by Ben Meiselas
MeidasTouch
Dec 22, 2023
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on how Donald Trump is amplifying threats and attacks on the Colorado Supreme Court Justices who ruled against him in the constitutional disqualification case.
Transcript
The Colorado Supreme Court Justices who
ruled that Donald Trump is disqualified
from the 2024 ballot, are now facing
death threats, and other very serious
threats to their well-being, as a result
of Donald Trump posting images of them
on his social media platform, and other
MAGA influencers and Republican leaders
posting images of them, and attacking
them. Let's take a look at Donald Trump's
post on his social media platform. The
responses to those posts, I want to show
you a few other posts that Trump is
making, then I want to show you what
President Biden's been doing at the
exact same time, so you can see a
contrast. Here is what Donald
Trump is posting. He goes:
[Donald Trump] A sad day in
America!!!
And then somebody else posts:
[Jean Mars] Communist Thugs Democrats dressed up as
justices in Colorado. Where's the crime?
[Ben Meiselas] And Donald Trump reposts that right
there from this uh account, and then
shows the photographs of the Colorado
justices, Supreme Court Justices, who
ruled against him. Donald Trump then
posts again other accounts that are
attacking these Colorado Supreme Court
Justices. Someone writes:
[Explore Express] A group of
kangaroo legal justice system "THUGS" that
weaponized the real America's justice
system with an all hands on deck to get
Trump.
[Ben Meiselas] And it's that image that now
Donald Trump is spreading of the four
Colorado Supreme Court Justices, that
says, "Colorado Democrat Activist Justices.
Election Interference," on this photo. It
also has some of the other prosecutors
and judges who Donald Trump is
attacking their families, and their
loved ones and friends, and their
lives as well. You see Donald Trump posts
the photo again. And just take a look at,
I looked literally for a minute
at some of the the comments, and I could
have posted or talked about hundreds of
these comments right here, but it was so
sickening that I just stopped. There's a
broader report that I'm going to share
with you in a moment, but here's what I
found in basically the first minute, the
two minutes, and I just said, "All right,
enough. I'm not looking at this anymore."
You'll get the point though.
Someone writes, for example Kevo197369
writes: "Time to take out the trash, these
scumbags need to be brought to justice."
Another account goes: "Those four are in
deep trouble!" This account, Candy1958
says, "GITMO has their rooms ready."
A lot of
people comparing them to Satan.
Someone someone by the name of MAGApostle
goes: "4 sulfuric balloons
have sold their souls to Satan for a
bile stained robe and massive worldwide
ridicule for their freshman law student
homage to George Soros." They've got to
make it like anti-semitic, and
somehow claim that this is a Soros
plot, because this is what MAGA
Republicans do. This other account goes:
[Trending water] Time to protest in front of some houses!
These other accounts are saying,
"Leadvitamin] That's
treason against the people, and why the
second amendment was written. These
people should pay the price of treason.
[Ben Meiselas] A
death threat right there. Someone else
writes:
[mdn4] Pretty sure they won't be smiling
for their Gitmo mug shot.
Another account
writes:
[NJPatriot61] a liberal Jew and 3 white
Karens.
So you see these hateful and kind of
anti-Semitic accounts that Donald Trump
is amplifying. Some of these accounts,
like the one that says "Communist Thug
Democrats," and you know, when you get a
repost like Donald Trump on his social
media platform for that, then others join
in. And this is the MAGA movement. I mean,
this is who they are.
When we talk about
the various court cases involving Donald
Trump, I mean, just think about him the
only judge Donald Trump doesn't attack
is Judge Aileen Cannon, who does his
bidding. But let's just take a look at
New York attorney General civil fraud
case: he goes after New York attorney
General Leticia James. He goes out after
the Judge Justice Arthur Engoran. He goes
after Justice Arthur Engoran's
principal law clerk. I'm not going to say
her name here, but I know her name. Why
would I know the name of a Judge's
principal law clerk in a case but for
the fact that Donald Trump attacks her?
There has to be a gag order in that case
because Donald Trump keeps on attacking
the principal law Clerk, and he spreads
defamatory statements that she's
involved, like, in a relationship with
Chuck Schumer. Donald Trump attacks
Justice Arthur Engoran's wife, and
claims a Twitter account that's not
Judge Engoran's wife's Twitter account,
is Judge Engoran's wife, and use that to
attack, and threaten Judge Engoran's
wife. He attacks judge Arthur Engoran's
kids. I mean, I know Judge Engoran's
kids' names. Why are we talking
about the kids of Judges, the wives of
Judges, the principal law clerks -- Donald Trump
attack.
I could do this in any
Court, by the way. You go to the
Washington DC criminal case. He attacks
Special Counsel Jack Smith. He attacks
Special Counsel Jack Smith's wife. He
attacks federal Judge Tanya Chutkan. He
attacks federal judge Tanya Chutkan's dad.
I could do this in
literally every single -- Manhattan district
attorney goes, he goes after Manhattan District
Attorney's family. The E. Gene Carroll
case. He attacks E. Gene Carol, attacks E. Gene
Carroll's lawyer, he attacks the way E. Gene
Carroll's lawyer looks, he attacks federal
judge Kaplan in the E. Gene Carroll case.
You
want to go to Central District of
Florida, I mean, Central District of
California, Southern division. Remember
a year and a half ago a a Judge, David
Carter, ruled against Donald Trump, or
Donald Trump's lawyer John Eastman.
Donald Trump attacks Judge David Carter. I
could go through each and every one of
these judges. He attacks their family. And
then you want to go through all of the
members of Congress. You want to go
through, you want to talk about Ruby
Freeman and Shaye Moss. You want to talk
about Michael Cohen. Whoever it
is, Donald Trump attacks them, their
family members, and goes right to try to
destroy their lives. You want to talk
about in 2020 some of the Republicans,
whether it was Governors, or Secretary of
States, or elected officials who
opposed Donald Trump, they would get these
death threats to their family. And by the
way, we've experienced here at the Meidastouch
Network where we've had people
give us death threats, and people attack
our loved ones, and find their phone
numbers. This is what the MAGA movement
does. And they rely on fear, they rely on
their hatred, and they just go after the
people. It it is a true fascist movement
right here.
By the way,
here are the other things that Donald
Trump's been posting. He goes:
[Donald Trump] I'm not an
insurrectionist ("PEACEFULLY & PATRIOTICALLY"),
crooked Joe Biden is!!!
[Ben Meiselas] He posts in all
caps:
[Donald Trump] BIDEN SHOULD DROP ALL OF THESE FAKE POLITICAL INDICTMENTS AGAINST ME, BOTH CRIMINAL & CIVIL. EVERY CASE I AM FIGHTING IS THE WORK OF THE DOJ & WHITE HOUSE. NO SUCH THING HAS EVER HAPPENED IN OUR COUNTRY BEFORE. BANANA REPUBLIC??? ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!
[Ben Meiselas] Donald Trump posts:
[Donald Trump] CROOKED JOE BIDEN IS A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY!!!
[Ben Meiselas] He just repeats the lies, over and
over again, and it's all projection and
confession, when he's the one who engages
in this behavior, and engages in this
conduct. By the way, just compare that for
a moment to what President Biden is
saying right now, at the exact same time.
Here's what President Biden is posting:
[BIDEN OMITTED]
And by the way, here's a report from
CBS that just came out, and it says:
"Colorado Supreme Court justices getting violent threats after their ruling against Trump, report says.
After ruling Tuesday that former President Donald Trump is barred from the Colorado primary ballot because he is disqualified from becoming president again on 14th Amendment grounds, Colorado Supreme Court justices are facing violent threats across both mainstream and fringe social media platforms, according to a report obtained by CBS News. The Colorado justices ruled the U.S. Constitution bars Trump from retaking the Oval Office due to his conduct surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Posts have included calls for the justices and Trump opponents to be killed by gunfire, hanging or bombs, while others are encouraging followers to stock up on weapons and ammunition and urging a civil war against Democrats. Many users have been responding directly to Trump's posts on his social media platform, Truth Social, with the same violent rhetoric and calls to arms.
I shared with you some that
I just found, in a short period of time.
And they share some right here as well
that are similar to the ones I showed
you.
"What do you call 7 justices from the Colorado Supreme Court on the bottom of the ocean?" one user wrote. "A good start."
"The Justices should be arrested and sent to GUANTANAMO," another user wrote.
"The country is over anyway," wrote another. "Only thing left is civil war and retribution against those who destroyed it."
Other users suggested that Trump's opponents should be thrown out of helicopters, recreating the method Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet used to kill his political opponents, and others blamed Jews for the court's decision.
The threats against the justices, all seven of whom are Democrats, were first aggregated and analyzed by Advance Democracy, a non-partisan, non-profit organization that conducts public interest research.
And I could go on more, but here's the point: I'm
showing you the normalcy and behavior of
President Biden, and even as CBS writes
this article, I'm I'm glad they're point
pointing this out, but this behavior
can't be normalized. What Donald Trump
and his followers, and we're not just
talking about fringe followers, we're
talking about Republicans in leadership
positions, the mainstream modern-day
Republican party that has gone full MAGA,
they're the ones, these leaders in the
Republican Party, calling for national
divorce, calling for civil war, calling
for people to, you know, take serious,
dangerous actions against these justices,
or against people who don't do whatever
Donald Trump wants. Donald Trump! I mean,
just think, just saying
that Donald Trump, it's just
so beneath the dignity and integrity of
our country. And as we approach
2024, I want you to all know we're all in
this together, and it is so important
that you share these videos, that you
talk to family members during the
holidays, that you share these videos,
that you let people know: here's
the threat that Donald Trump is
engaged in. Here's his erratic,
despicable behavior. But also show them
the alternative, like we do here on this
network. Show them what President Biden
is out there doing, and saying. And also
talk about these economic metrics. Legacy
Media is by and large just, you know,
has completely given up their role as
the fourth estate. But talk about the
economy: third quarter 5.2% GDP growth;
America's leading all G7 in GDP growth.
We have record employment right
now, low unemployment. We've got great
metrics that we should all be happy to
share and we're going to be happy to
share that here on the Meidastouch
Network.
***********************
Colorado Supreme Court justices getting violent threats after their ruling against Trump, report says
by Jacob Rosen, Katrina Kaufman
CBS News
UPDATED ON: DECEMBER 21, 2023 / 10:16 AM EST / CBS NEWS
After ruling Tuesday that former President Donald Trump is barred from the Colorado primary ballot because he is disqualified from becoming president again on 14th Amendment grounds, Colorado Supreme Court justices are facing violent threats across both mainstream and fringe social media platforms, according to a report obtained by CBS News. The Colorado justices ruled the U.S. Constitution bars Trump from retaking the Oval Office due to his conduct surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Posts have included calls for the justices and Trump opponents to be killed by gunfire, hanging or bombs, while others are encouraging followers to stock up on weapons and ammunition and urging a civil war against Democrats. Many users have been responding directly to Trump's posts on his social media platform, Truth Social, with the same violent rhetoric and calls to arms.
"What do you call 7 justices from the Colorado Supreme Court on the bottom of the ocean?" one user wrote. "A good start."
"The Justices should be arrested and sent to GUANTANAMO," another user wrote.
"The country is over anyway," wrote another. "Only thing left is civil war and retribution against those who destroyed it."
Other users suggested that Trump's opponents should be thrown out of helicopters, recreating the method Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet used to kill his political opponents, and others blamed Jews for the court's decision.
The threats against the justices, all seven of whom are Democrats, were first aggregated and analyzed by Advance Democracy, a non-partisan, non-profit organization that conducts public interest research.
The group's president, Daniel J. Jones, remarked in a statement to CBS News that, "We are seeing significant violent language and threats being made against the Colorado justices and others perceived to be behind yesterday's Colorado Supreme Court ruling. The normalization of this type of violent rhetoric is cause for significant concern. Trump's statements, which have sought to delegitimize and politicize the actions of the courts, is serving as a key driver of the violent rhetoric."
Some of the justices who voted in favor of removing Trump from the ballot had their office email addresses, building addresses and photos shared online.
In their 4-3 ruling, the justices recognized its magnitude and alluded to the potential for retribution, writing, "We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."
The decision by the Colorado court has set up a showdown in the U.S. Supreme Court over the constitutional provision at the center of the case, one that could threaten Trump's eligibility for the presidency if the U.S. high court rules against him.
The threats against the Colorado justices are the latest in what has been a steady stream of violent online rhetoric against law enforcement and judges who take action against the former president.
Such rhetoric has, predictably, spiked with every major legal development involving Donald Trump, according to Advance Democracy. This includes when Trump was indicted in New York on charges relating to his alleged hush money payments, after he was indicted in Fulton County, Georgia, and after he was indicted in Florida and Washington, D.C. on charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Trump has pleaded not guilty in all the legal cases against him.
The potential for intimidation related to Trump's cases has led two different courts to impose gag orders on him in an effort to protect those involved in the cases from threats and harassment, as well as the integrity of the proceedings. A gag order was placed on Trump in his New York civil fraud trial after he attacked the judge's clerk on social media, leading to a torrent of serious and credible threats against her. He has since violated that gag order twice.
In the federal election interference case, Trump's gag order bars him from going after witnesses about their participation in the case, court staff and relatives of prosecutors and court staff. Trump is in the process of trying, yet again, to challenge that gag order, saying it infringes on his right to free speech.
In August, a woman was charged with threatening to kill Judge Tanya Chutkan, who oversees the 2020 election subversion case. Abigail Jo Shry allegedly left a message at the judge's chambers that said, "If Trump doesn't get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you, so tread lightly. …You will be targeted personally, publicly, your family, all of it."
A spokesperson for the Colorado Supreme Court declined to comment to CBS News. The Trump campaign hasn't responded to a CBS News request for comment.
-- Olivia Rinaldi and Matthew Mosk contributed to this report.