Latest news with #BrandonStraka
AFP
10-06-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Old robbery footage misrepresented amid LA anti-deportation protests
"Horrifying. LA shop owner attacked and tased by lawless rioters who destroy his store during LA's anti-American sovereignty riots," says a June 8, 2025 post on X. Image Screenshot from X taken June 10, 2025 The post comes from Brandon Straka, one of more than 1,500 people who was convicted in relation to the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol and later pardoned by President Donald Trump. Similar posts spread across X amid s of protests that Los Angeles officials said were initially peaceful but punctuated by scattered violence, with demonstrators torching cars and security forces firing tear gas. The tensions in Los Angeles, home to a large Latino population, were triggered by raids and dozens of arrests of what authorities say are migrants and gang members. They continued to escalate over several days, with Trump clashing with California leaders as he went over their heads to deploy the state's National Guard and active-duty US Marines to the city. The upheaval has seen some stores ransacked, according to local media reports and the Los Angeles Police Department, which urged downtown businesses and residents in a June 9 post on X to report any vandalism, damage or looting they observed (archived here and here). But the video shared by Straka and others online is several months old and unrelated to the anti-deportation protests. A surfaced the same video in local news articles and posts dated to October 2024 (archived here, here and here). Those reports, and others covering the incident, described a street takeover during the early morning hours of October 6 in which a mob of people violently pushed their way inside a 7-Eleven in Anaheim and pillaged it, assaulting the clerk who tried to keep them out in the process (archived here). Image Screenshot from taken June 10, 2025 The video was credited to an Instagram user, "@carlos_kickback_3" (archived here). AFP reached out to the account for a comment, but no response was forthcoming. According to reports, the incident took place at a 7-Eleven on Knott Avenue in Anaheim (archived here). Geolocation of the footage confirms the location (archived here). Image Screenshot from X taken June 10, 2025, with elements outlined by AFP Image Screenshot from Google Maps taken June 10, 2025, with elements outlined by AFP The location is several miles away from the complex of federal and municipal buildings near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where the protests have centered -- and also from other protest sites in Paramount and Compton. AFP has debunked other misinformation about the tumult in Los Angeles here.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Old robbery footage misrepresented amid LA anti-deportation protests
"Horrifying. LA shop owner attacked and tased by lawless rioters who destroy his store during LA's anti-American sovereignty riots," says a June 8, 2025 post on X. The post comes from Brandon Straka, one of more than 1,500 people who was convicted in relation to the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol and later pardoned by President Donald Trump. Similar posts spread across X amid several days of protests that Los Angeles officials said were initially peaceful but punctuated by scattered violence, with demonstrators torching cars and security forces firing tear gas. The tensions in Los Angeles, home to a large Latino population, were triggered by raids and dozens of arrests of what authorities say are undocumented migrants and gang members. They continued to escalate over several days, with Trump clashing with California leaders as he went over their heads to deploy the state's National Guard and active-duty US Marines to the city. The upheaval has seen some stores ransacked, according to local media reports and the Los Angeles Police Department, which urged downtown businesses and residents in a June 9 post on X to report any vandalism, damage or looting they observed (archived here and here). But the video shared by Straka and others online is several months old and unrelated to the anti-deportation protests. A reverse image search surfaced the same video in local news articles and posts dated to October 2024 (archived here, here and here). Those reports, and others covering the incident, described a street takeover during the early morning hours of October 6 in which a mob of people violently pushed their way inside a 7-Eleven in Anaheim and pillaged it, assaulting the clerk who tried to keep them out in the process (archived here). The video was credited to an Instagram user, "@carlos_kickback_3" (archived here). AFP reached out to the account for a comment, but no response was forthcoming. According to reports, the incident took place at a 7-Eleven on Knott Avenue in Anaheim (archived here). Geolocation of the footage confirms the location (archived here). The location is several miles away from the complex of federal and municipal buildings near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where the protests have centered -- and also from other protest sites in Paramount and Compton. AFP has debunked other misinformation about the tumult in Los Angeles here.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Gay MAGA power duo's friendship explodes into nasty online spat
Nearly a week after the dramatic breakup between President Donald Trump and his former 'first buddy' Elon Musk, another bitter spat has erupted in the MAGA world. Gay right-wing influencers Scott Presler and Brandon Straka were once comrades proud to take on the 'battlefield' alongside each other, but last month everything changed, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal. Straka, who previously went viral after he was arrested in connection with the January 6 riots, took to social media last month in a bombshell 14-minute video blasting Presler for allegedly faking his voter registration totals and running a 'massive propaganda campaign.' He was pardoned by Trump earlier this year. Presler, 37, is a GOP activist credited for winning Pennsylvania in the recent election through his Early Vote Action committee. He has also been praised for his work by the president's daughter-in-law Lara Trump and scored a $1 million donation from Musk to help win the battleground state. Meanwhile, Straka, who claims to have 'bent over backwards' for Presler, grew to stardom after launching the #WalkAway campaign - a group that encourages disgruntled Democrats to follow in his footsteps and join the MAGA world. The pair worked together to build the Republican party, but a sharp turn derailed their relationship and caused a rift in the MAGA community. 'I can honestly say I have no idea who or what the real Scott Presler is,' Straka said in the clip. 'But what I know for certain is the public persona he's created bears little resemblance to who he is in reality. He's not brave, he's not kind, he's not grateful and he's not honest,' Straka claimed. In the video, Straka showed a series of posts made by Presler and others praising his efforts before explaining why his supporters need to take a deeper look into his work. 'Some of you may even believe he registered hundreds of thousands of voters, and some of you believe Scott Presler registered and transported nearly 200,000 Amish people to vote in 2024 which is incredible as there aren't even 90,000 Amish people in Pennsylvania, including children' Straka said. He went on to say that he doesn't 'blame' people for believing what Presler has done, adding: 'As they were all part of a massive propaganda campaign leading up to the 2024 election. 'Because so many of you have been made to believe these falsehoods from seeing them repeated over and over again on social media, you might feel protective of Scott. 'And I can understand that too. I can understand all of it because I used to feel protective of Scott Presler too, so much so that I bent over backwards to help him in every way that I could because I believed he really was the person he portrayed himself to be. 'The greatest lie ever told is that we're all on the same side…I'm here to tell you, folks, that there are a lot of people who support Trump and support MAGA who are totally out for themselves,' the MAGA ally continued. He specifically attacked Presler for claiming that his political action committee registered 10,000 new voters in the Keystone State prior to the election, and just a little over a week later, made it to 50,000. Straka also hit out on Presler's ties to the Amish community as their turnout in Lancaster - a predominantly Amish county - only increased by three percent from 2020-2024, the outlet reported. After the video surged online, Straka told the Wall Street Journal: 'I'm not asking anything of Scott that I don't expect from myself.' In response, Presler said: 'I don't do drama' and provided proof that he claims shows he always told the truth about the number of voters he recruited in Pennsylvania. He told the outlet that the 50,000 voter figure was correct and that the original 10,000 was mistakenly reported by a staff member. In relation to his role in getting the Amish community to get out and vote in the 2024 election, Presler said he never claimed that 180,000 came out to do so. Presler pointed to the Amish population outside of Lancaster, adding: 'Brandon is claiming we haven't registered thousands of Amish to vote - we have.' Presler has also been praised for his work by the president's daughter-in-law Lara Trump (pictured together in March 2024) and scored a $1 million donation from Musk to help win the battleground state He noted that documenting the population's voting efforts was not easy to do because 'this is a community that isn't cool being filmed.' Presler told the outlet he believes the feud and attacks against him really has to do with those in the Republican party who are against mail-in and early voting that he has pushed for. Straka's online rant sparked a slew of online responses, as many appear to be divided on who they should root for. 'Scott Presler NOT the man you think he is! Great statement by Brandon Straka - learn who your friends are and the ones that abuse the friendship,' one user wrote. Another took Presler's side, writing: 'Wow! Brandon Straka Is Your Typical Jealous Gay Queen. Team Scott Presler All The Way.' Others appeared to be frustrated by the feud, with some urging them to put their differences aside for the sake of the Republican party. 'First Elon and Trump. Now Scott Presler and Brandon Straka...,' a user wrote. 'The clash between Scott Presler and Brandon Straka is bigger than personalities. It's about the fevered world of right-wing influencers seeking to position themselves as key to the party's future,' another suggested. 'Both Brandon Straka and Scott Presler are terrible. Let them fight,' said another.
Wall Street Journal
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
The Other Nasty Breakup Inside MAGA
In happier times Brandon Straka and Scott Presler were friends. A photo of them from a 2018 Washington, D.C., movie premiere shows them wearing matching MAGA uniforms: dark suit, white shirt, red tie.
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ex-ESPN star Keith Olbermann claims to know clue that proves Elon Musk's infamous gesture was a Nazi 'salute'
Keith Olbermann, the erstwhile MSNBC and ESPN SportsCenter host, is doubling down on his claim that Elon Musk delivered a Nazi salute at a January rally for President Donald Trump. Although Musk has dismissed such accusations as 'dirty tricks,' Olbermann and other liberal pundits have attacked Trump's biggest donor over the incident. The frequently analyzed tape shows Musk addressing the crowd at the Capital One Arena in Washington on January 20. Before stepping away from the podium at the end of his speech, he placed his right hand over his heart and then extended his arm outward with his palm facing downward and his fingers clutched together. 'My heart goes out to you,' he told the crowd celebrating Trump's electoral win over Kamala Harris. 'It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.' That footage has since been studied like the Zapruder film or Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal, with liberals and conservatives giving alternate takes in what's become a political Rorschach test. Olbermann's latest comment on the subject came in response to self-described 'former liberal' Brandon Straka, who contrasted Musk's gesture with a similar motion from Democratic New Jersey Senator Corey Booker. On the left: Senator Corey Booker giving a heartfelt, patriotic salute. On the right: Elon Musk personally resurrecting the Third Reich, according to the media. Same gesture. Different political party. Funny how that works. — Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) June 1, 2025 The proof, Olbermann claims, is that Musk's fingers were closed when he extended his arm 'On the left: Senator Corey Booker giving a heartfelt, patriotic salute,' Straka began sarcastically. 'On the right: Elon Musk personally resurrecting the Third Reich, according to the media. 'Same gesture. Different political party,' Straka continued, dropping the sarcasm. 'Funny how that works.' Olbermann, the 66-year-old ESPN icon who became a fierce critic of conservatives on MSNBC, disagreed in his own irascible way. In fact, Olbermann thinks he has the clue that proves Musk was indeed doing what some refer to as the 'Roman salute.' 'Musk's hand is closed, fingers together,' Olbermann responded on X. 'That's a salute. Booker's fingers are opened. That's a wave goodbye.' Olbermann then decided to get personal by adding: 'Your brain is devoid of cells. That's an IQ of 27.' And the exchange only went downhill from there as Straka joked about Olbermann having intellectual disabilities. Olbermann was quickly corrected by angry Musk defenders. 'Maybe, and hear me out, neither are Nazi salutes and that's the entire point,' one added. 'Elon Musk's fingers aren't closed or together, and thumb is bent so if that's your argument, try another,' read a different response. At least one person agreed with Olbermann: 'Maybe the difference is one actually looked like a Nazi salute and came from someone who boosts white nationalists weekly.' Musk has faced other accusations of antisemitism, such as in November of 2023, when he reposted a claim on X that Jewish communities hated whites. 'Jewish communities (sic) have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them,' read a post from a self-described cyber security expert going by 'Eric.' Musk responded: 'You have said the actual truth.' The South African-born billionaire has also been criticized for allegedly boosting the visibility of antisemitic accounts on X.
