1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Before we get into it, be advised that this series 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:18,639 Speaker 1: contains bad language and references to violence. To understand what 3 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:22,159 Speaker 1: happened at the Capitol on January six, we need to 4 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: zoom out away from the violence, but we're not going far, 5 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: just to block away. On a rooftop terrace on Constitution Avenue, 6 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:40,560 Speaker 1: safely back from the violence. A slightly built man in 7 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,280 Speaker 1: a checkered blazer is doing a live stream of the 8 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 1: rebellion against an illegitimate government. He's in his mid thirties, 9 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:51,279 Speaker 1: and his crisp white shirt and edgy haircut announced him 10 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: as an influencer. As he looks out over the chaos, 11 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: he revels in what his influence has unleashed. This is we, 12 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: the people of the growing frustrating tunes of the government, 13 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: and what's happening now is exactly what I've warned about. 14 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: That's not quite true. He hasn't been warning about this day. 15 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: He's been planning for it, organizing for it, inciting thousands 16 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 1: upon thousands of people with the lie that the election 17 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: was fraudulent. I've said that we need to make fair 18 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,679 Speaker 1: elections in transparent county so that the people do not 19 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: feel like the last resort is public demonstrations like this. 20 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,839 Speaker 1: As he addresses the camera, the scene behind him is escalating. 21 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,119 Speaker 1: Rioters are pouring into the US Capital. We are marching through. 22 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: Members of Congress are scrambling for safety. Where are you going? 23 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: White nationalists Q and on cultists and card carrying militia 24 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: members are roaming the hallways. They're hunting elected officials. What 25 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 1: they're doing a darts trying to find her later in 26 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 1: the day. Rioters will even smear their feces on the walls. 27 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: I want to say something I don't do avow this. 28 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: I do not denounce this. This is completely peaceful, looks 29 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: like so far. And there are a couple of agitators 30 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: that I obviously donates for. The influencer on the rooftop. 31 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: This is the culmination of a life's work. He's the 32 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 1: wily right wing provocateur you've never heard of. But you 33 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: can't understand the Capital insurrection without understanding his story. I 34 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: was a person who came up with the January sixth idea. 35 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: All of this begins with a lie. And that slim, 36 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 1: smartly dressed guy on the rooftop his name is Ali 37 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: Alexander and he's the man behind the lie. From the 38 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: teams at Cool Zone Media. I heart radio and novel. 39 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: This is the Assault on America Episode two, Stop the Steel. Okay, 40 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: straight off the bat. The Capitol riot involved tens of 41 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 1: thousands of Trump supporters, including more than eight hundred who 42 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: entered the capital itself. It was promoted by the President 43 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: of the United States. One the presidential election was rigged, 44 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: illegal votes, and then I've taken this White House. We're 45 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: going to fight like hell. I'll tell you right now, who, 46 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: in turn, was amplified by a vast media network online 47 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: and on TV. Voter fraud people voting to quite seven 48 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:20,160 Speaker 1: million votes deleted, so much evidence right in front of 49 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:26,040 Speaker 1: people's eyes. So can we really single out one far 50 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:29,599 Speaker 1: right influencer as the chief architect of the riot? Oh? No, 51 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 1: I think that's fair. That is very fair. That's Luke O'Brien. 52 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: He's an investigative journalist who covers political extremism. I'm an 53 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:41,719 Speaker 1: investigative reporter and I have been tracking a network of 54 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: bad actors on the political right for the last five years. 55 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: In case you're wondering, it's not the easiest beat to cover. 56 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: I think it began with my very first story. I 57 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 1: started getting defamed and harassed and threatened, and it's been 58 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: that way for uff a decade now. Every story you're 59 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: right usually results in some sort of blowback. Blowback is 60 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 1: Luke's jovial way of describing having his personal details leaked 61 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 1: online to thousands of far right accounts, or being deemed 62 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: a picture of a handgun with the caption your time 63 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: is come. I've covered a lot of the same communities 64 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:25,160 Speaker 1: and can confirm that death threats are sort of de rigor. 65 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: The harassment increases exponentially if you do this work and 66 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:33,679 Speaker 1: happen to not be a white dude. So anyway, Luke 67 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: was digging into these kinds of networks when he first 68 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 1: came across our man on the rooftop, Ali Alexander. I've 69 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:46,359 Speaker 1: noticed him online and then in I noticed him in 70 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:50,479 Speaker 1: person because I attended a rally in front of the 71 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 1: White House that had been organized by several of Alexander's collaborators. 72 00:05:56,720 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: It's called the Rally for Peace, I believe. And it 73 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:03,600 Speaker 1: was funny because before the rally kicked off, you had 74 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:09,200 Speaker 1: some very angry, very militant Trump supporters who were not 75 00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: speaking in peaceful terms. There was one guy who was 76 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: talking about putting George Soros in a gas chamber. There 77 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 1: was an ultranationalist skinhead group that was doing security, and 78 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:24,719 Speaker 1: Ali Alexander got up on stage and spoke as well. 79 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,279 Speaker 1: There he is in the flesh all uh, you know, 80 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,560 Speaker 1: turned out in his slick suit on a hunt day, 81 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:37,800 Speaker 1: his hair kind of brushed back in an interesting hairstyle, 82 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:41,120 Speaker 1: and clearly trying to make a go of it as 83 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: an influencer. Until this point, Ali Alexander has been more 84 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,839 Speaker 1: of a behind the scenes guy, the type of person 85 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:52,719 Speaker 1: the press might refer to as a political operator. But 86 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:56,040 Speaker 1: in two thousands seventeen he starts moving into the spotlight, 87 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 1: appearing on stage next to heavyweight right wing influencers, the 88 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,240 Speaker 1: type of social media stars who wield great power on 89 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:07,839 Speaker 1: the right. So you had in mid seen all the 90 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: elements of this anti democratic network that Ali Alexander was 91 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: a central note of coming together in front of the 92 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:19,559 Speaker 1: White House. Now Alexander isn't the biggest name to speak 93 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 1: on the stage that day, not by a long shot, 94 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: but he has something that the others don't, one thing 95 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: that distinguishes Ali Alexander from some of the other bat 96 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: actors on the political rights. Some of these influencers online, 97 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: is that he actually does have some real political operative experience, 98 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: going back many years, organizing experience, working on campaigns, setting 99 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:50,120 Speaker 1: up websites, running social media for various Republican candidates. So 100 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: prior to Trump running for president, Ali Alexander is moving 101 00:07:54,360 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 1: around in actually, frankly, some fairly high level Republican circles. Yeah, 102 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: there's much more to Alie Alexander than your typical maga 103 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 1: Yahoo mashing the retweet button after every presidential admission. So 104 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: where does a guy like Alexander spring from and how 105 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: did he end up on that rooftop overlooking chaos on 106 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: January six? Arguably more responsible for the violence than any 107 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:27,040 Speaker 1: single person except the President himself. Very early as a child, 108 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 1: I saw it power. I saw it power and influence. 109 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: That's Alie Alexander speaking in two thousand nineteen. I guess 110 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: it's no surprise he ended up in politics. Alexander was 111 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:41,600 Speaker 1: born in Texas in the mid nineteen eighties. He was 112 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:44,200 Speaker 1: raised by his mom after his dad walked out when 113 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:47,440 Speaker 1: he was two years old. The way Alexander describes it, 114 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,439 Speaker 1: he was hooked on politics from the start. I grew 115 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: up phone banking for judges, you know, I built websites 116 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: for politicians when I was in high school. It was 117 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: only natural I was going to be a congressman or 118 00:08:57,679 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: I was going to be a U. S Senator. And 119 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,840 Speaker 1: that with the plan. Trouble with the law and a 120 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:06,200 Speaker 1: nasty mug shot killed the dream of high office, and 121 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:10,439 Speaker 1: by two thousand seven, Alexander finds himself unemployed, a college 122 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:14,160 Speaker 1: dropout with convictions for property theft and debit card abuse. 123 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:18,320 Speaker 1: But happily for Alexander, it turns out that none of 124 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:23,120 Speaker 1: that matters because Ali has a superpower. Those websites he 125 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: built in high school for Republican politicians, those were just 126 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 1: the start. Young Ali is way ahead of the curve 127 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:34,679 Speaker 1: on all things digital. He's living online before the phrase 128 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: even exists. He creates a Twitter account so early that 129 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:43,520 Speaker 1: he secures a prized three letter handled at Ali, and 130 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 1: luckily for Alexander, the Republican Party knows talent when they 131 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,520 Speaker 1: say it. They set him to work on the newly 132 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:54,199 Speaker 1: emerging digital arena of politics. Ali will later describe himself 133 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:57,240 Speaker 1: as a pioneer in the field, and he's probably right. 134 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,319 Speaker 1: Seven there's about twenty us that we're building websites during 135 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:05,200 Speaker 1: email marketing social media, creating UH profiles and interface with that. 136 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:08,120 Speaker 1: I mean, now there's like four thousand of us. By 137 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: two thirteen, he's organizing his own after party at SPAK, 138 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:15,600 Speaker 1: the biggest Republican event of the year. In this video, 139 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: he's standing next to Ted Cruz, the newly elected U. S. 140 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:22,120 Speaker 1: Senator from Texas. Let me tell you, the men and 141 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: women in this room, you represent power and you represent 142 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:33,559 Speaker 1: the money. Alexander called the party blog bash to celebrate 143 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: the digital warriors like him fighting their campaigns online. Clearly 144 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:47,640 Speaker 1: Cruise understands their value. You scare one, you scare the 145 00:10:47,679 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: hell out of Washington. Well that's prophetic. Roll on to 146 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 1: twenty teen, and Alexander has worked on a slew of 147 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:06,600 Speaker 1: Republican campaigns as a digital director. But along the way 148 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:08,680 Speaker 1: he seems to have burned a few bridges in his 149 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: native Texas. So he resurfaces in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It's 150 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:21,680 Speaker 1: here that he meets a local writer and publisher called 151 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:25,680 Speaker 1: Lamar White Jr. I kind of like a mosquito in here. 152 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:31,200 Speaker 1: It's Louisiana. Lamar covers politics and state government in Baton Rouge. 153 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: So when a guy like Ali arrives in town. Lamar's 154 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 1: radar pings, he seeks out Ali for a drink. I 155 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:40,600 Speaker 1: met him at a bar. It was just this normal 156 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:43,479 Speaker 1: bar in Baton Rouge, and he was with his boyfriend, 157 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 1: so it was a very like, sort of relaxed, you know, 158 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:49,320 Speaker 1: casual getting to know you type of thing. And he 159 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:53,559 Speaker 1: was nothing like the Ali Alexander that emerged in the 160 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:58,360 Speaker 1: Stop to Steal campaign. At this stage, Alexander is just 161 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:01,720 Speaker 1: another political operative trying to build a network in a 162 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:05,599 Speaker 1: new town. He certainly comes across as a political consultant. 163 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 1: There is a personality type, you know, someone who has 164 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:11,680 Speaker 1: probably two or three cell phones and his multiple things 165 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:14,200 Speaker 1: going on at once. And the candidate that he worked 166 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:17,520 Speaker 1: for in Louisiana, by the way, was not someone that 167 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:20,840 Speaker 1: you would define as a right wing ideologue in any respect. 168 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 1: In fact, the candidate he worked for, I would say 169 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:27,720 Speaker 1: twenty years ago, would have been a Democrat. But Alie 170 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: Alexander's a political survivor. When the winds change in ten 171 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:35,680 Speaker 1: and Donald Trump takes control of the Republican Party, Alexander 172 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:38,880 Speaker 1: changes his tune in an instant, becoming a true believer 173 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 1: in the Maga cause. Basically, overnight. And that's not the 174 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:48,640 Speaker 1: only evidence of a healthy dose of a moral flexibility 175 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:51,800 Speaker 1: on Alie's part. I mean, the guy doesn't become the 176 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 1: chief architect of an attempted coup just because he's a 177 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:58,480 Speaker 1: Trump convert who knows how to tweet. Alie. Alexander has 178 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:01,959 Speaker 1: another string to his bow, a willingness to get dirty. 179 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: Here's Luke O'Brien again. He started doing some work for 180 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:12,080 Speaker 1: this very strange looking group called the Black Conservatives Fund. 181 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:15,160 Speaker 1: And this is essentially it's a political activism type group 182 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:20,480 Speaker 1: that receives dark money. Dark money the scourge of US politics. 183 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:24,559 Speaker 1: This is untraceable cash pumped into the system, usually by 184 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:29,560 Speaker 1: mega donors with somewhat questionable intentions. You can pretty much 185 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:32,559 Speaker 1: rest assured that it's not on the up and up. 186 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 1: Not on the up and up is certainly one way 187 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:40,120 Speaker 1: to describe Alexander's new venture in Louisiana. Alee Alexander is 188 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: working for this group and they are targeting Democratic candidates 189 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,680 Speaker 1: in different elections around the country, and they're promoting far 190 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:53,120 Speaker 1: right or hard right Republican candidates. And the irony here is, 191 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:58,120 Speaker 1: you know, Alee Alexander's a mixed race man. His mother 192 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:02,199 Speaker 1: is black. His father, he claims from the United Arab 193 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:05,800 Speaker 1: Emirates originally, And you know, he was working with another 194 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:08,679 Speaker 1: black woman on this Black and Service Fund, and a 195 00:14:08,679 --> 00:14:13,360 Speaker 1: lot of things they were doing, we're actually disenfranchising black voters. 196 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:21,480 Speaker 1: Here's a typical example. He targeted an incumbent senator, Democratic 197 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:25,320 Speaker 1: Senator in Louisiana, Mary Landrew. She was up for re election. 198 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:29,960 Speaker 1: The Black Conservatives Fund begins infiltrating one of Mary Landrew's 199 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,440 Speaker 1: campaign events and recording them. This one was hosted by 200 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:36,600 Speaker 1: Landrew's chief of staff's dad. He happened to be the 201 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 1: mayor of a small town in Louisiana called Apaloosis, and 202 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:48,520 Speaker 1: he made a joke about voting twice. You know, someone 203 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 1: asked him, what if, what if we've already sent in 204 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 1: a mail and vote. He said, oh, we'll show up 205 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: the polls anyway and vote again. So the room burst 206 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 1: out laughing. It was very clearly kind of a campaign 207 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 1: trail type joke. If you early voted, go vote again tomorrow. 208 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 1: It's a joke. You here in politics all the time. 209 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:11,320 Speaker 1: Next thing you know, this is being turned into an 210 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:15,520 Speaker 1: attack ad and numerous press releases put out by the 211 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:19,600 Speaker 1: Black Conservatives Fund targeting mary Landrew, saying that the father 212 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:23,640 Speaker 1: of her chief of staff or her campaign manager was 213 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:27,680 Speaker 1: urging voter fraud to take place. He was recommending that 214 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:30,200 Speaker 1: all these black voters, and these are predominantly black voters 215 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 1: that we're talking about here, vote twice. Here's the introduction 216 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:36,920 Speaker 1: to the ad put out by Ali Alexander and the 217 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:41,000 Speaker 1: Black Conservatives Fund. What you're about to hear is shocking, 218 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: even for the sad swamp of Democrat politics here in Louisiana. 219 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:50,960 Speaker 1: The man talking is Louisiana State Senator Albert Guillory. His 220 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:54,120 Speaker 1: mournful tone is kind of like a teacher who isn't angry, 221 00:15:54,560 --> 00:16:00,400 Speaker 1: just disappointed. The Black Conservatives Fund obtained footage at a 222 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 1: private gathering of the Democrat faithful where the mayor of 223 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:11,920 Speaker 1: Apulusus suggests that people vote twice. Why urge people to 224 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:16,400 Speaker 1: commit voter fraud? With this ad? Ali Alexander is learning 225 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 1: his craft, hinting to Republicans that if the election doesn't 226 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:23,960 Speaker 1: go your way, it must have been stolen. When you 227 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: allege the voter fraud is happening in the South and 228 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:29,760 Speaker 1: the Democrats are the ones doing it, well, what you're 229 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:33,080 Speaker 1: saying is that black people are cheating when they're voting somehow, 230 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:37,480 Speaker 1: because the Democratic Party in Southern states is heavily heavily black. 231 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 1: And while Alexander is riling up Louisiana Republicans with false 232 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:46,880 Speaker 1: claims of black voter fraud, he's simultaneously targeting black Democrat 233 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,840 Speaker 1: voters with disinformation designed to stop them from turning out 234 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:54,520 Speaker 1: to vote. Here's a deceptively edited robo call he put 235 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: out reworking an interview with Mary Landrew to make it 236 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 1: sound like she didn't vote for Barack o'ball in the 237 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:05,040 Speaker 1: twenty twelve election Louisiana. Here is an important last minute 238 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:08,800 Speaker 1: election update US Senator Mary Landrew with US here. I 239 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:13,119 Speaker 1: voted for the Affordable care I did not vote for Obama. 240 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:16,080 Speaker 1: Did you hear that mary Landrew talking to a white 241 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:18,920 Speaker 1: host different than she talks to black voters. I did 242 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,960 Speaker 1: not vote for obam What happened next is that the 243 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:27,680 Speaker 1: Republican Party of Louisiana amplifies this propaganda and puts out 244 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: statements of its own. And the goal, of course, is 245 00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:34,240 Speaker 1: to spread some disinformation and try to take out a 246 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:38,040 Speaker 1: Democratic senator. And so Ali Alexander played an instrumental role 247 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 1: in making that happen, and mary Landrew ended up losing 248 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:47,520 Speaker 1: her election. Lamar White Jr. A veteran of covering Louisiana politics, 249 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:50,680 Speaker 1: also thinks that Alexander had a critical role in handing 250 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:55,640 Speaker 1: mary Landrew's Senate seat to her Republican rival Bill Cassidy. Yes, 251 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:59,040 Speaker 1: I do, I absolutely do. The Black Conservatives Fund made 252 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:02,240 Speaker 1: a couple of pretty big splashes, I would say. And 253 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:05,440 Speaker 1: you can see a photograph of Ali and Bill Cassidy 254 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:12,320 Speaker 1: standing together on election night celebrating his win. So Alie 255 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:17,040 Speaker 1: Alexander maybe swings a senatorial race in Louisiana. Okay, impressive, 256 00:18:17,119 --> 00:18:20,240 Speaker 1: but kind of small fry. This series is about a 257 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: full blown insurrection in Washington, d C. After all. But 258 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:29,000 Speaker 1: don't worry. He's about to hit the big time. The 259 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 1: thing is he needs a little help with the transition. 260 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,600 Speaker 1: At some point in the Trump years, Ali falls in 261 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,399 Speaker 1: with a man who's done it all before. A master 262 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:41,240 Speaker 1: of the political dark arts the Loki of us politics. 263 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:46,920 Speaker 1: I have no title, I have no line responsibilities, but 264 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:51,879 Speaker 1: I have access to all the right people. When Roger 265 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:55,639 Speaker 1: Stone starts collaborating with Alie Alexander, it's like a master 266 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:59,080 Speaker 1: meeting a talented apprentice. Stone was working with Trump at 267 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:02,359 Speaker 1: the time as a kind of fixer, or, as Stone 268 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:07,320 Speaker 1: would rather put it, I'm just an fot friend of Trumble. 269 00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:13,240 Speaker 1: It's hard to say exactly what Stone was doing for Trump, 270 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:16,600 Speaker 1: but we can take a guess from his background. Roger 271 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: Stone goes way back in US politics. I welcome this 272 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:26,080 Speaker 1: kind of examination because people have got to know whether 273 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:29,080 Speaker 1: or not their presidents or crook. Well, I'm not a crook. 274 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:33,200 Speaker 1: He was pulling fast tricks in the Nixon years. They 275 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:38,520 Speaker 1: called it rat fucking back then. The term refers to 276 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:41,920 Speaker 1: all of the underhanded, immoral, or straight up illegal ways 277 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:45,639 Speaker 1: you can screw over your opponent in politics. The Watergate 278 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:48,440 Speaker 1: break in is a classic example, and by the way, 279 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:51,520 Speaker 1: Stone had a role in that as a junior Nixon staffer, 280 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: but he was never charged. Roger Stone was forged as 281 00:19:55,359 --> 00:19:58,560 Speaker 1: a political operator in those dubious years. He even has 282 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:02,640 Speaker 1: a tattoo of Nixon's on his back. But Stone's real 283 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:06,880 Speaker 1: contribution to this story comes in three simple words, stop 284 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:12,760 Speaker 1: the steel. Roger Stone coined that phrase, stopped the steal in, 285 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:18,679 Speaker 1: and that was during the Republican primary with US tonight 286 00:20:19,119 --> 00:20:24,360 Speaker 1: businessman Donald Trump, of New York. Trump was a long 287 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: shot candidate. It was a very crowded field Jeb Bush 288 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:32,120 Speaker 1: and Florida. Trump was kind of the non politician who 289 00:20:32,359 --> 00:20:35,080 Speaker 1: was making a lot of noise property from then let 290 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:38,280 Speaker 1: me talk quiet at the time when he first cleared 291 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:40,880 Speaker 1: his candidacy and nobody gave him a chance, and then 292 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:44,240 Speaker 1: he started picking off the candidates one by one. So 293 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:45,879 Speaker 1: I think you're on the wrong side of this. If 294 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:48,320 Speaker 1: you're still arguing for a single player. I'm not. I'm not. 295 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:50,160 Speaker 1: I don't think you've heard me. You're having a hard 296 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:52,600 Speaker 1: time tonight. But it still looked like he might not 297 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,359 Speaker 1: get the nomination, and so Roger Stone coined this phrase 298 00:20:56,359 --> 00:21:01,320 Speaker 1: stop the Steel to basically under in confidence in the 299 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:05,920 Speaker 1: political process. In the Republican primary, there is insurmountable, compelling, 300 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 1: overcoming evidence of fraud, and the idea was, well, if 301 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:14,399 Speaker 1: Trump loses, then clearly this has been stolen, right because 302 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:19,760 Speaker 1: the people want Trump. Accordingly, the chair announces that Donald 303 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:25,640 Speaker 1: Day Trump has been selected as the Republican Party nominee 304 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: for President of the United States. The people, as we know, 305 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:34,840 Speaker 1: did want Trump, and he secured the Republican nomination for president. 306 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:39,560 Speaker 1: So in Roger Stone Stopped the Steel campaign was never 307 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:43,520 Speaker 1: rolled out. But after the primary comes the general, and 308 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:47,200 Speaker 1: once again the numbers aren't looking good for Trump. Clinton 309 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:51,320 Speaker 1: head by nine siy, Clinton eleven points and leading Trump 310 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:54,679 Speaker 1: by twelve point. Once again, it looks like it's an 311 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 1: uphill fight. So Donald Trump is again challenging the legitimacy 312 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:02,560 Speaker 1: of the election. Trump and Stone dust off their trustee 313 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:08,160 Speaker 1: slogan stop the Steel. It became far more toxic this phrase, 314 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:11,720 Speaker 1: and far more dangerous at that time, because then it 315 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:17,160 Speaker 1: was about demonizing Hillary Clinton and demonizing liberals, and liberals 316 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:20,560 Speaker 1: are trying to steal this election from Donald Trump, the 317 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 1: Democratic machine, the deep state, all these things started circulating 318 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:34,359 Speaker 1: in the conversation. You could see what they were trying 319 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:37,879 Speaker 1: to do. Back in they were trying to say that 320 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: if Trump didn't win, somehow the election was rigged. Trump 321 00:22:43,119 --> 00:22:45,960 Speaker 1: himself was using that kind of language in the lead 322 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:47,680 Speaker 1: up to the election because he wasn't sure he was 323 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 1: gonna win. Roger Stone stopped the Steel efforts are more 324 00:22:54,760 --> 00:23:02,040 Speaker 1: than simple rhetoric. I think it's essentials. He starts working 325 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:04,840 Speaker 1: with groups like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys. 326 00:23:05,359 --> 00:23:08,160 Speaker 1: These are the kind of brutish, armed thugs. We'll hear 327 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:12,760 Speaker 1: more about later in this series. For now, all you 328 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: need to know is that they are not professional poll watchers. 329 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,440 Speaker 1: Roger Stone was using Stop the Steel to promote sending 330 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 1: pole watchers, as he called it, to go and just, 331 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 1: you know, make sure the election wasn't being stolen. Let's 332 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 1: just send an army of really angry, delusional, probably very 333 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:40,199 Speaker 1: large white men to go and stand outside, you know, 334 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:43,960 Speaker 1: the polls in neighborhoods where a lot of minorities vote, 335 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:46,600 Speaker 1: you know, and make sure they're not stealing the vote. 336 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 1: Pull watchers in Lee County. Tomorrow, the uful watchers are 337 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,320 Speaker 1: going to be at polling locations across New Mexico. While 338 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:57,560 Speaker 1: poll watching is legal, intimidating voters is not. Roger Stone's 339 00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:01,679 Speaker 1: key discovery is that baseless conspiracy theories about election integrity 340 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:05,480 Speaker 1: are a huge hit with Trump space. As Trump heads 341 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:08,879 Speaker 1: for the general election, there's more and more rhetoric from 342 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:17,080 Speaker 1: the Trump camp about greaked elections, cheating Democrats, and widespread 343 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:23,520 Speaker 1: voting fraud. But once again, the full stop the Steel 344 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:30,800 Speaker 1: campaign isn't needed. Trump surprises everyone, including himself, by taking 345 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:35,639 Speaker 1: the White House. Sorry to keep you waiting, complicated, business, complicate. 346 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:40,480 Speaker 1: Stop the steel is put on ice. You don't shout 347 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:45,400 Speaker 1: about election fraud when you win. But it turns out 348 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 1: that stop the steel is too powerful a weapon to 349 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 1: lay dormant for long. This came back in. It came back, 350 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:55,879 Speaker 1: not as how Ali Alexander got involved. Was stopped the 351 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:59,840 Speaker 1: steel breaking news in Florida. The counting is over in 352 00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:04,280 Speaker 1: the eighteen midterm elections. There's an extremely close race in Florida. 353 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:08,080 Speaker 1: Republican Rhonda Santis is still ahead of Democrat Andrew Gillam 354 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:11,679 Speaker 1: by only four tenths of a percent. It's so close, 355 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:15,199 Speaker 1: in fact, that a recount is required by law. The 356 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:19,359 Speaker 1: situation became kind of a microcosm foreshadowing of what would 357 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:23,600 Speaker 1: happen in the presidential election. The voting on election day 358 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:27,480 Speaker 1: favors the Republican candidate ron De Santis, but the mail 359 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:30,760 Speaker 1: in ballots counted later than the election day ballots cast 360 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:35,520 Speaker 1: in person favored the Democrat Andrew Gillim. This phenomenon is 361 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:38,719 Speaker 1: known as the blue shift. It's called that because the 362 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:43,200 Speaker 1: result of the election starts red Republican and gradually moves 363 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:47,200 Speaker 1: to blue Democrat. There are many reasons why Democrats are 364 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:50,040 Speaker 1: more likely to vote by mail than Republicans, but the 365 00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:55,080 Speaker 1: discrepancy creates just enough ambiguity for agitators like Alexander to 366 00:25:55,119 --> 00:25:58,800 Speaker 1: get to work. Ali Alexander decided, Okay, let's deploy the 367 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:03,840 Speaker 1: stop the Steel campaign again the phrase, but also he 368 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:08,000 Speaker 1: had the social media presence. This is important because Roger Stone, 369 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:11,840 Speaker 1: for all of his wiles and experience, never understood social media. 370 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:16,679 Speaker 1: Like Ali Alexander. It's a generational thing. Stone has some reach, 371 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:19,520 Speaker 1: but even his rat fucking days never prepared him for 372 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:26,920 Speaker 1: the cesspools of social media. Alexander, on the other hand, 373 00:26:27,119 --> 00:26:31,119 Speaker 1: came of age politically on Twitter. In his hands, stop 374 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:33,840 Speaker 1: the Steel is a far more powerful weapon than it 375 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:38,040 Speaker 1: ever was for Stone. He started tweeting out a stop 376 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:42,520 Speaker 1: the Steel hashtag. He had his network who were boosting 377 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:46,199 Speaker 1: this stop the Steel campaign that Alexander had launched in 378 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:53,119 Speaker 1: They all jumped in. President Trump just tweeted an unsubstantiated 379 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:57,159 Speaker 1: accusation trying to steal too big elections in Florida. We 380 00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:01,760 Speaker 1: are watching closely, he writes. Alexander studied organizing an actual 381 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:05,880 Speaker 1: protest outside the election center down in Florida where where 382 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:11,080 Speaker 1: the recount was happening, and guests who showed up a 383 00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:13,080 Speaker 1: lot of the same type of people who showed up 384 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:18,240 Speaker 1: on January six. These people are extremists and they're kind 385 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:21,600 Speaker 1: of passing in normal society, and they all showed up 386 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:25,639 Speaker 1: in to stop the steel down in Florida, and it worked, 387 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:29,080 Speaker 1: by the way, it worked. About fifteen minutes ago, I 388 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 1: spoke with Andrew Gillham and he very graciously conceded the election. 389 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:37,080 Speaker 1: When the votes are recounted, the Republican Ron De Santis 390 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:41,000 Speaker 1: is declared the winner. He was a very formidable opponent 391 00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:45,879 Speaker 1: and I wish him well in his future endeavors. Maybe 392 00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 1: the recount would have always favored to Santis. But if 393 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:51,560 Speaker 1: you're counting votes with an angry right wing mob waiting 394 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,920 Speaker 1: just outside the front door, well who knows what might happen. 395 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:58,920 Speaker 1: And the crazy thing is for Alexander, the result itself 396 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:02,199 Speaker 1: isn't even the main rise. What was successful about it 397 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:07,120 Speaker 1: for them was that Ali Alexander and his group were 398 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:11,719 Speaker 1: able to almost immediately get a pretty significant turnout on 399 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:15,280 Speaker 1: the ground from what they were doing online. So they 400 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,359 Speaker 1: had figured out how to weaponize social media use it 401 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:22,400 Speaker 1: to organize an actual protest and get people to show 402 00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:26,639 Speaker 1: up with signs angry people who just believed that the 403 00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:28,879 Speaker 1: Democrats were stealing the election because they've seen it on 404 00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:31,879 Speaker 1: Twitter and they've seen enough people tweeting about it. That 405 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 1: was a very successful field test for what he would 406 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:44,440 Speaker 1: end up doing in What does he end up doing? 407 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:49,920 Speaker 1: In by Alexander has completed the move from back room 408 00:28:49,960 --> 00:28:53,840 Speaker 1: operator to social media influencer. He grows his following on 409 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:58,680 Speaker 1: Twitter and Instagram by posting increasingly incendiary content. He posts 410 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:02,680 Speaker 1: the kind of attacks even Trump didn't go near. Kamala 411 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:05,360 Speaker 1: Harris doesn't count as black because she's only half Jamaican. 412 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:10,680 Speaker 1: Joe Biden secretly has Parkinson's disease, and of course he 413 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:18,200 Speaker 1: lays the groundwork for the Stop the Steel campaign, raising funds, 414 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:29,800 Speaker 1: organizing logistics, readying his network of followers. Lamar White Jr. 415 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:33,280 Speaker 1: The investigative reporter from Louisiana, checked in with his one 416 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 1: time acquaintance to try and figure out what was going on. 417 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:41,360 Speaker 1: I had contact with him right after the election. I 418 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:44,000 Speaker 1: noticed that there was a Stop the Steel protest that 419 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:47,080 Speaker 1: was planned for Baton Rouge, which I've frankly found a 420 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:50,560 Speaker 1: little silly considering that Donald Trump won Louisiana by like 421 00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:55,080 Speaker 1: nineteen points. He told me when we spoke that he 422 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:57,440 Speaker 1: was planning these events in all fifty states, that that 423 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:00,400 Speaker 1: was next on his agenda, that he was not going 424 00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:04,800 Speaker 1: to relent, And he made it seem as if what 425 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:08,200 Speaker 1: he was doing was perfectly reasonable and that the only 426 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:11,320 Speaker 1: thing he really cared about was ensuring election integrity, and 427 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:14,320 Speaker 1: he had these legitimate questions about election integrity. I mean, 428 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:18,479 Speaker 1: this is frankly, this is b s. Soon after election, 429 00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 1: Trump's own Homeland Security officials declare it the most secure 430 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:26,560 Speaker 1: election in US history. At least eighty six lawsuits are 431 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:30,240 Speaker 1: brought by the Trump campaign and their allies, claiming instances 432 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:33,720 Speaker 1: of election fraud. One after the other. They're swatted down 433 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:36,680 Speaker 1: in courts around the country, many thrown out by Trump 434 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:42,280 Speaker 1: appointed judges. Ali Alexander is unfhased. He had been planning 435 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:45,600 Speaker 1: to do this for months before, so regardless of what 436 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:48,920 Speaker 1: the outcome was if Trump lost, no matter what combination 437 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:53,160 Speaker 1: of states came together to give him that loss, Ali 438 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:56,680 Speaker 1: was going to do this anyway. Ali spends November and 439 00:30:56,760 --> 00:31:03,920 Speaker 1: December organizing protests all over the Wes. He speaks at 440 00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:06,800 Speaker 1: many of them. His rhetoric ratcheting up as he spreads 441 00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:12,720 Speaker 1: more and more lies. They say there's a cue going on, 442 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:18,200 Speaker 1: and there is Trump got I believe eighty million votes. 443 00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:25,040 Speaker 1: After organizing NonStop rallies throughout the winter, Alexander decides on 444 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 1: a final push, one last effort to overturn the national election. 445 00:31:29,840 --> 00:31:37,960 Speaker 1: The date he lands on January six. January six, Alexander 446 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:41,400 Speaker 1: leverages all his connections, all his experience as an organizer. 447 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:45,160 Speaker 1: His skill is a propagandist. He liaises with Trump campaigners, 448 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:48,600 Speaker 1: with grassroots organizers, with far right extremists, and with alt 449 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:52,600 Speaker 1: right influencers. Piece by piece, he pulls together the mother 450 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:58,720 Speaker 1: of all maga rallies. At twelve pm on January six, 451 00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:02,880 Speaker 1: Donald Trump addresses a shivering crowd outside the White House. 452 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:06,920 Speaker 1: Alie Alexander sits in the front row. We will never 453 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:10,200 Speaker 1: give up. We will never concede. It doesn't happen. You 454 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:15,480 Speaker 1: don't concede. Where there's that in my head? At least, 455 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:18,600 Speaker 1: he smiles when he hears this line. And to use 456 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:22,320 Speaker 1: a favorite term that all of you people really came 457 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:30,840 Speaker 1: up with, we will stop the steel. Alexander has pulled 458 00:32:30,920 --> 00:32:34,640 Speaker 1: some political tricks before now, but this is the biggest 459 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:38,080 Speaker 1: of them all. He's rolling out a stop the Steel 460 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:41,560 Speaker 1: campaign that has been prepared for every previous election in 461 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:45,560 Speaker 1: Donald Trump's political career. Only now is it needed. And 462 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:50,960 Speaker 1: Alie Alexander is the man at the helm. He's the guy. 463 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:53,480 Speaker 1: He's the guy who who drove this car to stop 464 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:57,160 Speaker 1: the steel car. That is what led to January six 465 00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:04,920 Speaker 1: more than anything else, that mass disinformation campaign that he 466 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,880 Speaker 1: was driving. And it's replicated on the other side. This 467 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:11,719 Speaker 1: is we the people, the growing frustrations of the governments. 468 00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:16,120 Speaker 1: Alie Alexander's live stream on the rooftop overlooking the Capital 469 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:20,600 Speaker 1: riot is the zenith of his career. Most of the 470 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:23,560 Speaker 1: rioters have probably never heard of him, but they've heard 471 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:27,360 Speaker 1: of Stopped the Steel. It's why they were here. But 472 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 1: within days of the riot, something strange happens to Alexander 473 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:36,120 Speaker 1: for the first time in his adult life. He stops posting. 474 00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:42,400 Speaker 1: The political operator with multiple phones, running dozens of accounts, 475 00:33:42,440 --> 00:33:46,200 Speaker 1: bombarding millions of Americans with distortions, half truths and lies 476 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:49,840 Speaker 1: is d platformed by almost every social media site on 477 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:54,840 Speaker 1: the Internet, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. One by one, Allie Alexander's 478 00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:58,320 Speaker 1: accounts are suspended. Even parlor beloved by the Right for 479 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:01,840 Speaker 1: its lack of content moderation, and is knocked offline by 480 00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:06,360 Speaker 1: its hosting partner Amazon. The only platform that will still 481 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:09,759 Speaker 1: take him is a streaming site mainly used by gamers. 482 00:34:10,400 --> 00:34:13,160 Speaker 1: Judging from Ali's new content, he doesn't take his d 483 00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:17,680 Speaker 1: platform ing well. My entire life is over. They have 484 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:22,040 Speaker 1: ruined my earthly life. They have totally ruined it. Five 485 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:25,319 Speaker 1: people died at the Capitol riot that Alexander worked so 486 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:28,480 Speaker 1: hard to incite. Yet he's full of pity for himself 487 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:31,480 Speaker 1: and anger at the social media bosses who took away 488 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:34,719 Speaker 1: his toys. And he's filming these these videos, these live 489 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:37,600 Speaker 1: streams in the backseat of a car, kind of you know, 490 00:34:37,800 --> 00:34:41,160 Speaker 1: rumbling through the dark to some undisclosed location like he's 491 00:34:41,239 --> 00:34:44,560 Speaker 1: you know, he's on the lamb. I have lost my 492 00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:49,880 Speaker 1: cash app, I have lost my PayPal, I've lost my Venmo. 493 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:53,320 Speaker 1: Please send money. I'm thinking that he's still on the grift, 494 00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:56,440 Speaker 1: you know, the grift is baked into his soul at 495 00:34:56,440 --> 00:34:58,960 Speaker 1: this point, right because I've seen him do this before, 496 00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:02,440 Speaker 1: where he talking about I need money, I need it 497 00:35:02,520 --> 00:35:04,799 Speaker 1: right away to pay for my security team. My life 498 00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:07,080 Speaker 1: is in danger, and there's never really been any evidence 499 00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:09,239 Speaker 1: of that. He's never produced any evidence to back up 500 00:35:09,239 --> 00:35:12,319 Speaker 1: anything he's saying. My first concern is making sure that 501 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:15,600 Speaker 1: I have full time security with me. That means into 502 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:18,640 Speaker 1: every bathroom that I go to. From now until the 503 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:22,759 Speaker 1: rest of my life, I'll probably never get to hang 504 00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:28,560 Speaker 1: out with my dog again. Besides the self pity, Alexander 505 00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:33,960 Speaker 1: craves revenge. I will unleash a legion of angels to 506 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:38,680 Speaker 1: bring hell to our enemies. I pray that I am 507 00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:46,799 Speaker 1: the tool to stab these mother fucker's. You might be 508 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:49,640 Speaker 1: tempted to look at somebody like Alexander and dismiss him 509 00:35:49,719 --> 00:35:53,520 Speaker 1: as a weird sight show a grifter into charlatan, but 510 00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:57,279 Speaker 1: that would be a huge mistake. I hate to say it, 511 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:00,520 Speaker 1: but when Ali Alexander threatens revenge, we need to take 512 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:05,120 Speaker 1: him seriously, especially given the militant nature of his fan base. 513 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:10,319 Speaker 1: That you had a vast network of extremists, many of 514 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:15,320 Speaker 1: them anti democratic activists who are actually trying to destroy 515 00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:20,600 Speaker 1: democracy in America because they know that democracy in a 516 00:36:20,680 --> 00:36:25,440 Speaker 1: multiracial country like this is a losing proposition for them. 517 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:28,680 Speaker 1: And Ali Alexander was one of the main people behind that. 518 00:36:28,719 --> 00:36:33,080 Speaker 1: He was one of the ringleaders. Unless we do something 519 00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:35,200 Speaker 1: about it. Now, it's going to come back, and it's 520 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:40,000 Speaker 1: going to be uglier. I know that. I do think 521 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:51,200 Speaker 1: he'll be back. I really do. The case of Ali 522 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:54,520 Speaker 1: Alexander represents both a problem and an imbalance in our 523 00:36:54,600 --> 00:36:57,880 Speaker 1: justice system. As of the writing of this episode, Ali 524 00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:01,600 Speaker 1: has not been charged with any crime for deliberately inciting 525 00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:04,879 Speaker 1: a riot that led to several deaths, and indeed, he's 526 00:37:04,920 --> 00:37:08,560 Speaker 1: back on his game, broadcasting on an encrypted app used 527 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:11,879 Speaker 1: by many on the right. Now. One might argue if 528 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:13,840 Speaker 1: he were to be charged that it would set a 529 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:17,719 Speaker 1: dangerous precedent, It might make organizing unsafe for a variety 530 00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:22,760 Speaker 1: of people across the political spectrum, but that's already the case. 531 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:27,440 Speaker 1: Left wing activists are regularly charged with felonies for organizing 532 00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:32,879 Speaker 1: protests where no one dies. In September six, socialist organizers 533 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:35,920 Speaker 1: were slammed with a bevy of charges and in some cases, 534 00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:38,680 Speaker 1: threatened with up to forty eight years in prison for 535 00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:43,040 Speaker 1: organizing protests in Aurora, Colorado, where no one was killed 536 00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:46,840 Speaker 1: or seriously injured. They were charged with kidnapping because the 537 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:53,640 Speaker 1: protests surrounded a police station and thus imprisoned officers. These 538 00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:57,000 Speaker 1: charges were dropped months later, but the case is ongoing. 539 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:02,839 Speaker 1: In July, a test organizer in San Louis Obispo, California, 540 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:06,920 Speaker 1: was charged with five crimes, including felony riot, for leading 541 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:12,359 Speaker 1: protesters to briefly block a highway. And on January one, 542 00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:16,040 Speaker 1: the FBI arrested and charged a leftist activist who had 543 00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:19,480 Speaker 1: fought against ISIS in Syria and who tried to organize 544 00:38:19,480 --> 00:38:22,600 Speaker 1: an armed left wing counter rally to defend against a 545 00:38:22,640 --> 00:38:25,880 Speaker 1: far right attack he believed was coming. After January six, 546 00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:29,880 Speaker 1: he was sentenced to three and a half years. That 547 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:32,560 Speaker 1: last one may seem like it crosses a line for you, 548 00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:37,240 Speaker 1: but in August one, failed comedian Jason left Cowitz stood 549 00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:40,239 Speaker 1: up at an anti mask rally in Santa Monica and 550 00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:42,839 Speaker 1: held up a list of the names and addresses of 551 00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:46,719 Speaker 1: every Los Angeles City Council member. He screamed, you want 552 00:38:46,719 --> 00:38:50,120 Speaker 1: to feel intimidated, We're coming to your homes. Were coming 553 00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:54,600 Speaker 1: to you now. He later added, quote civil war, Civil 554 00:38:54,600 --> 00:39:00,920 Speaker 1: war is coming. Get your guns. Left Cowitz, like Alley Alexander, 555 00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:04,359 Speaker 1: has not been charged with any crime. The FBI has 556 00:39:04,400 --> 00:39:06,960 Speaker 1: not shown up at his door to confiscate his weapons, 557 00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:21,400 Speaker 1: and they never will coming up. An episode three, a 558 00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:24,600 Speaker 1: radical far right militia group is spurred on by Alley 559 00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:28,600 Speaker 1: Alexander's lies and takes drastic action. They've gotten the gallows 560 00:39:28,600 --> 00:39:31,440 Speaker 1: set upside the Capitol building. It's trying to start fucking 561 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:34,239 Speaker 1: using them. They're throwing your nets, they're freaking shooting people 562 00:39:34,239 --> 00:39:37,040 Speaker 1: are payballs, but we're in here. Everything we fucking trained 563 00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:43,560 Speaker 1: for fucking gets some In the next episode of The 564 00:39:43,600 --> 00:39:46,840 Speaker 1: Assault on America, we're in the fucking capital