The Washington Post has just released a bombshell report that purports the Trump administration is using questions that ask prospective candidates for top intelligence and law enforcement positions if the January 6 Capitol riot was an “inside job.”
According to the Post, the questions posed to prospective candidates appeared to be engineered to decide if they believed Trump’s false claims surrounding the 2020 election and its aftermath, say people familiar with the cases being screened.
“The questions asked of several current and former officials up for top intelligence agency and law enforcement posts revolved around two events that have become President Donald Trump’s litmus test to distinguish friend from foe: the result of the 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, according to the people, who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity,” per the Post.
“These people said that two individuals, both former officials who were being considered for positions within the intelligence community, were asked to give “yes” or “no” responses to the questions: Was Jan. 6 “an inside job?” And was the 2020 presidential election “stolen?”
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The individuals involved, who didn’t give a stream of “yes” answers, weren’t selected, and it’s not clear if other factors also played a role in the decision, according to Mediaite.
Trump has never changed his tune about the 2020 election and continues to maintain that it was fraudulent earlier this month, in response to former President Joe Biden, who asserted that Trump’s claims fueled the Jan.6 riot, PBS News reported.
In remarks about the Biden administration, Trump dragged out that old chestnut, “The Big Lie.” Because, of course, he did.
“That’s what you get when you have a rigged Election. In actuality, the Big Lie was the Election itself.”
It’s been proven time and again that the election wasn’t rigged, whether Trump likes it or not. His feelings don’t disprove the actual facts. But he likes beating a dead horse, so prospective employees were asked such questions as:
“Who were the ‘real patriots’ on Jan. 6? Who won the 2020 election? Who is your ‘real boss?’”
The Post reports at least two of those interviewed for senior positions at the FBI were asked these questions.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly, asked to comment on the situation, said, “It is entirely appropriate that candidates for national security positions in the Trump administration align with President Trump’s agenda to put America First.”
That’s a non-answer if there ever was one. How is hiring people who support widely debunked lies putting “America First?”
Trump continually refuses to accept the results of the 2020 election and has promoted numerous debunked conspiracy theories about how he’s the victim of a stolen election. The violent January 6 riot at the Capitol was the culmination of his idiotic claims. On his first day in office, he offered pardons and commutations to more than 1500 people convicted of crimes associated with the events of this tragic day.
It’s worrisome that the Trump administration is looking for candidates who support these lies, especially since these people will be in top intelligence and law enforcement positions.
Obviously, the “Big Lie” is alive and well in Trump land. Maybe he thinks if he continues to shove this down people’s throats enough times, they’ll begin to believe all the lies.
But that’s not how democracy works.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
