Who really resisted Big Tech? Hint: Not Parler



In the aftermath of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, America’s digital battlegrounds were scorched by censorship — not just from Big Tech, but from within.

On Jan. 9, Apple banned Parler from its App Store. Google Play followed the same day. Three days later, Wimkin — another fast-growing platform I founded in 2020 — was pulled from both stores while trending as the No. 1 download.

This story isn’t just about app stores or privacy. It’s about who actually fights for liberty — and who cashes in on the illusion of it.

Apple reinstated Parler just two weeks later. Big Tech doesn’t reinstate fighters. It rewards compliance. Parler capitulated, big-time.

Parler’s infrastructure wasn’t just negligent; it became a surveillance tool. The platform required government ID to create an account and failed to scrub GPS metadata from user-uploaded media. That metadata was easily scraped and used to locate users inside and around the Capitol on Jan. 6.

IDs plus GPS equals turnkey doxxing. Parler didn’t resist the feds — it did their job for them.

Wimkin held the line

Wimkin, by contrast, required no ID and stripped metadata to protect user anonymity. But even though we did everything right, Apple and Google deplatformed us at the height of our momentum.

At the same time, the U.S. Postal Service’s secret surveillance unit — iCOP — began monitoring Wimkin for “threats.” The message was clear: The surveillance state had our platform in its crosshairs.

Then came two separate demands from Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and the January 6 committee, ordering Wimkin to turn over internal communications. Wimkin refused.

Wimkin, in fact, was one of the few companies to hold the line. That is what fighting looks like.

And where were the conservative influencers? The so-called "free-speech warriors" refused to promote Wimkin unless they were paid $5,000 or more per post. They’d praise Parler — which helped get users arrested — but wouldn’t lift a finger for the one platform actually resisting federal pressure.

RELATED: We say we want free speech — until we hear something we hate

Photo by Malte Mueller via Getty Images

Resistance is not futile

Wimkin wasn’t unprofitable — we were demonetized, targeted, and shut down at every turn. We burned through legal fees to protect users and stand up to Congress. And we received practically no media defense, no major promotion, and no institutional support.

But we stood our ground. And now, Wimkin is going public on the NASDAQ.

This story isn’t just about app stores or privacy. It’s about who actually fights for liberty — and who cashes in on the illusion of it.

Parler bent the knee. Wimkin planted a flag.

'Democrats clearly weren't prepared': Blaze News contributor schools libs on border crisis in fiery hearing



The Committee on Homeland Security's Wednesday hearing on the role of non-governmental organizations in the immigration crisis erupted into a fiery partisan clash.

Oversight Project president and Blaze News contributor Mike Howell stood up against Democratic lawmakers, who repeatedly sought to derail the hearing with unscheduled procedural votes.

'Congressman Thompson was an emotional hypocrite.'

The pushback began with Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) interrupting Howell's opening testimony to call for a recorded vote to declare his comments irrelevant to the hearing's topic.

Howell's opening remarks laid into Democrat lawmakers for fueling violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. He claimed that many of the NGOs behind the Biden administration's immigration crisis are now behind the anti-ICE movement.

The Republican majority ultimately voted to allow Howell to proceed. However, it did not stop Democrats from introducing repeated roadblocks by pushing motions to subpoena other potential witnesses.

— (@)

The frequent interruptions hindered the proceedings, and most Democrats did not use their time to ask the witnesses questions; instead, they delivered monologues.

Howell described the hearing as a "mess."

He told Blaze News, "Congressman Thompson was an emotional hypocrite. He didn't want me to explain how his own members' calls for violence were predictably leading to violence. Remember, this is the man who chaired the January 6 committee. He tried getting me kicked out, and on the theory my testimony wasn't relevant, then he and all Democrats proceeded to drone on for hours about completely irrelevant topics."

RELATED: Desperate Democrats disrupt hearing while Blaze Media writers expose NGOs' role in immigration nightmare

Image Source: Homeland Security Committee

Toward the end of Wednesday's hearing, Howell engaged in a tense exchange with Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), who is not a committee member but had requested to sit in on the session.

Ansari used her questioning time to try to challenge Howell, but it spectacularly backfired.

She claimed that one ICE detention center was mistreating immigrants.

"I spoke with more than a dozen women there who were desperate, devastated about the conditions that they're living in, facing significant harassment. They described a situation where one of the staff members literally forced them outside to march outside in 110-degree Arizona heat, marching around for over two hours, yelling at them, 'This is the price of the American dream.' This is disgusting," she stated.

Ansari then turned to ask Howell so-called "yes or no" questions.

"Do you support this type of treatment of human beings?" she asked.

Howell replied, "I'm sorry; I wasn't listening. All the other Democrats haven't asked a question, so I kind of wasn't paying attention. Can you restate it?"

Ansari, clearly taken aback, repeated her question.

"For illegal aliens to be detained throughout their immigration proceedings? Yes," Howell responded.

Ansari interrupted, "To be treated that way?"

"I'm not taking your word for it," Howell declared.

RELATED: The Epstein memo is a joke — and the joke’s on us

Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.). Image Source: Homeland Security Committee

Ansari moved on from the topic to question Howell about oversight authority, claiming that lawmakers are permitted to visit ICE detention facilities. Howell disagreed.

"You, as an individual member, do not have oversight authority," he explained. "Oversight authority, by the rules of the House, flows through the full House to the chairman, and that, right now, is held by [Republicans]. So the statute that you cite is going to end up with more Democrats clogging our jails. I want to keep you out of jail," Howell said.

Ansari attempted to catch Howell off guard regarding his views on the Epstein files, suggesting that he had reversed his stance on their release and was now echoing Trump's claims that it was a Democrat hoax. But Howell fired back that Ansari had gotten her facts wrong.

"What did I say?" Howell asked. "What have I parroted about it being a hoax?"

"You said something false. I'm asking you to cite what you said, which is clearly false because I've not said what you said," Howell replied. "My answer is written in an op-ed in TheBlaze, which you can read."

"You are lying to the American people in your misstatements. You just told a lie in this committee room. I'm trying to clear up the record," Howell continued.

"I think that the public deserves way more transparency than we've got. I've written that."

"Bring the receipts. You're lying, and everybody knows it," Howell remarked.

Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) applauded Howell's takedown. He wrote in a post on X, "Democrats clearly weren't prepared for @MHowellTweets."

— (@)

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Memo to Democrats: ‘Oversight’ isn’t a get-out-of-jail-free card



Democrats and their media allies now argue that members of Congress hold a newly invented constitutional right to storm U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. Their claim? Elected office grants them authority to resist arrest, trespass on federal property, and even assault law enforcement — all in the name of “oversight.”

This claim fails both legally and morally. The members involved should face prosecution for any crimes they committed, along with disciplinary action in the House of Representatives. For too long, the political class has treated immigration enforcement as a mere policy disagreement — as if wanting laws enforced and wanting them ignored were morally equivalent. In doing so, the left has normalized the historically abnormal: mass illegal immigration and the sabotage of our deportation systems. It’s time to treat these actions for what they are — criminal subversion of U.S. law.

No one gets to use 'oversight' as a pretext for criminal behavior.

Start with what happened last week in Newark, New Jersey. The instigators included New Jersey Democratic Reps. LaMonica McIver, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Rob Menendez Jr., along with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. Baraka was arrested for trespassing and defying multiple warnings to leave the premises. According to Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, body camera footage shows “members of Congress assaulting our ICE enforcement officers, including body-slamming a female ICE officer.” DHS plans to release the video soon.

The Democrats have mounted two defenses. First, they claim victimhood — insisting they broke no laws. That argument will not survive video evidence.

Second, they assert an absolute right to enter ICE facilities without warning under their oversight authority. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, defended the stunt by denouncing ICE as “Trump’s stormtroopers” and promising “more oversight — and more unannounced visits.”

Thompson and others cite an appropriations law that says, “Nothing in this section may be construed to require a Member of Congress to provide prior notice of the intent to enter a facility ... for the purpose of conducting oversight.”

That phrase — “conducting oversight” — is the entire ballgame.

The fact is, oversight powers do not belong to individual members of Congress. They belong to the full House, delegated through formal committees led by majority-party chairmen. Minority members cannot issue subpoenas or demand access on their own. Without authorization from Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.), the Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee had no legal basis to enter — let alone rush — a secure ICE facility.

ICE’s past policy of accommodating visits reflects executive discretion, not any congressional right. No one gets to use “oversight” as a pretext for criminal behavior. Even with proper authorization, no member of Congress holds the right to use force to conduct an inspection. This is a political argument masquerading as a legal one.

U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba has indicated she will proceed with prosecution. Her decision should rest solely on the facts — not the convenient legal fiction of “oversight amnesty.” As Bennie Thompson himself once said when chairing the January 6 select committee, “No one is above the law.”

Congress should not let this incident pass without consequences. While expulsion may prove unlikely due to the two-thirds vote requirement, the House can and should remove these members from their committee assignments. Rep. McIver currently sits on the Homeland Security Committee, where Secretary Kristi Noem is scheduled to testify this week. Let her watch from the hallway.

Trump Grants Sweeping Clemency For Jan. 6 Political Prisoners After Biden Pardons Family

The freshly inaugurated president delivered the pardons in one of his first acts upon his triumphant return to the Oval Office.

J6 Committee Members Who Insisted Biden Shouldn’t Hand Out Pardons End Up Accepting Clemency After All

'Not for breaking the law but for upholding it'

Biden Honors Jan. 6 Committee Member Liz Cheney Who Failed To Investigate Unsolved Pipe Bomber, Report Alleges

'The American people still deserve the full truth'

Biden giving top award to accused sex creep and establishmentarians who tried locking up Trump



Liz Cheney was thoroughly rejected by American voters in 2022, failing to capture more than 28.9% of the vote in her Republican primary. She was, however, ultimately able to win over the 82-year-old Democrat in the White House.

Fresh off commuting the sentence of a serial killer who raped and murdered two little girls, along with 36 other death-row killers, President Joe Biden announced that he was awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal to Cheney. Also getting the medal are fellow House Jan. 6 committee leader Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and former Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd (Conn.), previously a leading Democratic recipient of donations by Harvey Weinstein and a Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac favorite who was credibly accused of sexually assaulting a waitress with Ted Kennedy in 1985.

President Richard Nixon created the Presidential Citizens Medal in 1969, the second-highest civilian award of the U.S. government, "for the purpose of recognizing citizens of the United States of America who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens."

Whereas Biden is conferring the award upon his scandal-plagued friend Dodd for supposedly standing "watch over America as a beacon to the world," the Democratic president appears to be awarding Cheney and Thompson for their joint attempts to lock up his former political opponent.

Highlighting her work as vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee, the White House stated that Cheney, who backed Kamala Harris' humiliating electoral defeat, "has raised her voice — and reached across the aisle — to defend our Nation and the ideals we stand for: Freedom. Dignity. And decency. Her integrity and intrepidness remind us all what is possible if we work together."

The White House suggested that Thompson, who chaired the committee and tried to strip President-elect Donald Trump of Secret Service protection months ahead of the attempted assassination against him in Pennsylvania, defended "the rule of law with unwavering integrity and a steadfast commitment to truth."

'Honestly, they should go to jail.'

According to the White House, "President Biden believes these Americans are bonded by their common decency and commitment to serving others. The country is better because of their dedication and sacrifice."

The incoming president sees the duo in a different light, especially Cheney.

Earlier this year, Trump reportedly reposted a meme of Liz Cheney suggesting that she was "guilty of treason." On another occasion, he wrote, "She should go to Jail along with the rest of the Unselect Committee!"

Trump doubled down on his remarks in a "Meet the Press" interview last month, stating, "Cheney did something that's inexcusable along with Thompson and the people on the un-select committee of political thugs and, you know, creeps. So the unselect committee went through a year and a half of testimony. ... They deleted and destroyed all evidence that they found. You know why? Because Nancy Pelosi was guilty. Nancy Pelosi turned down 10,000 troops."

"People lied so badly. Now listen: This was a committee, a big deal. They lied. And what did they do? They deleted and destroyed a whole year and a half worth of testimony," continued Trump. "I think those people committed a major crime."

"Honestly, they should go to jail," added Trump.

An interim report released last month by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), chair of the House Oversight Committee, noted that the Jan. 6 committee "presented uncorroborated, cherry-picked, and, at times, false evidence that fit its narrative" that Trump was supposedly personally liable for the breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6.

"Based on the evidence obtained by this Subcommittee, numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, the former Vice Chair of the January 6 Select Committee, and these violations should be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation," said the report.

According to the report, Cheney should be investigated for allegedly tampering with at least one witness and for possibly violating 18 U.S.C. 1622, which prohibits any person from suborning perjury.

The report also indicated it is clear that Thompson, solely responsibly for complying with House rules related to the archiving of committee records, improperly deleted the committee's recordings of transcribed interviews, thereby preventing House Republicans from reviewing the videos, "which could have contained important information, specifically with respect to the interviews of Cassidy Hutchinson."

The White House's announcement prompted ridicule online.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald tweeted, "Having 'Joe Biden,' as one of his last acts, bestow a presidential medial on Liz Cheney says so much about the value system of the Democratic Party. But what 'Biden' said about Cheney — an advocate still of countless views liberals denounce as fascist — is even more telling."

Trump senior adviser Jason Miller wrote, "Pathetic. With attacks happening in the United States and around the world, THIS is how Biden is spending his time today?"

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

After Screeching About J6 And Democracy For Years, Top Dems Threaten Not To Certify A Trump Election Victory

'We would have to, in any election ... make sure that all the rules have been followed,' Democrat Rep. Jan Schakowsky stated.

Democrats Eye J6 Chairman Who Tried To Eliminate Trump’s Secret Service Protection To Investigate Assassination Attempt

Punchbowl not only omitted Thompson's efforts to remove Trump's security, but also said nothing of his misconduct on the J6 Committee.

5 radicals who learned there are finally consequences for publicly wishing death upon Trump



Establishmentarians and other radicals have in recent years wished ill upon President Donald Trump, circulated images glorifying violence against him, and trafficked in the kind of violent and dehumanizing rhetoric that some have suggested set the stage for the deadly attack that took place Saturday in Pennsylvania.

Middling comedian Kathy Griffin posed, for instance, for a photograph in 2017 holding up a bloody likeness of a decapitated Trump.

When Hurricane Dorian made landfall in 2019, a former Canadian prime minister tweeted, "I'm rooting for a direct hit on Mar a Lago."

Geriatric performer Madonna indicated in a 2017 speech at the Women's March in Washington, D.C., that she had been contemplating "blowing up the White House" while Trump occupied it.

Author Michael Wolff alleged in his book "The Fall" that billionaire Rupert Murdoch repeatedly wished for Trump's death.

While there were ostensibly no real consequences for such ghoulish statements and imagery, a new day has apparently dawned. In the wake of the failed assassination on Trump, radicals have begun to face comeuppances for wishing death upon the president as well as for bemoaning the would-be assassin's failure to murder his intended target.

Leftist Oklahoma teacher learns a lesson

Chaya Raichik of the popular Libs of TikTok social media account and others have worked ardently in recent days to highlight ghastly post-shooting commentary from public officials, academics, and others whose hatred evidently blinded them to potential consequence.

Earlier this week, Raichik shared a photo of Alison Scott, a teacher with Ardmore City Schools in Oklahoma. Scott allegedly wrote, "Wish they had a better scope," in response to a Facebook post that read, "SAY Gent that just SHOT TRUMP'S Ear, I got $500 to put on your books for tryin to save us homie."

Past cover photos on what appears to be Scott's Facebook profile indicate she is a BLM-supporting LGBT activist who was supportive of school closures during the pandemic. According to a 2022 Ardmore City Schools profile, Scott worked as a music teacher in the district.

On Tuesday, Ardmore City Schools released a statement indicating it was "aware that a district employee made a statement on a social media platform appearing to condone violence against a public figure. The district has begun a thorough and swift investigation into the matter."

"Ardmore City Schools strongly condemns acts of physical violence and any words that seek to encourage it, no matter their target," continued the statement. "It is the goal of the Board of Education, together with the district's faculty and staff, to educate students in a safe environment free from violent acts and rhetoric."

Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's Republican superintendent of public instruction, noted on X, "This is unacceptable. SDE is investigating. We will not allow teachers to cheer on violence against @realDonaldTrump."

Hours later, Walters provided an update: "I have investigated it enough. I will be taking her teaching certificate. She will no longer be teaching in Oklahoma."

Counselor consumed by cynicism

An elementary school counselor employed by the Yadkin County School District in North Carolina also learned a valuable lesson this week about publicly wishing death on others.

'I had a very weak moment.'

Raichik and others also highlighted comments from Amanda Brewer. A YCS staff spotlight shared on X earlier this year indicated that Brewer was a counselor at Boonville Elementary School who moonlighted as an exercise instructor.

Brewer wrote, "I'm currently sitting on the beach this afternoon, disturbed by the fact, sickened with myself, that I was disappointed the shooter missed when I saw the news."

"I have allowed that horrible, HORRIBLE man to make me bitter enough to have such an experience," she wrote. "I clearly need to do some reflecting and some work."

YCS district leaders confirmed to WXII-TV Tuesday that they had been made aware of Brewer's comments and that the counselor had resigned.

"After being made aware of the comments, YCS officials immediately opened an investigation to address the matter. YCS officials accepted a letter of resignation from Amanda Brewer, effective July 16, 2024," assistant superintended Boomer Kennedy said Tuesday evening.

The former counselor told WXII, "I had a very weak moment. I made a statement — but the statement I was trying to make was that the climate of the past four years has pushed me to bitterness and that I recognized it."

"I am now taking accountability. I called and resigned, and that's all I can do," added Brewer.

A Dallas cop's regrettable two-word response

Shortly after the assassination attempt on Trump, which left former fire chief Corey Comperatore dead and others wounded, Sgt. Arturo Martinez of the Dallas Police Department wrote, "Aim better," on social media.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the DPD launched an internal affairs review after receiving a complaint regarding Martinez's Saturday post on Instagram.

While the officer's attorney Jane Bishkin acknowledged Martinez wrote the post, she suggested he had done so as a private citizen rather than as an officer.

The DPD's social media policy states, "Employees are free to express themselves as private citizens on social media sites to the degree that their speech does not impair working relationships of the Department, impede the performance of their duties, impair discipline and harmony among coworkers, or interfere with the regular operation of the Department."

DPD Chief Eddie Garcia said in a statement obtained by KXAS-TV, "When I received the notification regarding the comment posted, disappointed would be an understatement. If, in fact, true, the comment made has no place in our society and certainly no place in law enforcement."

Martinez has reportedly been placed on leave while the internal affairs unit investigates him.

Tenacious D messes up Down Under

Blaze News reported Tuesday that Jack Black was canceling his Tenacious D tour after his bandmate Kyle Gass publicly expressed displeasure that the would-be assassin had missed his shot on Trump.

During a Tenacious D performance in Sydney, Australia, Jack Black sang "Happy Birthday" to Gass as a birthday cake was presented to him.

Prompted to make a wish, Gass said, "Don't miss Trump next time."

Black responded with, "Thank you!"

Black — who has multiple movies in the works, including a new "Jumanji" flick — took to social media Tuesday to write, "I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form."

The actor noted further that he was suspending his Tenacious D tour and putting all future creative plans on hold.

Gass, in turn, issued a statement claiming the line he "improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake."

The attempt at damage control does not appear to have been successful so far, granted Gass was dropped by his talent agency.

Democratic staffer shown the door

Democratic Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, who chaired the Jan. 6 select committee, has long demonized Trump, painting him both as an insurrectionist and a potential dictator. Earlier this year, Thompson introduced legislation aimed at stripping Trump of his U.S. Secret Service protection.

'That's what your hate speech got you.'

It appears Thompson's antagonism toward Trump rubbed off on at least one of his staffers.

Jacqueline Marsaw, a case worker and field director for Thompson, wrote shortly after the assassination attempt, "I don't condone violence but please get you some shooting lessons so you don't miss next time ooops that wasn't me talking."

Marsaw, who also served as president of her local NAACP, also wrote, "Couldn't happened to a nicer fellow but was it staged," and, "That's what your hate speech got you," reported the Washington Times.

Her posts sparked widespread outrage.

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and other Republicans in the state demanded Thompson "immediately fire" Marsaw.

Marsaw told the Natchez Democrat, "I acted in the heat of the moment. I wish I had not posted that. I don't want anybody to kill Trump. I don't care for him, and he attacks my (former) boss, but I don't want anyone to kill him or anybody else. I am really sorry."

The Democratic staffer's mea culpa was too little, too late.

Amid the backlash, Thompson said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, "I was made aware of a post made by a staff member and she is no longer in my employment."

Extra to losing her job, Marsaw reportedly received a visit from a Secret Service agent, a sheriff, and a sheriff's deputy.

"He acted like I was the one who tried to kill Trump," Marsaw told the Natchez Democrat. "He asked me all kinds of questions, like if I had tried to attend a Trump rally or had ever gone to Mar-a-Lago, Trump's home in Florida. Of course, I have not. He asked if I had any explosives in my home or if I had a record of stalking anybody. He walked through the apartment and looked at everything that was on my dresser, wrote down the medications I take."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!