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AZ-Sen: Audio Busts Blake Masters (R) Lying About His Friendship With Anti-Semitic Gab Founder [1]

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Date: 2022-08-12

Blake Masters (R. AZ)

From Rolling Stone:

x x Embedded Content Blake Masters, Donald Trump’s pick for Senate in Arizona, swore last week that he doesn’t know Gab CEO Andrew Torba, calling him a “nobody” that “nobody cares about.” Torba — who has endorsed Masters’ Senate run and once said he’d vote for Masters over Trump for president “in a heartbeat” — insisted Masters was “flat out” lying. Thanks to leaked audio obtained by Jewish Insider, it’s now clear that Masters was lying about his association with the far-fight social media entrepreneur, whose platform is a playground for those whose extremist views have gotten them booted from mainstream platforms like Twitter and Facebook. The pair had an extended exchange earlier this year on Twitter Spaces, in which Torba explained in detail how Gab had been booted from mainstream app stores, and Masters expressed sympathy for the right-wing entrepreneur, railing against the power of Big Tech, and telling Torba: “That’s obviously super messed up.” Torba is the founder of the far-right social network, and openly anti-Semitic. He recently made headlines by insisting that Christians are “done being controlled” in “our own country” by the “2 percent minority” — by which he meant Jewish people — adding: “We’re not bending the knee to the 2 percent anymore.” An unabashed Christian nationalist, Torba positions Gab as a social network for “free speech.” The Anti-Defamation League decries Gab, accurately, as a “haven for extremists, conspiracy theorists and misinformation.” Torba is a darling in MAGA circles, but he has become a headache for Republicans running for statewide office in purple states who need to reach beyond the base. Doug Mastriano — Trump’s pick for governor in Pennsylvania — has come under fire recently for his financial relationship with Gab and past praise of Torba. He ultimately deleted his account on the site, while denouncing anti-Semitism, and insisting that Torba “doesn’t speak for me.”

Torba has also endorsed Reps Andy Biggs (R. AZ), Paul Gosar (R. AZ), gubernatorial candidate, Kari Lake (R. AZ), Secretary of State candidate, Mark Finchem (R. AZ) and State Senator Wendy Rogers (R. AZ). Torba isn’t letting Masters off the hook:

This is not the first time Masters has been endorsed by a white nationalist. In July, he denounced the support of Andrew Anglin, the creator of neo-Nazi blog site Daily Stormer, using the same language he provided to the Mirror. This time, however, Torba says Masters is feigning ignorance about the Gab founder's identity. "Blake Masters knows exactly who I am. We had a long conversation on Twitter Spaces live a few months ago. Mega cringe cucking here, but whatever I still want him to win for the great people of Arizona and for the right to control the Senate," Torba wrote in the Gab post. "Just want you guys to be aware of who bend the knee to media pressure and who does not. What is concerning is that Blake can flat-out lie like this, he's already becoming a typical politician before he is even elected!..."

Meanwhile, over in the Arizona Governor’s race:

Kari Lake continued her, um, appeal to those all-important moderate voters on Thursday, appearing on the podcast of a far-right commentator who vowed to go to war after the FBI served a search warrant on Mar-a-Lago. “Tomorrow is war,” Steven Crowder declared on Tuesday to his nearly 2 million Twitter subscribers, the morning after Trump announced that FBI agents were searching his Florida home. So naturally, Lake rushed to the front lines. She went on Crowder’s podcast on Thursday morning, wherein she called for the dismantling of the FBI. Here’s the exchange: Crowder: “Would you, I really think it's important for our representatives, governors ... everyone to try and apply pressure to Republicans of national influence to disband the FBI and make sure we reduce … Lake: “Absolutely.” Crowder: “… the scope of the IRS? It’s a litmus test for me now.” Lake: “100% I agree. We’re going back with our states’ rights. We’re sovereign states. We are not serfs to the federal government. We created the federal government, and now they are like this big monster that’s taken over our lives. And we’re going push back here. We’re going push on the 10th Amendment. And we’re going to start taking on these issues from the state’s point of view … .”

Also:

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is asking a court to sanction Kari Lake, Mark Finchem and their lawyers for filing an election lawsuit they say is frivolous. The motion, filed July 18 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, says an April 22 suit that asks a federal judge to bar the use of tabulation equipment in the 2022 elections is “demonstrably false.” “Plaintiffs’ and their counsels’ use of the Court to further a disinformation campaign and false narrative concerning the integrity of the election process in Arizona by asserting demonstrably false allegations is repugnant,” the motion says. “This improper use of the courts is unacceptable, detrimental to the entire election process, subjects election officials and workers to threatening and harassing conduct, and violates Rule 11.” The county is asking for Lake, Finchem and their lawyers to pay back attorney fees, which are taxpayer-funded, associated with the lawsuit. The Lake/Finchem suit alleges that Arizona voters do not vote by hand on paper ballots, among other claims the county says are false. Lake and Finchem both won their GOP primary races and have not asked for a review of their victories.

We cannot let our guard down and turnout is going to be very important.

Democracy and Health are on the ballot next year and we need to get ready to keep Arizona Blue. Click below to donate and get involved with Kelly, Hobbs and their fellow Arizona Democrats campaigns:

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/8/12/2116102/-AZ-Sen-Audio-Busts-Blake-Masters-R-Lying-About-His-Friendship-With-Anti-Semitic-Gab-Founder

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