “Ben Sent Us,” the mysterious person or group that’s been posting threatening flyers around Arizona. More recently, Ben Sent Us mailed over a dozen threatening letters to local Democrat Party chairpersons. Back in September, threatening flyers were placed on the vehicles at the Tucson RoadHouse Cinemas parking lot. Full article: I’m Watching You’: Cops Probe Creepy Election Letters to Arizona Democrats, Voters,[archived link for non-subscribers].
New from AZRWW on LCRW News: Last month, an LGBTQ+ inclusive book reading at the Tucson Children’s Museum was canceled after a wave of far-right threats. I sat down with the president of Drag Story Hour Arizona to discuss the local network of anti-LGBTQ+ fascists fueling this hate. From Libs of TikTok to Kari Lake to the more explicitly violent neo-nazis terrorizing the Arizona LGBTQ+ community: Arizona’s LGBTQ+ and Drag Communities are Being Terrorized. Nobody’s Listening
#AZProblemChild Identified: Online antifascist researchers, including myself (AZRWW), @Elea123456, and the Sedition Hunters, identified the masked man who made headlines for terrorizing Arizona voters at the Mesa ballot dropbox as Elias Joseph Humiston. Originally from North Carolina and still registered to vote there, Humiston and people affiliated with him have been staking out voting centers since (at least) the August 2022 primary election. In uncovered videos, Humiston can be found bragging about his affiliation with the far-right Three Percenters. Other videos show Humiston associating with other far-right groups including the “convoy”-adjacent American Freedom Movement and the local chapter of Overpasses for America.
No Gods, No (Blake) Masters: Editor to The Informant and expert in far-right extremism Nick Martin noticed a recent campaign donation to Peter Thiel-backed senatorial candidate Blake Masters. It showed a $5000 donation from the National Pro-Life Alliance PAC. As Martin describes: “A group that describes abortion as a ‘holocaust’ and advocates for a fetal personhood law that could ban all abortions without exception as well as IUDs and morning-after pills.” Masters has previously shown his extreme views on birth control and abortion on his website and in speeches. Before he quietly removed it, Masters’ website for AZ Senate featured a bullet point highlighting his desire to end Griswold v. Connecticut, the Supreme Court decision protecting the right to buy and use contraceptives without government restriction.
STAY BACK WEIRDOS: A temporary restraining order has been placed against the numerous groups organizing voter intimidation patrols at AZ ballot boxes, including Clean Elections USA. Armed vigilantes must stay at least 250 feet back, unarmed ballot box watchers can't go within 75 feet of the drop boxes, they may not engage the voters unless they are spoken to first, and Clean Elections USA founder Melody Jennings was court ordered to correct one of her many lies on TruthSocial. Seen here:
REACH OUT: An antisemitic flyer was seen pasted to a newsstand at the Arizona State University campus. Content warning: [link to original Reddit post]. If you have any details about who left this hateful flyer on ASU campus, my email is AZRWW@protonmail.com and you can remain anonymous.
Mark Finchem Lies, As Usual: In a totally normal Twitter post, Oath Keeper Secretary of State candidate attempted to distance himself from the far-right militia:
“I love the Jews. I am not a member of Oath Keepers but there is nothing wrong with swearing an oath to the US Constitution, and I am not a violent man. I will #JustFollowTheLaw. Open your eyes, sir. #AZSOS”
Finchem has a habit of posting antisemitic tropes about George Soros in between posts about “loving the Jews.” This election cycle, Finchem has also touted an endorsement from the deeply antisemitic, white Christian supremacist CEO of Gab, Andrew Torba. His statement to “love the Jews” is just as ridiculous as his claim to be unaffiliated with the Oath Keepers.
Mark Finchem has openly discussed his membership with the Oath Keepers, his Oro Valley address appears in the leaked OK data rolls and he has shared information relating to the local Yavapai County chapter. During his September debate with Democrat opponent Adrian Fontes, Finchem even promoted the Oath Keeper-linked Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association.
See also: Mark Finchem has raised nearly $10,000 from Oath Keepers by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy
MUST WATCH: Last night, Jordan Klepper’s ongoing series (The Daily Show With Trevor Noah Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers The Midterms — America Unfollows Democracy) premiered an episode covering elections in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. His Arizona coverage included footage and interviews from the October 9, 2022 Trump/Kari Lake rally in Mesa and a segment with the Arizona Oath Keepers who’ve been organizing ballot box intimidation patrols.
More on the Arizona Oath Keepers, commonly referred to as the Yavapai County Preparedness Team. More on The Lions of Liberty, the AZ-Oath Keeper affiliated group that’s been organizing their voter intimidation efforts. AZRWW’s thread from the Mesa, AZ rally featured in the episode.
Pictured: Jordan Klepper and crew at the Mesa, AZ Trump rally 10/9/2022, Photo by AZRWW.