52 Comments

Great job as usual Seth. One question though: With Trump's tenuous grasp of history and fact do we know FOR A FACT that he DIDN'T think that Ali Alexander WAS Sammy Davis, Jr.?

Expand full comment

lol

Expand full comment

a monumental insult to Sammy Davis, Jr., esp. coming out of tRump's mouth.

Expand full comment

Read from my perspective as a mental health professional for over two decades, it’s an easy reach to see that AA is afflicted with a florid Bipolar I disorder, comorbid with Antisocial Personality Disorder.

As to his current freedom from detention, I may be showing great ignorance when I hazard a guess about why: DOJ has him under surveillance so that he might continue to produce evidence against other seditionists? In other words, a useful idiot too crazed to conceal his and others guilt. I say this knowing that there are many encrypted apps in this world.

As much as I worry that the DOJ is actually flubbing the prosecution of the massive Trump-led conspiracy, I still hold faith that its fist is still balling up and precisely gauging where and how it will strike, and against whom, so that victory is certain (even if not a one-punch knockout).

Even as Seth has repeatedly fretted over what’s (not) happening at DOJ, as a Proof reader from its inception, I cannot believe that his multi-year effort at uncovering blatant evidence has been squandered by prosecutors. I hold faith that they have more evidence than even the amazing Seth Abramson has uncovered.

Expand full comment

Bipolar Type II is also possible, and may be more accurate

Expand full comment

Brilliant work. Thank you so much.

And absolutely terrifying account. I felt nauseated reading it. Alexander claims the mantle of Messiah. And yet as you point out, his unhinged biblical references and performances calling for a depraved sub-reality that destroys US democracy are just one aspect of the ultimate role he has been preparing for his entire lifetime. He also is shrewd enough to disappear quickly, now is in hiding. He doesn't show up for the actual dirty work of a coup.

Also, they held meetings at Pence's home? So Pence and Mother were directly involved until the last moment when Pence decided to certify. What does that say about Pence? He should never be president, I don't care that he ultimately did the right thing.

Expand full comment

yeah....I've been very disturbed by so many people considering Pence some kind of hero. I've always agreed that you don't get a lot of points for simply doing your job. his politics are (and always have been) deplorable, even if you set aside all the bible-thumping horseshit. and the fact is, he did actually "explore" whether it would be possible to do what TFF wanted him to do, so I hardly consider him a "man of principle."

Expand full comment

Truly Astoundingly Frightening!! The mere fact that TFG emboldened SO Much Chaos and Violent Criminality is beyond my understanding... That he handpicked "all the best" racist and antisemitic criminals no longer surprises but the sheer magnitude and devotion to the destruction of Democracy is Soul shattering...

Expand full comment

Wow, another jaw dropping read. It amazes me how occasionally comedic this attack on democracy can be and how like grifting televangelists the protagonists are. One question, Seth, do you think intelligence/law enforcement advised the Harrington to close? Thank you for all you do and stay safe.

Expand full comment

I do not. If law enforcement creates a transient accommodations policy governed by public safety concerns, it applies to all establishments in an area rather than just one. It would not have specifically targeted one private business because of who was planning to stay there, which is something Alexander does not seem to understand. I think the Harrington closed because it learned that it was going to be a hub of criminal activity but also simply because it was located in a section of the city where rioting was expected—and was in large part expected precisely because of things that Alexander had said publicly, as he would have well known. One has to admire the principled decision of the hotel not merely to cancel certain bookings in a targeted way but to simply shut down entirely so that it could not be accused of focusing on specific patrons. Of course, Alexander decided to take it that way anyway.

Expand full comment

I hope the DOJ and the Jan 6 Committee have reviewed the Harrington and other hotel security footage and reservation/ valet/ restaurant and room charge records and payment info. for additional data in the days leading up to Jan 6th.

Expand full comment

Sarah, the Mayor had asked Harry's to close its bar early Dec. 11-12 (and Harry's complied) when the protesters are here because of past trouble when they'd been here from masking violations to violence and that may be causing some confusion. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/proud-boys-trump-washington-hotel-b1779450.html

Expand full comment

Wow! Yes, Christofascism. Was unaware of Ali's espousing this. And to think, 10 years ago the idea of GOP Dominionism did not involve violence, just electing GOP Christians. Now, we have a Pennsylvania gov GOP candidate, Doug Mastriano, not just a Jan 6 insurrectionist, but also connected to an AR-15 gun cult, Rod of Iron Ministries, led by none other than heir to another cult, the Moonies, which for decades was assumed to be wacky but of little political influence. So Christofascism is coming to all levels of elections this Fall. And apparently the Christofascist GOP will continue to sacrifice children at their 2cd Amend altar, and who knows what group of citizens next? GOP needs to be voted out of every office, DC to dogcatcher, DEM only, no 3+ parties voting, for at least a generation, IOT de-power and make this monster no longer a part of America.

https://www.thebulwark.com/doug-mastriano-christian-nationalism-and-the-cult-of-the-ar-15/

Expand full comment

as soon as I discovered, very early on, that the Moonies were behind the "Washington Times," I knew they were anything but harmless. this Mastriano guy is genuinely scary. can he actually WIN?

Expand full comment

IMO, no. But he represents, for all America, how far gone the GOP is and the existential threat of far right nuttiness the GOP has placed on ballots. Re Moonies, I remember in the '90s GHW Bush praised their cult leader. Yes, "anything but harmless". And now, cults have reached into the SCOTUS, via Barrett.

Expand full comment

Wow, Seth, another amazing read. Ali's fusion of Christianity and fascism is frightening. So many of Trump's allies need mental health evaluations. I pray everyone responsible for 1/6 is held accountable very soon. I need to sleep better!

Expand full comment

Awesome, painstakingly detailed work, Seth. Can you explain more about Alexander being on the run? If he was subpoenaed recently, wouldn’t the FBI have an idea of his whereabouts?

Expand full comment

Yes, to clarify, he *was* on the run, but his whereabouts are now known. He came out of hiding late last fall. Having said this, he could disappear again at any moment, IMO. He is a massive coward, and if he thinks the net is about to drop, he could try to flee the country.

Expand full comment

Great piece Seth, took me a few days to finish it! Don’t they think for all these reasons he is a flight risk and would be making sure he does no such thing? They just did that with Navarro. These morons are so stupid they keep forcing DOJ’s hand maybe when they weren’t ready to reach out yet.

Expand full comment

Nearly 25,000 words!!!

Expand full comment

Yes, it is a beast! :-)

Expand full comment

SHARING .. INTRO AND LINK LIKE THIs as I am donor to Admiral Mike Franken running for Grassley seat.

GOT THAT? #Grassley was to lead COUP after they kidnapped #Pence ..

tinyurl.com/ycxauasj

AND WHY CANT @FBI find #AliAkbar? … might ask #Navarro or #GinniThomas @votevets @FrankenforIowa @AVindman @maddow @lauferlaw @LincolnsBible @murfster35 @RepAdamSchiff @RepRaskin

Expand full comment

I am supporting Franken, too. He is a decent intelligent man running a smart campaign. He is not afraid to take on Grassley on important issues such as gun control, women's rights, national security, environment, and insurrection. Doesn't hurt that he is a retired admiral and grew up working class in NW Iowa. Go Mike!

ps your tiny url above takes me back to this article. Part 4 on Grassley might be a better place to land, dated Jan 16 or thereabouts.

Expand full comment

There are a lot of stories about GRASSLEY.. I happen to believe the ones that link him to PUTIN AND MOGI who is PUTIN’s mob / mafia boss .. as well as Trumps of course. SEE#Mueller #MorionToRevoke Paul MANAFORTs House Arrest and it’s EXHIBITS OF MANAFORTS CONTRACT W <HAPSBURGGROUP AND iris erstarb of HapsburgGroup visit to US CONGRESS Specifically to #Grassley office and #DanaRohrabacher offices. In 2013

Expand full comment

And that f'er (Grassley), a known seditionist, will have free health care & a nice pension for life! While we go broke paying for our health care.

Expand full comment

Wow! What an incredible read! AA may very well be the nuttiest of the nuts. Interesting that he chose orange as his preferred color. If orange is still the new black then I hope everything possible is done to ensure he wears it from head to toe for the rest of his life.

Expand full comment

There is some competition for the nuttiest of the nuts, but he is a contender.

Expand full comment

What is their endgame? Power and money? How much money and power can you have after death? People that are evil and corrupt, that go to extremes to enact these schemes, why? Thank you for your reporting. Really makes me question why all this crap happens and unfortunately, makes me more enraged.

Expand full comment

I think it was Gary Kasparov that said it perfectly, and I paraphrase because I am too lazy to find it: "those, like Putin (anyone who wants absolute power), care only about today." That is to say the end game is always today.

Expand full comment

Please see Timoth Snyder's book, "The Road to Unfreedom on this... .There is no plan of succession.

Expand full comment

And this is why these men will ultimately fail, because they never think beyond today. They seem incapable of it and that will always be their downfall, eventually.

Expand full comment

Thank you SO much Seth for assembling all of this and putting it all in one place here for us. Thanks for all the hours of research, writing and editing. America surely owes you a debt of gratitude.

When I have more time I can come back and read it more thoroughly.

Question:

Can anybody here who has followed Alexander's timeline please tell me - what time did he reach the top of the Newsmax building? I've tried in my own limited way to find out, but somebody somewhere must know ...

Expand full comment

Amazing piece of journalism! I sincerely hope the J6 committee can organize the telling of the story as well as you present it. Thank you for your dedication!

Expand full comment

What an absolutely impressive piece of work. Must have been quite a pain to listen to and decipher all that giberish. Thank you again. I do hope they all get what they deserve before the Mid-Terms. But time is truely running out... We might still end up with a pseudo-christian fascist kleptocracy.

Expand full comment

Where is DOJ?

Expand full comment