Biden’s Move To Pardon Son Hunter Draws Scathing Rebukes From Fellow Liberals, Never-Trumpers
'This is a bad precedent'
CNN anchor suggests 'election denialism' is becoming a 'U.S. export' because of what happened in Brazil
CNN anchor Jim Sciutto worked overtime on Monday to connect Donald Trump and Jan. 6 to chaos in Brazil.
What is the background?
On Sunday, supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, the now-former president of Brazil who narrowly lost reelection last year, stormed the National Congress of Brazil, the Supreme Court of Brazil, and the Brazilian presidential palace. Bolsonaro's supporters believe election fraud caused Bolsonaro to lose his reelection.
After hours of unrest, law enforcement finally gained control of the situation. The government said that at least 1,200 people were detained, according to the Associated Press.
What did Sciutto say?
Speaking with former Rep. Joe Walsh (R) on CNN about the unrest, Sciutto asked Walsh if the U.S. is becoming an exporter of "election denialism" where it used to export democracy.
"We used to talk about and many folks still imagine this, and perhaps it's true to some extent, the U.S. exports democracy," Sciutto began.
"But as you watch [what happened in Brazil] and how it was seeded by the losing candidate in that election, who had a lot of rapport, one might say, with Donald Trump, is election denialism a new U.S. export?" he asked
\u201cCNN\u2019s \u2066@jimsciutto on the uprising in Brazil: \u201cIs election denialism a new U.S. export?\u201d\u201d— Tom Elliott (@Tom Elliott) 1673274964
Walsh appeared to agree with Sciutto's assessment and suggested other countries learned from Jan. 6.
"The rest of the world watches us. Clearly the rest of the world watched us on Jan. 6," Walsh responded. "I never would have thought that two years removed from a violent attempt to overthrow an American election that ... Donald Trump would still be the leader of the Republican Party and he would be running for president again.
"The world watched what we did on Jan. 6, and Trump and the Republican Party really didn't pay a price," he claimed. "My fear is that this is something that fledgling democracies around the world are learning from us."
Anything else?
Democrats are calling on the U.S. government to "extradite" Bolsonaro back to Brazil from the U.S.
But the White House said on Monday the government cannot do that because it has not received a formal request from Brazil for Bolsonaro's return.
Bolsonaro was reportedly hospitalized in Florida on Monday. He has been in the U.S. for more than a week. He left his home country two days before the inauguration of his successor, Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva.
New York Magazine writer Jonathan Chait calls Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis 'a deeply authoritarian figure'
New York Magazine writer Jonathan Chait described Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) as "a deeply authoritarian figure," and former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh claimed that the Sunshine State governor is "not conservative."
The two men made the comments when responding to a post from Christopher Rufo, who wrote, "The test for 'NeverTrump' intellecuals is where they stand on DeSantis. He should be their guy: elite education, military background, leadership experience, impeccable character. If they can't get behind him, the takeaway is clear: it's not about principles; they serve the Left."
DeSantis, who entered office in 2019 and is currently seeking re-election in the state's 2022 gubernatorial contest, has become an enormously popular figure on the political right.
"DeSantis is a deeply authoritarian figure who is consolidating the fringe right-wing groups Trump brought into the party," Chait tweeted.
Dave Rubin, host of BlazeTV's "The Rubin Report," replied to Chait's tweet by posting a series of clown emojis.
\u201c@jonathanchait \ud83e\udd21\ud83e\udd21\ud83e\udd21\ud83e\udd21\ud83e\udd21\ud83e\udd21\ud83e\udd21\u201d— Jonathan Chait (@Jonathan Chait) 1657158525
In another tweet, Chait added, "The Trump-skeptical conservatives who love DeSantis are distrustful of Trump's incompetence, not his authoritarianism. They prefer a more competent authoritarian, which DeSantis is."
Walsh responded to Rufo's post by claiming that DeSantis does not believe in liberty, freedom of speech, or the American Constitution.
"Bulls[***]. I'm 'NeverTrump' but I come from the populist base. I oppose DeSantis bcuz he’s not conservative. He’s authoritarian. He uses government to punish individuals & private companies. I oppose him bcuz he doesn’t believe in freedom, free speech, or the Constitution. I do," Walsh tweeted.
\u201cBullshit. I\u2019m \u201cNeverTrump\u201d but I come from the populist base. I oppose DeSantis bcuz he\u2019s not conservative. He\u2019s authoritarian. He uses government to punish individuals & private companies. I oppose him bcuz he doesn\u2019t believe in freedom, free speech, or the Constitution. I do.\u201d— Joe Walsh (@Joe Walsh) 1657150465
Former President Donald Trump, who is widely expected to mount a 2024 presidential bid, has said that he believes he would defeat DeSantis if the two were to face off. "I don't know if Ron is running, and I don’t ask him," Trump said, according to The New Yorker. "It's his prerogative. I think I would win."
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