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RIGHT WING EXTREMISM

US Congressman Accused of Assaulting Activist Previously Has Threatened Demonstrators With Violence

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U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, a far-right wing Republican from Louisiana, is being highly-criticized after viral video appeared to show him physically pushing and removing a young man from a Washington, D.C, press conference hosted by far-right GOP members of Congress Loren Boebert and Paul Gosar. Higgins, who previously has threatened protestors, is now being accused of assault by the man, who could be heard in the clip saying, “you’re hurting me.”

The man Rep. Higgins removed, 25-year old Jake Burdett, posted video of himself asking pointed questions to both Boebert and Gosar, interrupting the small gathering.

“I figured I’d ask them some tough questions,” Burdett told The Daily Beast. “Bird-dog them, whatever you want to call it.”

“Rep. Gosar, can you talk about when you did that rally with the neo-Nazi, Nick Fuentes? Can you talk about when your family did a ad all endorsing your opponent?” Burdett says in the video. “Representative Boebert, can you talk about your divorce? Did it have anything to do with giving food poisoning to Shooter’s Bar and Grill?”

Seconds later, Congressman Higgins apparently grabs Burdett, and tells him, “No. You’re out. You’re out.”

As he grabs him, Burdett says, “Aren’t you a congressperson, touching me?” and then, “Get off me! You’re hurting me!”

RELATED: ‘I’d Drop Any 10 of You’: Gun Nut Congressman Threatens to Shoot Black Armed Protesters in Paranoid Rant

The Daily Beast reports, “Burdett wasn’t injured in the incident, he told The Daily Beast. But he felt ‘scared, intimidated, powerless, defenseless.’ He couldn’t exactly push back, he added later in an interview. ‘Like, who do I think the cops are going to crack down on: me, or the congressperson?'”

Video taken by Kristy Fogle, which offers a clear view of Higgins grabbing and pushing Burdett has gone viral with over 9 million views.

In the background someone can be heard saying, “Get this on video, this is assault.”

Burdett seems to think so too. On social media he asked if any attorneys thought it was, and one called it, “assault, battery, and a potential civil rights violation.”

Burdett also posted videos he apparently recorded. On Twitter he says, “Rep Clay Higgins proceeded to assault/physically remove me from the press conference.”

So who is U.S. Congressman Clay Higgins?

Before he was a member of Congress, Higgins was a law enforcement officer, which might explain why he is defending his actions by accusing Burdett of appearing threatening and mentally unstable.

RELATED: ‘Utter Delusion’: Legal Expert Smacks Down GOP Congressman’s Claims of ‘Election Crimes’ in CNN Appearance

In a statement to KATC, Higgins said, “Activist was a 103M. Threatening. He was escorted out and turned over to Capitol Police. Textbook.”

One website defines 103M as “Disturbance by mental person.”

But Higgins is a U.S. Congressman, not a physician, not a mental health professional, not a law enforcement officer in Washington D.C., and it’s unclear why he would be authorized to diagnose or physically remove someone exercising their First Amendment rights.

A damning September 2020 Buzzfeed News article reveals Congressman Higgins had ties to the Oath Keepers, an anti-government extremist group that just months later would go on to play a role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Oath Keepers founder and leader, Stewart Rhodes, in November of 2022 was convicted of seditious conspiracy, along with eight other members of that group.

“Facebook removed two posts from a Republican member of Congress representing Louisiana,” Buzzfeed News reported in 2020, referring to Higgins, “in which he threatened demonstrators against police violence, suggesting he would shoot and ‘drop any 10 of you where you stand’ if they took to the street armed.”

“If this shows up, we’ll consider the armed presence a real threat,” Higgins wrote on his personal, verified “Captain Clay Higgins” Facebook page, Buzzfeed reported, noting his post included “a picture of an armed Black militia group that has protested the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.”

“We don’t care what color you are. We don’t care if you’re left or right. If you show up like this, if We recognize threat… you won’t walk away.”

In that Facebook post Higgins also wrote, “I wouldn’t even spill my beer. … We are SWAT. Nothing personal. We just eliminate the threat. … That’s not a challenge, fellas. It’s a promise.”

“You’re the ones threatening, if you show yourselves, aggressively natured and armed in my presence,” he also wrote. “We don’t want to see your worthless ass nor do we want to make your Mothers cry.”

READ MORE: Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She Feels ‘Threatened’ by Black Democratic Congressman – Wants People to ‘Watch’ Him (Video)

Buzzfeed states that “Higgins did not explicitly threaten to shoot protesters, but seemed to make reference to it in his post by writing ‘1,450 fps’ – a reference to the speed of some ammo measured by feet per second.”

This screenshot appears to be the post Facebook deleted.

It was curious for Higgins to threaten violence against the protesters, essentially for being armed, because Louisiana is an open-carry state. In fact, Higgins is so devoted to the Second Amendment, in 2021 he declared his opposition to all gun control laws because murder is in the Bible, while appearing to suggest it is in man’s nature to kill, and that America is a Christian nation.

Meanwhile, Buzzfeed also reported, “On July 29, 2017, Higgins appeared at a DC event organized by Oath Keepers, a group that claims to have tens of thousands of members and has been described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a radical anti-government group.”

“Higgins is a former law enforcement officer and was a member of a SWAT team. He resigned from the Opelousas Police Department in 2007 after an internal investigation accused him of using unnecessary force on a suspect (he has since denied that was the reason for his resignation),” Buzzfeed adds.

Former FBI Deputy Assistant Director of the Bureau’s Counterintelligence Division, Pete Strzok, on Wednesday responded to video of Higgins by saying, “Same guy who quit being a patrol officer before he could be disciplined for using unnecessary force on a subject (‘striking a subject in handcuffs’) and then lying about it.”

Up until recently, Higgins was possibly best known, while in Congress, for shooting a selfie political video inside the Auschwitz gas chamber.

As NCRM previously reported, Higgins last year was one of 33 Republicans sponsoring a federal, vigilante “Don’t Say Gay” bill. He was one of 28 House Republicans who refused to vote for the bipartisan Respect for Child Survivors Act, which would aid victims of child sex abuse and their families.

This year he became one of 26 Republicans on the House Oversight Committee who refused to sign a simple, two-sentence statement denouncing white supremacy.

RELATED: ‘Just Like Public Pools Were Closed in the South’: Shock as State and Local Governments Try to Shutter Public Libraries

Just last month Congressman Higgins voiced opposition to the separation of church and state, while attacking liberal Americans and, seemingly the LGBTQ community along with one of the cornerstones of American democracy.

“Over time,” Higgins tweeted, “American communities will build beautiful, church owned public-access libraries. I’m going to help these churches get funding. We will change the whole public library paradigm. The libraries regular Americans recall are gone. They’ve become liberal grooming centers.”

And one month before that, in March, Congressman Higgins promoted the idea of using the power of the federal government to assist and support someone who was under investigation and later charged with 34 felonies.

“It is pretty clearly a wrongful persecution of a free American citizen who happens to be the former president of the United States,” Rep. Higgins told The Daily Beast, referring to Donald Trump. “Because of those circumstances, I think it’s appropriate for Congress to inquire into what drove that decision making process for [Manhattan DA Alvin] Bragg.”

A Change.org petition with over 1000 signatures is asking for Congressman Higgins to be charged with assault.

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RIGHT WING EXTREMISM

‘Why So Much Hate From You?’: Mark Cuban Smacks Down Stephen Miller, Twice

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2 weeks ago

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September 5, 2023

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A far-right wing pundit’s decision to go after a 29-year old woman’s TikTok video about her plans for a relaxing Saturday during a holiday weekend sparked a firestorm between billionaire businessman and TV personality Mark Cuban and former Trump White House aide Stephen Miller, with the woman revealing later some of the hate she received after being made a target.

It all started when “Theocratic fascist” Matt Walsh, as he calls himself, reposted a TikTok video on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter,  from a woman who says she’s “29 and single, and I don’t have kids yet.” The woman, identified by Mediaite as Julia Mazur, told her followers she slept in Saturday morning, woke up with a hangover and didn’t get up until 10:15 AM, after going to a Beyoncé concert the night before.

Mazur described her upcoming day, saying she enjoys not having plans, kids, a husband, or errands, and loves going wherever the day takes her. She was looking forward to watching some streaming shows on Netflix and Hulu, and possibly learning how to make shakshuka.

“I wouldn’t want to do anything else this Saturday,” she said happily.

READ MORE: ‘Putting National Security at Risk’: Pressure on Tuberville Ramps Up as Army, Navy, Air Force Chiefs Go Public

Walsh responded to Mazur’s casual celebration of a joyous weekend by saying, “Her life doesn’t revolve around her family and kids so instead it revolves around TV shows and pop stars. Worst of all she’s too stupid to realize how depressing this is.”

“If you don’t have a family at least do something interesting with your time,” Walsh continued. “These people have absurd amounts of free time and they do absolutely nothing with it. Wasting their lives staring at little glowing boxes. Absolutely soul crushing.”

Cuban stepped in, snarking on Walsh: “Says the guy who’s life revolves around Twitter/X.”

“How do you know she isnt trying to make it her job ? She has really good engagement and increasing numbers,” Cuban added.

That’s when Miller jumped in.

“You have a large following,” Miller, the architect of the Trump administration’s family separation policy, began. “People listen to your advice. What would you say is a more fulfilling path for adults: starting a family, or sleeping late and watching TV? What advice would you give to someone who suggests they wish to be childless so they can stream more shows?”

“Thanks for asking Stephen,” Cuban said in his lengthy response, which included him saying Mazur having a family or not is “none of my fucking business.”

READ MORE: Federal Court Issues Scathing Unanimous Ruling Against Alabama After ‘Unlawfully’ Reducing Power of Black Voters

He also asked Miller, “what happened that causes you to hate so much. Seriously Stephen. Why so much hate from you?”:

“1. I wouldn’t give her advice unless she asked. 2. After looking at the comments to her posts, I would thank her for offering a place for people who can relate to her, to engage and have a conversation. She replies to the comments and based on that, people seem to appreciate it 3. From a business perspective, I would tell her that the Wellness Space is crowded but if she does this in addition to her job, she might be able to build a nice business. 4. As far as a family. I would tell her to do whatever she thinks is best for her. It’s none of my fucking business 5. If I had you both in a room , I would point at her and thank her for trying to bring joy to others and I would point at you and ask what happened that causes you to hate so much. Seriously Stephen. Why so much hate from you?”

The exchange didn’t end there.

“In the interests of time I will respond with two points,” Miller replied. “1. No society can succeed where the constant message from our elites leaders is do whatever the hell you want and don’t worry about children. Children are simply the most important thing in the whole world and the foundation of civilization and all human flourishing. 2. Could you be more specific with your crass (and, I think you would acknowledge, unprovoked) smear on point 5? The issue/work with which I’m arguably most associated, stopping human smuggling and trafficking, is quite literally about saving human lives.”

Cuban replied, in an even lengthier response that included saying, “What any individual does in terms of having children or not is their choice. Full Stop.”

“Maybe I’m wrong , but if one of those children is born to an illegal immigrant, my understanding is that you do not want to help them and you want to deport them ?” he added, calling that “hateful.”

READ MORE: ‘You Will Be Removed in Jesus’s Name’: Christian Nationalist Megachurch Behind Takeover of California School Board

Ultimately, Mazur posted another video, detailing some of the hate messages she’s received since Walsh’s initial post.

Walsh’s platform often revolves around attacking the LGBTQ community, including especially transgender girls and women, He has been included in reporting on white Christian nationalism, and “far-right media instigators.” He also recently warned, “whites are trending towards extinction in the United States.”

Mazur said Walsh’s followers told her, “I should actually die and never leave my house. I should be sexually assaulted,” she said, adding she was told, “I’m a whore.”

“These people were really really really riled up about my choices,” she said.

But Mazur concluded, “life’s too short figuring out what Matt Walsh wants us to do.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

Image of Mark Cuban via Shutterstock

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RIGHT WING EXTREMISM

Liberal Fox News Co-Host Destroys Conservatives’ Claims the Right Holds the Majority Opinion on Culture War Issues

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1 month ago

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August 17, 2023

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Fox News co-host Jessica Tarlov, the lone liberal on the the right-wing cable channel’s very popular afternoon show “The Five,” destroyed her conservative co-hosts’ talking points on a wide variety of culture war issues.

Behind a chyron of “Tyranny of the Minority” – related to remark made by Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy – Tarlov on Wednesday fed facts to the conservatives who tried to claim the majority of Americans oppose the right to choose an abortion, and the majority of Americans do not support transgender people.

“On the trans issue, for instance,” Tarlov offered, “our own Fox polling shows that 57% of Americans think that trans kids and their families being the target of political attacks, as in these anti-trans bills, is a major problem.”

“When you look at the actual numbers of kids that are, for instance, they have gender dysphoria, and they’re getting top surgery. How many kids do you think got top surgery last year?” she asked, not receiving a response from any of her co-hosts.

READ MORE: DeSantis ‘Shuts Down’ Question of How He Would Handle His Kids Being LGBTQ: ‘We’ll Leave That Between My Wife and I’

“Under 300,” answered Tarlov, who “holds two Master’s degrees in political science and public policy, as well as a Ph.D. in Government from the London School of Economics and Political Science,” according to Variety.

“Then think about an issue that’s really important to Democrats –” she suggested, trying to continue before co-host Greg Gutfeld interjected, asking: “Children?”

“Minors,” she responded, referring to the question of top surgery.

“That’s an atrocity,” Gutfeld declared. “But continue,” he added, laughing.

“But over 5800 kids were victims of gun violence, for instance,” Tarlov pointed out. “I don’t hear Republicans talking about that. Tyranny of the minority –” she again tried to continue before Gutfeld interrupted.

“Oh, what a false comparison,” he snarked.

READ MORE: Former Santos Staffer Indicted on Wire Fraud and Identity Theft Charges: Report

“It absolutely isn’t,” responded Tarlov. “It’s a priority on the right to talk about trans issues, a priority on the left to talk about gun violence. Which affects more people?” she asked.

“Abortion is another instance of the tyranny of the minority,” Tarlov continued. “I get it, federalism – you send it back to the states where a group of elected officials have decided, for instance, in like Texas, Louisiana, that women should not be able to get abortions after six weeks. We have women that are bleeding out, going into sepsis. In Louisiana, a woman was forced to carry a baby that had no skull.”

Gutfeld, apparently outraged, screamed, “What does this have to do with this topic?”

“What are you talking about?” she replied. “This is, he says tyranny of the minority.”

“But that had to do with LGBTQ,” Jeanine Pirro interjected, “not with all of your favorite issues.”

“He’s running to be president of the United States of America,” Tarlov argued.

“But that’s not what we’re talking about, we’re talking about –  I asked you specifically about pronouns,” Pirro complained.

READ MORE: Democratic Senator Slams ‘Racist’ Videos That Will Be ‘Piped Straight Into the Bloodstream’ of Florida Schoolchildren

“And I said he was wrong to act as if the GOP is the party of the majority opinion – they are not. They’re taking minority positions and running with them,” Tarlov explained.

An agitated Gutfeld again interjected, “Pro-life isn’t a minority position.”

“It is, actually,” she replied.

“What, are you gonna talk about the fact that it’s like 48%,” Gutfeld, hands raised, again snarked.

“No, I’m going to talk about the 69% – it’s the highest it’s ever been recorded – that now support abortion at least through the first trimester,” she replied. “And what’s happening then in Ohio and Kansas and Kentucky.”

“What’s the Democrat stance on abortion?” Gutfeld asked.

“That it’s between a woman and her doctor to make those decisions,” she said.

“No, what’s the what’s the cut off?” Gutfeld asked. “Is that what you call that tyranny of minority as well?”

Frustrated, Gutfeld added, “I think the logic here is that you’re slicing these issues –”

“Are you talking about, ‘we want to kill live babies’?” Tarlov asked, referring to conservative talking points.

“I didn’t say that,” Gutfeld replied.

“I’m just pointing out that this isn’t actually the right argument, but go ahead,” he offered, before Pirro took over and said, “I’d like to get back to the issue.”

Watch below or at this link.

 

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RIGHT WING EXTREMISM

‘That’s How Fascists Talk’: Matt Gaetz Slammed for Threat of Violence

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1 month ago

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August 13, 2023

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According to an expert on authoritarianism, comments made by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Saturday while standing with former president Donald Trump should raise flags as he promised to use “force” to create change in Washington, D.C.

Considering the former president was recently indicted for conspiracy related to the Jan. 6 insurrection that led to lawmakers fleeing for their lives, historian and author Ruth Ben-Ghiat called Gaetz comments alarming.

Speaking before a crowd at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, Gaetz stated, “Mr. President, I cannot stand these people that are destroying our country. They are opening our borders. They are weaponizing our federal law enforcement against patriotic Americans who love this nation as we should,” before adding, “But we know that only through force do we make any change in a corrupt town like Washington, D.C. And so to all my friends here in Iowa, when you see them come for this man, know that they are coming for our movement and they are coming for all of us.”

Reacting to Gaetz’s proclamations, Ben-Ghiat told MSNBC’s Ayman Mohyeldin, “What he is saying is that they are not going to have change through elections or through legislation or through reform. They are going to have change through violence.”

“And that’s how fascists talk,” she added. “So, even if Trump is out of the picture, these are people who have adopted methods very familiar to me as a historian of fascism, that violence and corruption and lying that’s what the party is today.”

Watch below or at the link:

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