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Watch: School official indicted for threatening Arizona election worker during Maricopa audit
August 19, 2022
The fallout from Donald Trump's "big lie" of election fraud has landed another one of his supporters in legal jeopardy after allegedly threatening a public official in a different state.
"A school district leader from southern Missouri is facing potential prison time for threatening an Arizona election worker, according to a federal indictment released this week," KMBC-TV reported Friday. "Walter Lee Hoornstra, 50, of Tecumseh, is charged with one count of communicating an interstate threat and one count of making a threatening phone call in the Western District of Missouri."
Hoornstra is the technology director for the Gainsville R-5 School District.
Stephen Richer, the Maricopa County recorder in Arizona, identified himself of the recipient of a voicemail sent in May of 2021.
Hoonstra allegedly said, "So I see you're for fair and competent elections, that's what it says here on your homepage for your recorder position you're trying to fly here. But you call things unhinged and insane lies when there's a forensic audit going on. You need to check yourself. You need to do your [expletive] job right because other people from other states are watching your ass. You [expletive] renege on this deal or give them any more troubles, your ass will never make it to your next little board meeting."
Joseph S. Passanise, Hoornstra's attorney, released a statement following his client's arrest.
""He is a technology professional, husband, father, and grandfather who is also a disabled combat veteran who defended his country during Operation Desert Storm," Passanise said. "He is truly embarrassed and humbled by the attention this has brought him and his family. The sheer awesome power of the federal government can be incredibly intimidating to any citizen once charged. Today, Mr. Hoornstra entered a plea of not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. We look forward to reviewing the government’s case moving forward."
Hoornstra is facing up to seven years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Watch below or at this link.
Walter Hoornstra www.youtube.com
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Arizona GOP candidate melts down after being confronted for endorsing lawmaker who says 'Jews will go to hell'
August 19, 2022
This week, GOP Arizona gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake caused controversy when she endorsed Jarrin Jackson — an Oklahoma legislator who has proclaimed that "the Jews" are evidence that "evil exists" and that "Jews will go to hell."
On Friday, a member of Congress demanded to know whether she endorses those views — and she responded with a bizarre attack insinuating he may have associated with a Chinese spy.
"Only reason @KariLake supports an antisemite or a homophobe for office is because she is both," tweeted Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in response to the news of Lake's endorsement of Jackson. Lake responded by posting a picture of Gallego riding camels with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and saying, "Are we playing the guilt by association game, @RubenGallego? How's your friend Eric doing? Did he introduce you to Fang Fang?"
The "Fang Fang" remark is a reference to a story that Swalwell was targeted by a Chinese spy named Christine Fang in 2012. After associating briefly, the FBI informed him of her actual intentions, at which point Swalwell cut all ties to her and provided all the information he could — which experts have broadly said is the correct procedure when targeted by foreign spies. Swalwell has never been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in this incident.
Gallego responded to this with another tweet asking, "Just say whether you agree with the candidate you endorsed. Should “jews go to hell”? He followed up when there was no response, tweeting, "Hi still here. Are you still endorsing the Anti-Semite?"
This is not the first time Lake has been accused of associating with anti-Semitic figures.
Last November, CNN's KFILE reported that Lake posed at a campaign event with Greyson Arnold, "a Nazi sympathizer who has a history of making White nationalist, racist, antisemitic and pro-Nazi statements, including once calling Adolf Hitler "a complicated historical figure which many people misunderstand." Last month, Lake was also endorsed by Andrew Torba, the CEO of far-right social network Gab and an outspoken anti-Semite who has warned Jews to stay off his platform and claimed America is run by a "Judeo-Bolshevik" society. Lake's campaign disavowed this endorsement, saying she "absolutely denounces bigotry in all its forms," although some other Arizona GOP candidates, like secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem and state Sen. Wendy Rogers, both touted it.
ALSO IN THE NEWS: ‘You want to kill a snake, you cut off its head': Dem reveals plan to end Florida GOP's 'radical' policies
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‘You want to kill a snake, you cut off its head': Dem reveals plan to end Florida GOP's 'radical' policies
August 19, 2022
The only statewide elected Democrat in Florida argued on Friday that the Sunshine State's radicalization will end if controversial Gov. Ron DeSantis is removed from office in the November midterm elections.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried was interviewed by NBC News' Chuck Todd ahead of Tuesday's primary campaign where Fried is facing off against Rep. Charlie Crist to challenge DeSantis, Florida Politics reported.
“We take Ron DeSantis out of the conversation and out of the equation here, and the Republicans can go back to just being conservative, not this radicalization that we’ve seen here in the state of Florida,” she argued.
“When you want to kill a snake, you cut off its head," Fried said.
She argued how her administration would be different.
Fried said, "the Republicans know that I’m not necessarily going to just sit back and let them run the show. I’m going to use the power of the veto pen. I’m going to use the power of calling Special Sessions, and they’re going to figure out that it is a lot easier to work with me than to fight me every step along the way.”
\u201cWATCH: @NikkiFried says it is a \u201cfalse argument\u201d that moderate voters may be attracted to primary opponent Charlie Christ because he was a former Republican. #MTPNOW\n\n@NikkiFriedFL: \u201cCharlie didn\u2019t leave the Republican Party because he saw the light. He saw the polls.\u201d\u201d— Meet the Press (@Meet the Press) 1660940645
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