Cast your mind back to March of this year, when Donald Trump's campaign was forced to cancel a rally in Chicago, as officials worried that a confrontation between Trump's supporters and scores of protesters might lead to the political equivalent of a powder keg explosion. Remember that? It was an unsettling incident that made many Americans fear that a core tenant of the American system -- the right to peaceably assemble -- was fraying at the seams. Cable news networks covered the resulting unrest live. And although there was ample condemnation of the goons who shut down Trump's event, many in the media also argued that Trump shared some blame, given his (indefensible, it must be said) comments inciting his fans to deal violently with protesters in their midst. Amid that fraught blame game, many voters experienced a mounting, palpable sense that American civil society was coming apart. The underlying theme of much of the ensuing, dark coverage was, this is Trump's America.
To their credit, most Republicans, including several of Trump's primary rivals at the time, focused the majority of their criticism on the agitators who'd forced Trump's campaign to call off the event. Marco Rubio said the protesters were "probably being paid to do this," drawing ire from the professional Left. Now we know that his "probably" qualifier was superfluous, and that the sinking feeling in many Americans' stomachs was precipitated intentionally by hardened, paid provocateurs. A new undercover investigation from James O'Keefe's Project Veritas shows Democrat-affiliated operatives bragging about their role in fomenting ugly scenes at Trump rallies, including one party official who proudly attests that the Chicago episode "was us." It was a DNC production. Watch:
"We're starting anarchy here," says Scott Foval of the left-wing Americans United for Change, which is "contracted directly with the DNC and the [Clinton] campaign." He says on tape that he answers to national Democrats and officials on Team Hillary, and that much of his funding is funneled through another outfit called Democracy Partners. That entity is up to its elbows in ties to the Democratic establishment. It's run by a man named Bob Creamer, who is married to Illinois Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowksy, and who went to prison after pleading guilty to bank fraud in 2005. Foval and Creamer now carry out the Democrats' dirty work in the shadows, allowing the official party to plausibly deny (listen to Foval's comments about erecting a "double blind" for this purpose) any knowledge or support for their deeply unsavory tactics -- such as exploiting mentally ill homeless people, and deploying trained activists into Trump rallies with instructions to deliberately stir the pot, hoping to invite ugly outbursts or physical altercations. [UPDATE: It should go without saying that Trump supporters who take the bait and resort to violence are responsible for their actions, which cannot be justified]. Foval also discusses running "agitator training" for the human props ("built-in" mobs) these organizations turn out for protests. This the literal definition of political astroturf, run centrally by operators with significant budgets, and tied directly to official Democratdom.
Just over nine minutes into the clip, we meet "Aaron Black," who introduces himself as "deputy rapid response director for the DNC for all things Trump on the ground." He goes on to talk about his squad's accomplishments, including shutting down the Windy City rally: "The Chicago protest where they shut all that, that was us," he says, noting that they're careful to make sure it's not traceable to the Democratic Party, despite daily coordinating phone calls. "None of this is supposed to come back to us." Watch the whole clip for an explanation of the practice of "birddogging," as well as Foval marveling how "a lot of our union guys will do whatever you want" in terms of disruptive action. O'Keefe says there's more evidence to come in future installments, possibly proving election law violations. So far, the mainstream press has mostly ignored this expose. Some "journalists" likely have little interest in amplifying what O'Keefe's team uncovered. Others wanted to wait and make sure the sting was legit. Well, Scott Foval has reportedly been fired by his organization. How's this for confirmation?
BREAKING: @scottfoval one of the operatives in the tapes has been FIRED! @seanhannity is reporting live now! #BirdDogging #Veritas pic.twitter.com/mpp4VpvUEb
— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) October 18, 2016
Any guesses on what lefty org Foval will slither to next? Incidentally, who is Brad Woodhouse, the man who announced Foval's termination? He's the former DNC communications director, the president of the pro-Hillary group "Correct the Record," a former leader of a top Democratic Super PAC, and the chief at Americans United for Change. He's a key player in the Left's high-dollar incestuous ecosystem, and his deep ties to the Clintons and the Democratic Party are undeniable. In any case, be sure to file these revelations away for the next time elected Democrats bemoan conservative "astroturf" or rant incoherently about the Koch brothers' above-board network of free market activism. The Democratic party is literally running a sprawling, well-funded, tightly-orchestrated political black ops program -- the leaders of which view canceled rallies, blocked traffic, and outright violence as tactical victories.
Donald Trump is wrong (and strategically stupid) to say that the electoral process is "rigged." But the media is extremely biased against him, and lefties who wring their hands about the damage his comments are doing to public perceptions of our system's integrity are caught up in one-sided hysteria. The Project Veritas clip proves that leftists are actively fomenting violent upheaval at Trump events, with the direct knowledge and blessing of the DNC and Clinton campaign. So spare me the thumb-sucking think pieces about the "unique" threat Trump poses to our otherwise-pristine system. I'll leave you with our discussion of the "rigged" storyline from last night's On The Record, during which I reference other high-profile examples of Democrats sowing doubts about the legitimacy of electoral outcomes -- via Right Sightings: