News

“Stop the Steal” Didn’t Start in 2020 – It Was 20 Years In the Making

The big difference between 2000 and 2020 is that in 2000 Stone’s plan worked: he stopped the vote count and cemented Bush’s ascent to the White House, even though Bush lost the election

As the January 6th Committee continues to unpeel layers of criminality and conspiracy, it’s important to note that the Stone/Bannon/Trump “Stop The Steal” scheme did not originate in 2020. It was, in fact, 20 years in the making.

Roger Stone, Trump’s dirty trickster who was sentenced to 40 months in prison before Trump pardoned him, rolled out version 1.0 in Florida in 2000, helping the George W. Bush campaign stop a Florida Supreme Court-mandated statewide recount that would have handed the election to Al Gore.

After Stone’s successful efforts to shut down the Miami-Dade County recount with the infamous “Brooks Brothers Riot,” five Republicans on the US Supreme Court overruled the Florida Supreme Court (so much for “state’s rights” and the 10th Amendment) and blocked the recount because it would “cause irreparable harm” to “plaintiff George W. Bush.”

Stone coordinated the program to shut down the vote count and throw the election to Bush, who had lost the election by 500,000 votes nationwide, a role Stone reprised in both 2016 and 2020.

In 2000, “I set up my command center there [in Miami]” Stone told Jeffrey Toobin. “I had walkie-talkies and cell phones, and I was in touch with our people in the building. Our whole idea was to shut the recount down. That was why we were there. We had the frequency to the Democrats’ walkie-talkies and were listening to their communications…”

Read more at: https://hartmannreport.com/p/stop-the-steal-didnt-start-in-2020?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Thom Hartmann

Thom Hartmann is a NY Times bestselling author of 34 books in 17 languages and the nation’s #1 progressive radio host. The Thom Hartmann Program is live daily from noon-3 PM ET on commercial radio stations all across the United States. A former psychotherapist, businessman, and progressive political commentator, Hartmann is also a four-time Project Censored-award-winning author.

Recent Posts

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures: Yes on 50

Gerrymandering is the bane — well, one of the banes — of our so-called democracy.…

11 hours ago

Padilla, Democrats Call on State Department to Restore Gaza Humanitarian and Medical Visas

The Senators requested a full explanation of the circumstances leading to this abrupt decision to…

13 hours ago

San Pedro City Ballet, Arts United Invite Community to Mural Unveiling Oct. 5

Misty Copeland said of the mural: “I’m incredibly honored to be featured in this stunning…

14 hours ago

Port of Long Beach Names Chief Harbor Engineer

LONG BEACH—The Port of Long Beach has named Monique Lebrun as senior director of the…

1 day ago

Unified Command Completes Salvage Operations for Pier G Container Incident

LONG BEACH — The unified command announces all 95 containers that fell overboard from the…

2 days ago

Western Avenue Work Begins Monday – Expect Delays

The LA County Sanitation Districts started work Sept 29 on a drilling project on Western…

2 days ago