Kamala Harris bused in "supporters" to a rally in what looked like an obvious effort to make her campaign look bigger than it is. Women dressed in "Handmaid's Tale" garb picketed in front of U.S. Supreme Court Justices' homes to pressure justices into changing their minds, insurrection-style, after the
Dobbs draft decision was leaked.
Democrat operatives sent agents provocateurs to Trump rallies to try and start fights while in line and disrupt his speeches in 2016. In 2008, at a Hillary Clinton speech, a couple of guys heckled her with "Iron my shirts!"
Who are these people? Don't these people have jobs to go to? Where do they come from?
A TikTok video released the other day showed about 100 men in khakis and white masks holding odd flags and marching in (bad) formation to a snare drum cadence.
Who are they, and how did someone know to be there to capture the weird scene and post it to a now
non-existent TikTok account without explanation? Are they feds, or quirky guys who connected on Craig's List, Threads, or Reddit? Are they protesters-for-hire?
I asked the CEO of a company that hires and deploys renta-mobs.
The founder and CEO of Crowds on Demand, Adam Swart, doesn't hide what he does. I got a press release from his PR folks a few months, back and Matt talked with
him for a PJ Media story about the threat of violent mobs outside the Chicago Democrat convention in July.
I thought I'd reach out to ask him about the flag-carrying khaki pants boys marching above.
I had never heard of this group previously and I don't have any specific information on it. Reducto ad absurdum, reducing your opponent's case to its most ridiculous part, can be an effective technique.
These folks seem dressed like neo-fascists marching in a militaristic style, which would likely make some folks pretty uncomfortable. Their style therefore seems designed to go viral online and spur fear.
While many online have speculated that this is an attempt by government agencies to make Trump supporters look like fascists, I think that is unlikely.
I think it is far more likely that an anti-Trump group would organize it for that purpose. However, it's important to note that these folks don't appear to be waving Trump signs, so if it is a fear mongering tactic then it's a subtle one.
Or not so subtle.
Swart's company does a bit of everything.
Crowds on Demand promises crowds "to move forward a healthcare, financial, energy, or other social initiative, we can organize rallies and get media attention for your causes and candidates."
"If you need to hire protesters, we can get a crowd on the street, sometimes within 24 hours time," the company's
website promises.
They can "staff" city council meetings: "If you need speakers to present at a council meeting, we can provide talented and well-spoken individuals to advocate for the cause."
Need to make astroturfed phone calls to Congress? "We also have a dedicated team of phone-banking staff who can call Congressional Offices and convince government officials to support your cause and help you overcome opposition."
And finally, "We are the ultimate guerilla lobbying and government relations firm."
Swart says they send only people who are passionate about the issue being protested.
Some events attract grassroots activists, but many, like a Joe Biden speech, need help. Motivated activists might drop everything to go to a protest, but protesting doesn't pay the bills— or does it? I'm told that protesters can make a couple hundred to a few hundred dollars per day depending on the job.
This kind of business model — which Swart didn't create but simply copied and perfected — should make you question
everything.
The flag-waving episode was reminiscent of the tiki torch-carrying jacka**es in Charlottesville. An X user asked a good question about the edited and spliced video that went out on social media: "Who filmed the Hollywood-quality Tiki Torch march?" And why?
Was any of this activity an outpouring of genuine political zeal or is somebody trying to spin up something out of nothing? Were all of these astroturfed phony displays either by federal officers, opposition groups, or Lisa Fithian-inspired violent leftists trolling for coverage? Or were they paid protesters?
Swart says he's keeping his people out of the Israel-Gaza protests because he doesn't want "to be part of the noise."
We live in dangerous times. It used to be that our intelligence community concentrated its efforts overseas to change hearts and minds. Now, after the Patriot Act, and the recent DHS emphasis on First Amendment-protected activity being a national security issue and subject of censorship, we're the target of their psyops.
An estimated 200 FBI agents or assets infiltrated led the pro-Trump crowds into the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, according to Rep.
Clay Higgins (R-La.) That matches others' claims. Other three letter agencies, likely DHS agents, were part of the mob too. Metropolitan Police are on video urging people outside the Capitol Building to climb up the scaffolding and break into the Capitol. All were
agents provocateurs.
Then there's the matter of the official-looking squads of men J. Michael Waller saw himself that day and wrote about in his book "
Big Intel." Watch
my interview with him. He still doesn't know who they were but says they were professionals. He would know.
