Virus and vaccine misinformation

This crisis is bad enough without lies.

We're still debunking misinformation about COVID-19. Why? Because hoaxes travel fast, and many claims about the pandemic need clarification. https://t.co/LqLfuMWMvU pic.twitter.com/t2QCMLJPVb
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) February 20, 2021

I wrote about how vaccine misinformation mixes with extreme faith online. It’s a piece of the misinfo story that’s often overlooked, but one that many families and churches are struggling with right now. https://t.co/fBy18RXdXR
— Dr. Lizza “kiddo” Dwoskin (@lizzadwoskin) February 16, 2021

This is from project I did last few months on vaccine willingness and link to misinfo. Data shows it is more a mix of conspiracy theories, but interestingly, which ones resonate most differ across subgroups. So for some it is a cross with Qanon, others its nefarious corporate etc
— Peter W. Singer (@peterwsinger) February 19, 2021

Facebook ramps up effort to curb COVID-19 vaccines misinfo https://t.co/Y2kdIGTkxt pic.twitter.com/3tVTaa4k46
— Prosyscom (@prosyscom_it) February 13, 2021

There's a new rule of no antivax posts of any kind. Covid misinfo has always been a strike but it's only now they're acting on the antivax problem they helped bring to the world.https://t.co/0g78oeUPEr
— celerysorbet (@CelerySorbet) February 17, 2021

This study suggests recent exposure to online misinfo about the COVID-19 vaccine in the UK and US could reduce intent to vaccinate by ~6 percentage pointshttps://t.co/Oqki1t2Ary
— Alexios (@Mantzarlis) February 17, 2021

Lots of misinfo circulating wrongly suggesting Covid vaccine can harm fertility- but this is completely baseless https://t.co/I9aTre7GTL
— Rachel Schraer (@rachelschraer) February 13, 2021

In Rochester at Mayo Clinic speaking out against vaccine misinformation online. Check out any reputable health website (including Mayo’s and CDC) to get the truth.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Mayo Clinic unite against online vaccine 'infodemic' | Post Bulletin https://t.co/CUvyrwHh1c
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) February 18, 2021

At first, China worked to contain COVID conspiracy theories. But after weeks of fiery rhetoric from President Trump and top Republicans, Beijing fought back.

China launched what may be its first truly global digital disinfo campaign. pic.twitter.com/sMyp6rkroO
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 16, 2021

DISINFO WARS: @TomPerez, @MariaTeresa & @GoAngelo team up to create Latino Anti-Disinformation Lab. First target: COVID-19. Second target: Mid-term elections. Read about the $22 million project, first reported here–>https://t.co/A2tjASqn6W
— Jonathan Allen (@jonallendc) February 17, 2021

"Some GOP state lawmakers are using their platform to promote false information about the virus, the steps needed to limit its spread and the vaccines that will pull the nation out of the pandemic…" https://t.co/aWYH808QYV
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) February 28, 2021

The GOP is an extremist party

The majority of the Republican party still supports Trump and believes the election was stolen. Many believe violence is justified. It’s not just a wing – it’s an extremist party now and that is dangerous for the whole country.

Has the extremist wing of the GOP coalition grown too big for the party to confront? asks CNN's Ronald Brownstein https://t.co/b8vECGEWhJ
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 14, 2021

After the ballots are counted: Conspiracies, political violence, and American exceptionalism – The Survey Center on American Life (americansurveycenter.org)

A 'Scary' Survey Finding: 4 In 10 Republicans Say Political Violence May Be Necessary https://t.co/IJLY5aMHqt
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) February 11, 2021

refers to the survey linked to above which is also discussed in the column linked to in the first tweet

After impeachment acquittal, Trump remains dominant in GOP https://t.co/yUGgDlaqvI pic.twitter.com/hWk5FqH2DM
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) February 14, 2021

Large chunks of the GOP are evolving out of the Western small d democratic tradition choice by choice, as discussed below. The vote not to hold Trump accountable for a violent insurrection that culminated a campaign to subvert the vote marks a milestone https://t.co/hqSVMXE2PQ https://t.co/qtlnL9hR6q
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) February 14, 2021

Some state GOPs have swiftly rebuked Republican senators who voted to find former President Trump guilty of inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, with Sens. Bill Cassidy and Richard Burr both facing backlash https://t.co/CooR4QDqAQ
— Axios (@axios) February 14, 2021

Really moving the party past Trump! https://t.co/bl3ulGbJzf
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) February 14, 2021

“Trump’s acquittal only confirms what many…had long pointed out: In some fundamental sense, much of the GOP is no longer functioning as an actor in a democracy. ⁦@NormOrnstein⁩ & Thomas Mann called this way back in 2012.”
⁦@ThePlumLineGS⁩ https://t.co/fNRpkDmuar
— EJ Dionne (@EJDionne) February 14, 2021

The GOP is in danger of becoming an authoritarian party like right-wing parties in Poland, Turkey, and Hungary. Talking with @FWhitfield. pic.twitter.com/dFmRckqjaL
— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) February 14, 2021

There's a lot in this piece about why GOP senators may have voted to save Trump. (I do think folks underestimate the possibility that many senators are fine with him.) Whatever the cause: This is Trump's party, & he's the 2024 GOP frontrunner for now https://t.co/32EhIeFnga
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) February 14, 2021

Gallup finds that American public support for a third party is at a high point of 62%, driven by a sharp new GOP spike on this question. 👇

The same poll shows 68% of Republicans want Donald Trump to remain the leader, while 31% want the party to have a new leader. pic.twitter.com/vOMh4CwVqg
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 15, 2021

Right-wing Sicknick conspiracy theory

The lies about Sicknick are the Seth Rich libel all over again. https://t.co/XaCFZhKvfK
— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) February 12, 2021

There's now a Brian Sicknick "truth movement" on the right, which suggests Sicknick either died of natural causes or was murdered to tarnish ex-President Trump. Today this new conspiracy theory made its way to National Review. I trace it to its source. https://t.co/PA0vmZldjN
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 11, 2021

Remarkable article in NRO. Andrew McCarthy suggests that officer Sicknick likely just happened to die of natural causes on the same day the insurrection occurred. https://t.co/crpCpMwbvD
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 11, 2021

Expel Marjorie Taylor Greene

She doesn’t deserve to be in the House. I am skeptical that McCarthy will do anything to discipline her because Trump likes Greene.

Update – The Democrats will have to do what Republicans won’t do.

We've updated our guide to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-GA) conspiracy theories and toxic rhetoric. There are more than two dozen examples. https://t.co/9tX1AwNCw1
— Eric Hananoki (@ehananoki) February 2, 2021

GOP congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene has made racist, Islamaphobic, anti-Semitic and conspiratorial comments.

Republicans supporting her:

-Donald Trump
-Kevin McCarthy
-Kelly Loeffler
-Doug Collins
-Matt Gaetz
-Jim Jordan
-Andy Biggshttps://t.co/LhwDWU9JR0
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) August 14, 2020

Jim Jordan says Republicans holding Marjorie Taylor Greene accountable for her remarks (which include social media posts endorsing the murder of the House Speaker) is a slippery slope: "Tell me where it ends. Who's next? Think of the cancel culture." pic.twitter.com/pi3MJtRxuk
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 3, 2021

Nonsense1

Marjorie Taylor Greene literally filmed herself saying Obama is secretly a Muslim, the Clintons killed JFK Jr., Pentagon attack on 9/11 is questionable, etc. Is Lindsey suggesting the numerous videos of her saying stuff like this are manipulated? https://t.co/NlzKSVJSJc
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 2, 2021

A few minutes ago I was about to correct someone who said that Marjorie Taylor Greene was a Sandy Hook truther and tell them "no, she's a Parkland truther."

Turns out…she's both.

What a disgrace. What a horrible human being. https://t.co/DnNmCUxT1T
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) January 21, 2021

I sent Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's office a list of my fact check findings and invited her to comment on any of them. Her communications director wrote back, "Here's our comment: 'CNN is fake news.'" https://t.co/R6slUFDpTf
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 21, 2021

Not only was I bar mitzvahed, but I dovened musaf as well as my haftarah. My father worked three decades+ for B’nai B’rith. I’ve known the difference between Bismarck and matjes herring since age 8. And I still don’t have my Jewish Space Laser? Fuck whoever’s running this tribe.
— David Simon (@AoDespair) January 29, 2021

#JewishSpaceLasers may be funny unless you contemplate how many of these conspiracy theories are rooted in anti Semitism and racism and how many elected officials are helping to mainstream them because they frankly don’t care if it ends up getting anyone hurt or killed.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 29, 2021

SCOOP: During previously unreported meetings last summer, House Republican leaders discussed — but then largely set aside — fears that QAnon-supporting conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene would end up a flaming trainwreck for their party. https://t.co/4NAj56sken
— Axios (@axios) January 29, 2021

I have questions about Rep. Greene's theory that the California wildfires were started by the Rothschilds using a space laser in order to clear land for high-speed rail https://t.co/mZ2nL5luwz
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) January 28, 2021

SCOOP: @mtgreene was the moderator of a Facebook group that featured death threats and racist memes and shared a wide variety of conspiracy theories. It also endorsed the John Birch Society! Please read, RT, and share.https://t.co/LJWKLgJodS
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) February 3, 2021

.@secupp breaks down why the comparison between Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) doesn't add up. https://t.co/JTl7lcblEh
— CNN Opinion (@CNNOpinion) February 3, 2021

HOYER now commenting on MTG controversy on his pen and pad:

"She has placed many members in fear for their welfare," Hoyer tells reporters.

"The language that she has used, in many respects, goes far beyond the remarks that Steve King made through the years."
— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) February 3, 2021

“As Republican senators prepare to acquit Trump at his impeachment trial, they are going to extraordinary lengths to bury what Trump is…accused of doing, that is, inciting a violent insurrectionist assault on lawmakers themselves.”
⁦@ThePlumLineGS⁩ https://t.co/zu5wKRPiph
— EJ Dionne (@EJDionne) February 3, 2021

House Democrats are forging ahead with a resolution to strip Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments https://t.co/PP4X4NsMq4
— POLITICO (@politico) February 3, 2021

Yes, Marjorie Taylor Greene is awful. But Trump—who called Greene a “real WINNER”—is far worse.

As long as Trump remains a force within the GOP, the cancer afflicting the party will continue to metastasize. @PostOpinions https://t.co/SwtT2gDEpf
— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) February 3, 2021

Marjorie Taylor Greene would be in rare company if she is kicked off her committees https://t.co/xvI7rFlEHw
— Post Politics (@postpolitics) February 3, 2021

Spot. On. https://t.co/flLFBlLBqD
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) February 3, 2021

"as long as there are conspiracy theorists seeking scapegoats to blame for the nation’s problems, there will be anti-Semites. That’s because anti-Semitism is the world’s biggest and most durable conspiracy theory." https://t.co/j2aLzQMglQ
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) February 3, 2021

Nah, Marge.

It's because you're crazier than a shithouse rat in a sugarcane field. https://t.co/pxe0yfI1eg
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) February 3, 2021

People like Marco Rubio want us to stop paying attention to Marjorie Taylor Greene. No, we must not ignore the threat posed to us all by deranged, politically-driven conspiracy theorists. From me. https://t.co/Kyw6GspNvS
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) February 3, 2021

Analysis: Marjorie Taylor Greene would be in rare company if she is kicked off her committees https://t.co/pvWEi7lR9I
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 3, 2021

As House Republicans meet to figure out what to do about Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Pelosi's office circulates an email calling the minority leader "McCarthy (Q-CA)" pic.twitter.com/Gut6ZPLJar
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 3, 2021

Trump focused on antifa instead of right-wing extremists

This assessment is spot on based on recent years where I’ve encountered researchers being told to find Antifa and met law enforcement making warnings/fears about Antifa without being able to name a single member or incident of Antifa in their jurisdiction https://t.co/dUTGqheUpp
— Clint Watts (@selectedwisdom) January 31, 2021

Fake inauguration conspiracy theory

Where do they come up with these crackpot theories? The Trump cult will never accept that Biden won.

NEW: A conspiracy theory circulating online says Joe Biden’s inauguration was fake, and that his Oval Office is really a movie set. Nope. https://t.co/urJ8I3RSxk
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) January 29, 2021

Check out this insane thing that is spreading among people who think Biden isn't really the President pic.twitter.com/stFX5A17QC
— David Pakman (@dpakman) January 23, 2021

Right-wing extremism in state Republican parties

We need to talk about the number of state GOPs — Arizona Hawaii Oregon Texas — pushing deranged conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists. This garbage got people killed and police beaten at the Capitol not even 3 weeks ago. https://t.co/FDSvdBRlw8
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 25, 2021

There are a number of GOP state parties that are more accurately described as Q Parties. Oregon, California, Texas and Arizona are among them. Understanding what side controls what in the GOP civil war will be key to understanding and covering it.
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) January 26, 2021

The January 6th vote is as irreconcilable for the GOP as was the Kansas/Nebraska act for the Whigs. It has broken the GOP in two. @mattgaetz has declared Trump as the forever leader of the Republican Party and more ominously “The America First Movement”. Like its ‘85 year old https://t.co/cCySvBVYcs
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) January 26, 2021

.@HawleyMO are all in league with the insanity of the Oregon, Arizona and Texas parties. They have become consumed by Qanon and the insanity birthed from a million lies. @GOPLeader is unsteady and flailing. He betrayed his oath and finds himself in a political coalition that
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) January 26, 2021

Oregon Republican Party falsely calls Capitol riot a "false flag" meant to "discredit President Trump" https://t.co/LB32JqAUPN
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 26, 2021

The Oregon republican party just compared the impeachment vote to the Reichstag Firehttps://t.co/2USyHPCN9c
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) January 26, 2021

This is insane garbage. People have been arrested and charged, in part because they were on video they shot themselves. I don't what's scarier: that these idiots believe this false flag crap or they don't and think it's important to lie. https://t.co/DXiaECovEQ
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) January 25, 2021

In run-up to 2020, Trump team took care to firm up their control of state party organizations to mitigate any primary challenge. And now… https://t.co/SI31ptAKlr
— Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) January 25, 2021

One of the reasons I've argued for voting out the GOP down to the roots is that the state parties are even more insane than the national party. https://t.co/k7i4KOOMXk
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) January 25, 2021

Kelli Ward is a two-time loser in GOP Senate primaries, whose next project has been driving the Arizona GOP into a ditch, including most recently by censuring its successful conservative governor, Doug Ducey https://t.co/UnIghhy7p1
— Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) January 25, 2021

GOP congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene has made racist, Islamaphobic, anti-Semitic and conspiratorial comments.

Republicans supporting her:

-Donald Trump
-Kevin McCarthy
-Kelly Loeffler
-Doug Collins
-Matt Gaetz
-Jim Jordan
-Andy Biggshttps://t.co/LhwDWU9JR0
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) August 14, 2020

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Republicans on Saturday issued a formal censure to U.S. @RepTomRice, taking the step in disapproval of his vote supporting the second impeachment of Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/HAxCxUyouL
— Meg Kinnard (@MegKinnardAP) January 30, 2021

Retracting the Seth Rich conspiracy theory

After four years of silence and a settlement with Fox News, Seth Rich's parents are ready to talk about the harm conspiracy theories do

My interview, from NPR’s @MorningEdition https://t.co/2Zz89BSLMP
— David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) June 15, 2022

New: Two prominent Seth Rich conspiracy theorists have retracted and apologized for false statements as part of a lawsuit settlement. https://t.co/aSmdEd9DNB
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) January 14, 2021

If we are still extinguishing a four-year-old baseless conspiracy theory, how long will it take to extinguish Trump’s election lie? https://t.co/Y3if2DlYQx
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) January 14, 2021

Ed Butowsky, the wealthy conservative who was involved in Fox News's fallacious story on murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich, is apologizing to Rich's brother Aaron for suggesting he stole Democratic emails. The retraction is presumably part of an upcoming legal settlement. pic.twitter.com/YNt6TjD4cV
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) January 13, 2021

Welcome news for Seth Rich's family & anyone who values truth and decency.

Ed Butowsky sued me for $60M for reporting on his role in a discredited Fox News story about Rich. He sued other journos too. He agreed to dismiss those cases late last year. NPR stood by its reporting. https://t.co/hPzh1HnAES
— David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) January 14, 2021

Update: Butowsky appears to have deleted his Seth Rich retraction, after initially burying it under a bunch of retweeted cute animal videos.
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) January 13, 2021

Fox insisted the settlement with the family of Seth Rich had to be kept secret for a month — until after the Nov. 3 election, writes @benyt. "Why did Fox care about keeping the Rich settlement secret for the final month of the Trump re-election campaign?" https://t.co/dHcEZnyPYd
— John Schwartz (@jswatz) January 18, 2021

Lies about Antifa

Antifa did not participate in the insurrection at the Capitol yesterday. Just another right-wing lie. I am waiting for them to say George Soros paid for their transportation.

Antifa achieved a mythic stature in Trump’s America, serving as a whipping boy for the president.

In reality, Antifa is not a well-structured organization, but rather a loosely organized, secretive movement of like-minded far-left activists like Nicole https://t.co/qdr7FDMSpQ pic.twitter.com/KeBBp5u0aa
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 25, 2021

Analysis: No, there’s no substantive evidence that the Capitol riot was spurred by antifa https://t.co/aRRv8lFry1
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 7, 2021

"The rioters were incited by a 'big lie,' that the election was stolen from Trump. Now the same liars are pushing the next 'big lie,' that this was a false-flag by Antifa. It's endless. It's relentless. It's shameless," @MarshallCohen writes https://t.co/6lVSrA6UZS
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 7, 2021

Gaetz posts story so false the Washington Times removes it. He keeps up his false tweet tho https://t.co/mcDnOzUyjT
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 7, 2021

https://t.co/MKSq1DFhMZ pic.twitter.com/haPyTqR9IP
— Share the Facts (@sharethefact) January 7, 2021

It is Soviet-level disinformation to claim people who marched directly from a Trump rally to the Capitol at his public urging, photographed & live-streamed their exploits, & bragged to reporters were actually part of one big false flag operation. There is no bottom to the lies
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) January 7, 2021

Rep. Matt Gaetz and other GOP politicians baselessly suggest antifa is to blame for pro-Trump mob rioting into Capitol https://t.co/gM5sRjO77k
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 7, 2021

I asked Fox News multiple times about claims that were made on its air and by its personalities suggesting Antifa was perhaps responsible for the mayhem at the US Capitol. Absolute silence. Zero response from the network’s PR team.
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) January 7, 2021

Matt Gaetz is on the House floor now blaming antifa for the riots on the Capitol, to applause. Just in case there was question about today fundamentally changing things for House Republicans.
— Matt Berman (@Mr_Berman) January 7, 2021

Basically, the Fox line tonight is that somehow this was probably Antifa. So maybe they ought to go talk to that loser who was in Pelosi’s office, from Arkansas, and see if he is secretly an antifa guy
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) January 7, 2021

this is a member of Congress, whose house was attacked today https://t.co/wCfU6a9HER
— Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) January 7, 2021

Extremist pro-Trump forums spent weeks prepping for people to storm the Capitol. The president told them for days to come. They flew in. They said if they don't overturn the election, they will move on the Capitol.

Explicitly. Repeatedly.

Now it's somebody else? These are lies. https://t.co/6Diq0TK9Oy
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) January 7, 2021

Everyone should expect "the rioters were Antifa" to become a standard talking point on the far right. A way to excuse what happened. It's already begun https://t.co/qfCO0CXqOe
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 7, 2021

A text exchange between former AG Bill Barr and former DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec explains falsity as good politics https://t.co/oe9nGuPNDR pic.twitter.com/UMc2Mmo3Gw
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) August 25, 2021

Trump keeps getting worse

I feel like people are underestimating the very real chance he will try something genuinely insane, even by Trump standards. https://t.co/MCI81ayZ1Y
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) December 21, 2020

President Trump has turned to a fringe group of advisers peddling increasingly dubious tactics to overturn the election results, creating a dire situation that sources say has led to new levels of uncertainty at how Trump will resist the end to his tenure https://t.co/9Cpfh3Eer2
— CNN (@CNN) December 21, 2020

NEW: With a month before @JoeBiden's inauguration, @realDonaldTrump is largely idle but increasingly out of touch with reality in a way that is causing even those loyalists to be alarmed over what could transpire during the month left in his presidency. https://t.co/G8LOyOni7d
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) December 21, 2020

"It's basically Sidney versus everybody … There is literally not one motherf—r in the president’s entire orbit — his staunchest group of supporters and allies — who doesn't think that Sidney Powell should be on that first rocket to Mars." https://t.co/fhnWOhib3d
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 21, 2020

Appointing Sidney Powell as special counsel, or to any governmental post with any authority whatsoever, would be wildly irresponsible and outright dangerous.

New from me for @CNN #CrossExam:https://t.co/59PNRwscir
— Elie Honig (@eliehonig) December 20, 2020

the former ceo of overstock says he was in the white house meeting with trump, sidney powell, flynn, meadows, cipollone, with giuliani and robert o’brien on the phone, where martial law and seizing voting machines etc were reportedly discussed pic.twitter.com/HyUJ5mbUIO
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) December 21, 2020

Also apparently back in Trump's ear: Steve Bannon.
Bannon appeared on a livestream with conservative pastors last night & said: "As I strongly recommended to the President, we need a special counsel named immediately — a special prosecutor just on election fraud and voter fraud" https://t.co/PIQBGjPaTP
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) December 21, 2020

Stop saying Trump and his supporters "actually believe" the election was stolen from him. They support overturning *legitimate* election results. They're angry because democracy *worked,* not because it failed.

(w/@AdamSerwer, @RosieGray & @RadioFreeTom)https://t.co/10qQZCHkrh pic.twitter.com/ZAJnwvKCGN
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) December 21, 2020

The notion that White House Counsel Pat Cipollone is working to undermine President Trump because he “wants him to lose” is a model in miniature of the kind of unmoored, conspiratorial thinking that Trump has invited into the Oval for this post-election period. https://t.co/5q7au20Sua
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) December 21, 2020

I was firmly in the camp that believed Trump's real coup died weeks ago and it's just been a big grift since then. But the reporting this weekend changed my mind — he really does think he will discover the cheat code to steal the election. https://t.co/pGPFRtwbac
— Amanda Marcotte (@AmandaMarcotte) December 21, 2020

A brief chronology:

Fri: Trump meets w/ Flynn, Powell, Rudy to discuss seizing voting machines

Sat: Trump talks to Tuberville about challenging election results Jan. 6

Sun: Powell returns to the WH

Mon: Trump meets w/ congressional allies pushing election challenges. https://t.co/gwIf9L3V6B
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) December 21, 2020

"Trump’s attacks on the rule of law by and large have failed…[But] Trump got away with a lot that was previously regarded as wrong and forbidden…Even when Trump has seemingly failed to get his way, he has still succeeded in doing enormous damage."https://t.co/VkEYWMDSTC
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) December 21, 2020

Trump called Charlie Kirk tonight and spoke via speakerphone to the TPUSA conference in West Palm. "The problem is we need a party that’s going to fight…we won this in a landslide, they know it, and we need backing from like the Justice Department."
— Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) December 21, 2020

The desire to treat the president as a bystander to his own campaign/presidency continues. If the president didn’t want her at the White House, there’s a way to deal with that. https://t.co/icb9KluBJA
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 21, 2020

Donald Trump threatens 30-day reign of destruction on the way out of office | Analysis https://t.co/2mjilqi9Cg pic.twitter.com/wo9OSgAtkl
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 22, 2020

🚨 🚨 Trump thinks everyone around him is weak, stupid or disloyal — and increasingly seeks comfort only in people who egg him on to overturn the election results. We cannot stress enough how unnerved officials r by the conversations unfolding inside WH.

https://t.co/eM7XgEieTY
— Jim VandeHei (@JimVandeHei) December 22, 2020

Trump loyalists harboring martial law fantasies don’t know their history https://t.co/S3EGz0f9PO
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 22, 2020

Trump coup attempt: Trump leaned on 31 different state and local officials to steal the election for him. https://t.co/FllRtxdbO0
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 22, 2020

The murmur just below the surface at the Pentagon. Will @realDonaldTrump turn to the military in his fight to overturn the election?https://t.co/2vwocrI7w2
— Barbara Starr (@barbarastarrcnn) December 22, 2020