Spyke

Journalist Reveals FBI Is Offering a “Bounty” for Reporting “Anti-Trump Thought”

cross-posted from: https://ibbit.at/post/127026

A leaked memo by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi directs the Justice Department and FBI to compile a list of groups that may be labeled “domestic terrorism” organizations based on political views related to immigration, gender and U.S. policy. The memo was obtained by independent investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein, who joins us to discuss how it expands on President Donald Trump’s NSPM-7…

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Journalist Reveals FBI Is Offering a “Bounty” for Reporting “Anti-Trump Thought”https://truthout.org/video/journalist-reveals-fbi-is-offering-a-bounty-for-reporting-anti-trump-thought/Open linkView original on lemmy.ca
lemmy.world

This is harder to type than it probably should be. Back in 2015, because of the way I was raised in an extreme conservative evangelical household as a preacher’s kid, I was a Republican. I had already broken with that world in every meaningful way, but I had not actually sat down and examined what I believed. So there I was, still actively involved in politics. I helped campaign for Romney. I made more than three thousand phone calls, which I am pretty sure qualifies as a minor war crime. I was on the election staff of a representative who, for the record, had not been elected yet when I worked for her. I was a special elector. I was on the county central committee. I worked every election since 2011 with an R behind my name.

And then they picked the orange man. I wrote the Chairwoman a very long letter explaining, in polite terms, that this was not going to work for me. I switched my affiliation to Independent. Unfortunately, I still had not figured out where the world was heading, so I voted for Gary Johnson. The less said about that period of my life, the better.

When the Senate Election Committee decided to finance Roy Moore, I walked directly to the courthouse, changed my registration to Democrat, and started working elections for that party instead. There is a point where a person realizes the boat is not just sinking, it was built upside down to begin with.

Anyway, based on the tone of that old letter, I find myself hoping I ended up on a list somewhere for Pam Bondi. It would be nice to feel important for a moment. Besides, what a spectacular waste of resources it would be to track down one Army veteran who lives in an RV in the middle of nowhere.

122

Out of the current "R" brand spread, Romney at least had some character. I wouldn't beat yourself up too bad about things you did many many years ago, reflection is hard, growing up is hard - you are a champion for being man enough and introspective enough to grow as a person. Also I enjoyed reading this, thank you for sharing.

15

Good on you. It takes courage to admit to something like that and to move in a direction you believe is right despite your upbringing. I'm in a situation with some similarities to yours, and while im still coming to terms with things and not ready to talk about it yet I want you to know that you posting your story and owning your mistakes is inspiring

1
velindorareply
lemmy.cafe

I grew up in a strict evangelical Republican household and stayed in GOP politics for years without really questioning my beliefs. I campaigned, worked elections, and was deeply involved—until the party chose Trump. I left, became an Independent, briefly voted for Gary Johnson, then switched to Democrat when the GOP backed Roy Moore. At some point you realize the ship wasn’t just sinking—it was built wrong. Honestly, I kind of hope I made some list in Pam Bondi’s files; it’d be the first time an Army vet living in an RV felt important.

There, easy to type.

-33
tover153reply
lemmy.world

Thanks for the summary. Your version is definitely easier to type, but I still prefer the line I wrote earlier: “There is a point where a person realizes the boat is not just sinking, it was built upside down to begin with.”

Still, I appreciate the reply.

32
tover153reply
lemmy.world

Fair point. Although in a poem I wrote recently, I put it this way: “You learn to read the sky when you cannot trust the roof.”

Still feels about right for the situation.

More of my writing is here, if you’re curious: https://tover153.substack.com/

12
lemmy.world

If you want to take all human and emotional connection out of it, sure. Take your chatgpt slop with you.

3
tover153reply
lemmy.world

If the best you can do is accuse me of using ChatGPT instead of responding to a single thing I actually said, that’s not a debate. That’s avoiding one. I write my own stuff. Always have. Sometimes I even manage to get a line right.

But if calling it “slop” makes it easier for you to skip the point, go ahead. I grew up in Iowa. I’ve seen actual slop. What I wrote doesn’t qualify.

1
lemmy.world

It's funny because in the early 00s I worked for a gay rights organization and was told pretty flat out, the FBI keeps at least a list with my name on it, if not my own file (holdover from the civil rights era when they did this to all progressive groups). And then Obama came along and we thought a new era was being ushered in. And now in 2025 I run a gay nonprofit and probably have an FBI file again. Oh well, means I'm doing something right, fuck 'em.

70
IronBirdreply
lemmy.world

got to admit, obama played us good. campaign of Hope and Change followed by 8 years of the same tired old playbook

28
the_crotchreply
sh.itjust.works

My favorite thing about Lemmy is people are willing to make accurate criticisms about Obama and his policies instead of simping for him because he's charasmatic and a Democrat.

17
lemmy.ca

There's a weird disconnect between the left and the right where MAGA especially is so slavishly cultish that their guys can do no wrong. Whereas on the left, we generally have the critical thinking skills to admit that our guys aren't always doing the right thing.

20
0x0reply

our guys aren’t always doing the right thing.

The extreme of that being single-issue voters?

3

It really depends on what you consider a leftist. People on Reddit would call themselves "the left" and act like Obama is flawless and accuse you of being a maga if you feel otherwise.

1

annoying part is you can see they're setting up the same shit with Newscom/Pritzker

make some big publicity stunts on tv talking a big game, doing these cute little marches, all while greenlighting ICE to harass their surrounding poor neighborhoods long as they stay out of their donor neighborhoods

12
lemmy.world

No politician should be simped for.

Unfortunately, simping has proven to be very effective :(

6
the_crotchreply
sh.itjust.works

Yeah turning politics into a fandom changed the game for the worst in a lot of ways

9
lemmy.today

Now that politics is a team sport, what's the over/under on how long it takes to legalize gambling on politics? I'm sure the gambling apps are lobbying for that right now.

That shouldn't fuck up anything, right? Nobody could be bribed to throw a race could they?

2
the_crotchreply
sh.itjust.works

That depends on what one considers "the left". Liberals call themselves leftists and a lot of them will defend him to the death.

1

Liberals only call themselves leftists because right-wingers tell them they are.

3
village604reply
adultswim.fan

We did get the ACA, so it wasn't all for nothing.

He also had the Republicans fighting so hard against him that they were torpedoing their own bills just because he agreed with them.

Before Trump, the actual powers of the presidency were pretty limited as far as actual policy changes.

9
IronBirdreply
lemmy.world

the ACA was a corporate wet dream. clearly bought and paid for just like our federal student loan system...just look at their profit margins after it was passed.

14
village604reply
adultswim.fan

The original one wasn't. Once the Republicans got their fingers in it, it became one.

6
IronBirdreply
lemmy.world

lol, and it passed with 1 dem flipping, how convenient.

it's all a circus to these cunts mate, establishment dems are and always have been controlled opposition.

the original was never meant to pass, it was meant to allow dems to shrug their shoulders and go "well, we tried" before giving their donors what they paid for

9

Not me. When he took that stage in that stadium with his family after his election, to a cheering, adoring crowd, and the TV talking heads going on about Hope & Change, I knew he was going to be one more placeholder Democrat, who will last long enough for everyone to forget what shitheads Conservatives are, and allow them back in power to continue their rampage of destruction. That's all Carter, Clinton, and Biden were, too. There hasn't been an effective Democratic president since LBJ.

But they're the lesser of two evils.

4
Gary Ghostreply
lemmy.world

Tired old playbook? The playbook has been rewritten and it's worse

2

Thank you. Thanks for sharing this "seen that, didn't care then, didn't care now" attitude. This is the way you fight and dispell the stochastic terrorism behind this "leak."

Dance, be freaky, don't let the man get in your head.

16
0x0reply

and probably have an FBI file again.

I doubt you've ever stopped having one.

14
lemmy.today

I got permabanned from Reddit during the February bloodbath, after 12 years and nearly a million Karma, all while ferociously attacking Republicans, MAGA, and especially Trump, who I always referred to as HitlerPig.

I'm sure Spez turned over ALL the files to DOGE like a good little minion, so they've got a nice fat file of ThoughtCrimes® on me.

I just saw that he's married to Serena Williams, so I now hate her, too.

12
KaChildereply
sh.itjust.works

I’m rewatching The X-Files at the moment, and it’s so weird to remember a time when people believed that government agencies were staffed by people smart enough to investigate or cover up alien conspiracies.

It actually works as evidence against the theories that aliens have visited earth, because if it existed, Patel would have accidentally tweeted the Roswell autopsy video while eating his lunch on the toilet by now.

85

Saved this from somewhere on Lemmy years ago during Trump's first term:

45

Right? I laugh now about “how organized and responsive” governments are portrayed. Hurricane Katrina was also a giveaway; but the last 10 years (especially the last year)? Gong show!

Edit: If aliens showed now, ICE would just make them disappear if they couldn’t be monetized. I miss Mulder and Scully.

30
FuglyDuckreply
lemmy.world

I personally suspect that if aliens actually did show up to earth, they wouldn't be content to remain in the shadows.

Basically, the native life is the only thing that would be of interest. we (that is life,) are the only things that are actually unique to this particular system. If it's simple curiosity about things, they could study us from a distance, without ever revealing themselves to us (or the government.)

Which leaves a few reasons for why they'd come here:

  • Genocidal freaks who have some biological or cultural imperative to kill everything that's not them.
  • Space Mormons coming to share their faith.
  • Space evangelicals. They're like Space Mormons, except turn into the first group when you politely decline.

Either way... we'd know they'd be here.

8

I kind of feel like if aliens do exist and they can travel FTL and visit Earth, they probably also would belong to some organization that controls space travel and our planet would be marked as a no go zone.

We are incredibly violent apex predators who have reshaped the very planet in our image with an unending thirst for resource consumption. I feel like aliens would not want to give us access to their tech because we are dangerous.

That's just my hunch though, in reality I have no idea. For all I know some space Mormons will show up and absolutely wreck our shit and enslave us. We're smart enough we'd make good pets and/or work animals. Regardless, if aliens do show up and reveal themselves to us I hope they have kind intentions.

5

Theres also aliens that want to lock you in a zoo, aliens that want to rob you, aliens that want to assimilate you, and (assuming our biology is the only viable route for advanced life) refugees.

1
FuglyDuckreply
lemmy.world

Pretty sure the prime directive says “if they’ve nuked themselves hundreds of times… DONOTGOTHERE!!!!”

(Of course they went there. What could go wrong?)

1
blazeknavereply
lemmy.world

Picturing the onion article. Planet that nukes itself over and over cannot prevent nuking itself

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FuglyDuckreply
lemmy.world

“Planet keeps nuking itself, wonders why interstellar tourism is in decline.”

2

I'm cheering for a well placed lightning strike on the golf course.

3

Not on Reddit, where your personal wishes are viewed as calls for violence. Dumbasses.

3

Almost certainly yes, at least based on historical precedent, though Trump loves ignoring that.

For example, Watts v. United States, where someone said:

"They always holler at us to get an education. And now I have already received my draft classification as 1-A and I have got to report for my physical this Monday coming. I am not going. If they ever make me carry a rifle the first man I want to get in my sights is L. B. J."

He was originally convicted, but that was then reversed, as the Supreme Court stated:

"We agree with petitioner that his only offense here was 'a kind of very crude offensive method of stating a political opposition to the president.' Taken in context, and regarding the expressly conditional nature of the statement and the reaction of the listeners, we do not see how it could be interpreted otherwise."

At the end of the day, the law only really states that you have to:

  1. Make a threat
  2. ...That threatens you taking the life of, kidnapping, or inflicting bodily harm upon the president

So let's say I say "I am going to kill the President" not as an example, but as an actual statement. That could be interpreted as an actual threat. However, If I am a 13 year old kid with just $20 to my name, no access to a gun, and no means of transport to even get near the president, it would be hard for the government to argue that's not just a joke, or political hyperbole, as it was in the case of Watts v. United States.

Given that all of those would be a threat for you to do something, and not just you wishing he was dead by any other means, it's quite likely that any court would determine you saying something like "I hope Donald Trump dies a horrible, agonizing, painful death," or even something like "I hope someone else shoots the president" would probably be considered AOK, and again, just political hyperbole, or statements without any material threat behind them.

2

Fox News host Tucker Carlson said in a text message after the 2020 election that he "passionately hated" Donald Trump, according to new court filings. - BBC

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitch McConnell said after the 2020 election that then-President Donald Trump was “stupid as well as being ill-tempered,” a “despicable human being” and a “narcissist,” according to excerpts from a new biography of the Senate Republican leader that will be released this month.

Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon has described the Trump Tower meeting between the president’s son and a group of Russians during the 2016 election campaign as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic”, according to an explosive new book seen by the Guardian.

50

Democrats really dropped when the ball when they voted for wet-noodle establishment candidates over progressives like Bernie Sanders.

But hey, at least they don't have to pay more in taxes!

36

Fuck off fascists. You gonna arrest 70% of this country??? Even your own "side" is turning on you. "My groceries are too high." <-- that is anti-PEDOnald. "I don't like child rapists." <--- that is anti-PEDOnald.

35
village604reply
adultswim.fan

He won't. He'll die of old age after the best medical care in the world exhausts all options to keep him alive.

The best we can hope for is a stroke to give him locked in syndrome so he can experience a narcissist's hell for a few years first.

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discuss.online

This is the sad truth, even if the democrats and Republicans somehow united and said 'to hell with this jackass, let's arrest him and try him properly' he will probably die before even that trial is complete.

10
cyberwitchreply
reddthat.com

Chin up, theres a non-zero chance he will die in his piss while hearing his sycophants squabble over his wasting body like Stalin.

6

Donald Trump is such a disgusting criminal individual it isn't funny. Everything he accuses his enemies of he is guilty of himself, including the recent accusations of mortgage fraud.

In his mind rules and laws aren't for allowing society to function, but as tools to get his enemies in trouble, and at the same none should apply to him.

12
lemmy.world

Trump is a giant pedophile piece of felon shit!

Come get me, fuckers. I'm armed!

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Atroposreply
lemmy.world

Fuck that orange fascist.

Ok, I'll report you, you report me, and then let's go get burritos.

2

Can I report myself? Is there a limit?

I feel like this could be a revival of the Reddit Area 51 fun run. “They can’t take all of us!”

31

I heard about the Area 51 thing back when it was happening but didn't think much of it other than "edgelords being extra edgy". And I hadn't given it much more thought after that. Until that documentary came out recently on Netflix. I watched it and I was mostly shocked about how much the military/government were shitting their pants over it.

The main thing I took away from that was how much power a large group of people would truly wield if they actually organized and worked together .

That's the reason we're all being pitted against one another.

8

They were always anti-American. The people that have been running this country since its inception are not actually indigenous to the Americas.

10
Sunflierreply
lemmy.world

They might not get to "the rounding them up" stage yet. But, right off the bat, being on one of those lists could subject you to a tax audit, keep you from accessing benefits, leave you unemployed, etc. They did this under the Red Scare. Just because they're not going to come for you today doesn't mean they won't make your life miserable.

6

Yes, we're already at the "rounding them up" stage. They just gotta pretend you're an illegal long enough for them to "oppsie" remove you from the country.

1

Gotta use a vpn and switch up the IP addresses every now and then, or even between each report, otherwise they'd be able to block/filter them out pretty easily

3
lemmy.world

So, the "transgender ideology" is domestic extremism reportable to the FBI? Does that mean someone could collect on the bounty if they name transgender neighbors or family to the FBI? What happens to the named person? They sent to a internment deportation camp?

What if we just set up a ghetto for the undesirables to be relocated to?

20

If you snitch on a transgender person you're admitting the existence of transgender people. To the camps with you!

It's sickening how this regime is persecuting trans people.

16
lemmy.zip

Collect your bounty: I cannot wait to see Trump in prison once he gets impeached after the midterms.

19

He's not going anywhere. I think the dems will get the house in 26 but it's not very likely to get the senate majority, and even if they do no fucking way 67 of those cowards would vote to convict on impeachment.

Now I wouldn't mind if the house impeaches every fucking day just to make them constantly declare a no vote on a never ending litany of crimes. Plus tying up the government is better than taking time to pass whatever laws trickle down from the mad king's dementia farts.

26

Pick me! pick me pick me. I fart in your general direction! I think trump is the anti-christ. Peter Teal told me so.

17

At least Germany got a WW1 vet. We got a bloated real estate developer. con artist.

Ftfy

7

I have a social media identity I use to troll MAGA people. It’s a person’s first/last name but it’s also an anagram. If you rearrange the letters it spells “death to trump.” So whenever the MAGA people @me, they’re unwittingly wishing death upon their dear leader.

15

If you can anonymously report anyone, what's to stop people from making bots to mass report the people closest to him? Hmmm

14
lemmy.ca

If Americans aren't scared yet with these kind of news, then they're doomed. Truly, the land of the free no more. 

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0_o7reply
lemmy.dbzer0.com

Why would Americans be scared of this? Seems like a problem with just the USA and it's merely a part of whole American population of the continent.

-3

Can you elaborate? It seems to me you don't understand what's happening. 

2
lemy.lol

This is some fucked up shit right here. You have your own STASI now in the USA. Congrats on that, fucking morons. 🤣 HOW could you elect this dude TWICE?! You folks are nuttier than nuts. 

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the_crotchreply
sh.itjust.works

You're probably not going to reach a lot of trump supporters here. If you want to talk to the ones reasonable try twitter or Facebook.

13

Just get Kash's girlfriend's friends drunk and the FBI would be busy with their Uber program.

13
lemmy.zip

Hey FBI I'm over here and I'm so anti trump I think any living relatives he has should be held accountable somehow.

12

not every living relative lol..... Hi niece Mary has very publicly been calling him out on being a piece of shit for quite a while

6

Remember - the conservatives represent free speech maximalism and actual liberty and freedom. Also, they love the Constitution.

🤣

12

Have a friend working as an AUSA in Texas and he can confirm this letter went out a week ago.

It's very vaguely and broadly written. Doesn't do a great deal to identify who or what qualifies. Idk if officials are expected to hit some kind of Antifa Witchhunt quota or if raising a flag just brings a bunch of cheap reactionary heat down on the office itself.

My friend's Africa American, so he's not touching the request with a 10' pole if he can avoid it. Most of his caseload is just meth dealers crossing state lines and interstate wire fraud, so there's not a ton of Antifa to be found anyway.

12
0x0reply
lemmy.zip

It’s very vaguely and broadly written. Doesn’t do a great deal to identify who or what qualifies.

I.e. a blank check.
You are free to consider _______________ as domestic terrorists.

10
lemmy.world

Sure, in theory. But then you get a glut of responses and have to pick which ones you'd actually care to prosecute.

That's a bunch of annoying manual work that nobody in Trump's FBI / DOJ is willing (much less competent) to perform.

5
n0respectreply
lemmy.world

I don't think that's any better. It creates a situation like "everyone is guilty, we just decide who to prosecute"

3

It creates a situation where an AG's office with limited manpower and prosecutorial capacity needs to selectively enforce the law in order to shock the public into general compliance. Less "everyone is guilty" and more "too many people are potentially suspect but only a few of them have cases that could actually hold up in court".

USAs generally hate trying cases that get tossed out or lose at trial. So they try to focus on cases they know they can win - either because the defendant can't afford quality legal council or the case is so air-tight that a jury will easily convict. Incompetent USAs can quickly get themselves into a position where a defendant can get top flight defense and the prosecutor has to juggle a bunch of gaping flaws in the case. OJ Simpson is one classic example of such a case. Luigi Mangione may end up being another.

2
sh.itjust.works

What's the bounty? Meme coins? A "golden" trophy?

Trust me, the bounty for not being a worthless skinbag is better than supporting those fuckwitted asshats.

11

Most likely nothing since Trump famously never pays anybody.

3

I'm actively planning the assassination of Donald J. TRUMP the so-called president of the United States of America.

That should do the trick.

11
lemmy.world

Reading only the post's title, my first thought was "hey, I have a truckload of anti-trump thought, where do I get my reward?"

10

someone should take one for the team and form an alternative socialist government of the united states as a micronation. seriously!

9
lemmy.ca

Tell me again about how this is the "land of the free and the home of the brave"?

Empirical evidence seems to be trending in the other direction.

8

It never was, but it's much less so now. Many Americans have believed the propaganda for a long time.

4
lemmy.world

Terrorist, terrorist, terrorist...

Everyone they disagree with is a terrorist. They're turning the word meaningless.

8

Damn, I've been giving them mine for free this whole time. I could have gotten paid‽

6

They voted Trump because he told them "We are fighting the single-thought agenda of the left". The single-thought agenda was just "Don't hate on minorities"...

5

Child: Mom, can we have Miniluv from the dystopian novel Nineteen-Eighty Four?
Mom: We have Miniluv from the dystopian novel Nineteen-Eighty Four at home.
Miniluv from the dystopian novel Nineteen-Eighty Four at home:

3

Damn, I can do all of those things. I wonder how big the bounty is and what you need to do to qualify. I can use a vacation in a tropical hellhole paradise and a little something to retire on ….. it’s probably more likely to pay off than social security

2

In addition to compiling a list of undesirables, Bondi directs the FBI to enhance the capabilities (and publicity) of its tipline in order to more aggressively solicit tips from the American public on, well, other Americans. To that end, Bondi also directs the FBI to establish “a cash reward system” for information leading to identification and arrest of leadership figures within these purported domestic terrorist organizations.

Isnt that normal in a country where a poltici comentator was publicly shot and found because of a tip by his familly or that 2 national guard were shoot this month ? The framing seem uterly dishonest

-1