By Hal Brown, MSW. (Stories that pique my interest are on my blog)
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Do you really believe that Trump didn’t know who the Proud Boys are? If you do I have the deed to the Brooklyn Bridge and am willing to sell it to you cheap.
Give me a fracking break. Trump follows the news about the Portland protests closely and he damn well knows who the Proud Boys are and how they are prominently featured in every news story about these protests.
Not only that, it’s quite possible he knew that the Proud Boys' new leader was sitting right behind Trump at his Miami rally in February. This may not have made Fox News but it was reported.
I won’t bother posting links to stories about the Proud Boys in Portland. Here’s a web search. Here’s a web search for images of the Proud Boys in Portland.
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If there is any city where there have been almost daily prominent stories about the Proud Boys it has been Portland.
While the news he watches focuses on Antifa he would really have to have his head buried in the sand of utter denial not to know who the Proud Boys are as well. Either that or he is more of a moron than we think he is who blurts out defensive lies without realizing how patently false they will immediately be judged by any rational person.
Here’s how Fox News buys into his denial.
Does this remind you of a Trump’s denying he ever heard of David Duke, the most famous KKK personality since Fred Trump? It should. How could any informed person not know who David Duke is? Trump is an ignoramus but I don’t buy for a New York minute he didn’t know who he was.
As if we need a reminder about the David Duke story, this is from an NPR article published Feb. 28, 2016:
Trump refused to condemn that endorsement or say he didn't want the support of white supremacists — four times.
"I don't know anything about David Duke. I don't know what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacist. I don't know. I don't know, did he endorse me, or what's going on?" he said. That prompted a back-and-forth that went, in part:
Trump: I don't know what group you're talking about. You wouldn't want me to condemn a group that I know nothing about. ... If you would send me a list of the groups, I will do research on them and certainly I would disavow them if I thought there was something wrong.
Tapper: The Ku Klux Klan?
Trump: You may have groups in there that are totally fine and it would be very unfair. So give me a list of the groups and I'll let you know.
Tapper: I'm just talking about David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan here.
Trump: Honestly, I don't know David Duke.
Here’s a more detailed article from 2016: Trump’s David Duke Amnesia from FactCheck.org.
Trump was again asked about Duke in a Feb. 28 interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” by anchor Jake Tapper.
Tapper, Feb. 28: I want to ask you about the Anti-Defamation League, which this week called on you to publicly condemn unequivocally the racism of former KKK grand wizard David Duke, who recently said that voting against you at this point would be treason to your heritage. Will you unequivocally condemn David Duke and say that you don’t want his vote or that of other white supremacists in this election?
Trump: Well, just so you understand, I don’t know anything about David Duke. OK? I don’t know anything about what you’re even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. So, I don’t know.
Trump went on to say that he did not want to condemn any groups until he knew something about them. He told Tapper to “give me a list of the groups” and he would review them. But Tapper returned to Duke.
Tapper: OK. I mean, I’m just talking about David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan here, but…
Trump: I don’t know any — honestly, I don’t know David Duke. I don’t believe I have ever met him. I’m pretty sure I didn’t meet him. And I just don’t know anything about him.
Trump should be well aware of Duke — especially since Trump once said he decided not to run for president in 2000 in part because of David Duke and his politics.
Next thing Trump will deny he ever looked at Stormy Daniels Twitter page.
Damn. I wish we had a way to track that.