By Kayla Epstein , Kayla Epstein Embedded audience editor on the National desk Email Bio Follow Eli Rosenberg and Eli Rosenberg General assignment reporter covering national and breaking news Email Bio Follow Lindsey Bever Lindsey Bever General assignment reporter covering national and breaking news Email Bio Follow April 23 at 9:43 AM The leader of an armed militia that scours the southern border for undocumented migrants had once claimed that his group was training to assassinate former...
“The main takeaway is this was not about anything down at the border,” O’Connell said in a brief phone interview with The Washington Post. “If it was a very serious charge worthy of prosecution and incarceration, why not jump on it immediately?" He told Reuters that his client intends to plead not guilty.
An April 16 video, which was posted on Facebook by a woman who goes by Debbie Collins Farnsworth, showed a large group of migrants, including several children, kneeling on the ground in the total darkness, some of their faces illuminated by flashlights. — FBI Albuquerque April 21, 2019 The New Mexico chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter Thursday to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state Attorney General Hector Balderas demanding that they investigate the United Constitutional Patriots and the actions that were captured in the April 16 video.
A Klamath County sheriff’s deputy wrote in the incident report that he had “observed that Larry Hopkins was wearing a black uniform style shirt and black pants. Hopkins had a badge similar in appearance to a police officer badge pinned above his left breast in the area a police officer would wear a badge. Hopkins had a gold star on each of his collars which is often a sign of rank. Hopkins had several military or law enforcement style pins all over his shirt in a uniform appearance.
EricFaceplant Isn’t every Patriot?
Lawrence Isn’t this guy a washed up, dive bar country singer also? These people are legends in their own minds. But add weaponry, self loathing and prescription medication and they can become very dangerous very quickly
Just think for a second what this mentality and everything that embraces and fosters it does to helpless, unarmed women and children. I have no fux or smiles for this____.
Lawrence But the caravans... never mind, looks like the dangerous people at the southern border are on our side of the border
Sounds well-regulated to me.
Playing up the Trump. Even though he may not say you know he loves that crap
I orderZZ vs theySS concurd theySS christSS vs I allieZZ west east eu etc nyet cth or USeA contact open fire vs theySS nyet attack or undermine I allieZz MO ZZ I tsczar R Oui Mao redde brigadeZz or yeweSs vs I ZZMO FBIthat support muscle against Washington take crapitoll hill
Lock them up!
Lawrence President worries about immigrants when we have home grown nut jobs like this guy and his followers.
Lawrence Mighty white of them
So he's a terrorist!
Lawrence I heard they beat him into a falafel this morning over in county. All that training even for an old man should have prevented that thought he might of went against more than a few of beantowns ugliest.
Ship them to Guantanamo Bay FBI
Jail them it's that simple,conspiracy laws should cover it
We need to arm ourselves and immediately take out this clear and present danger. We are the good v. the right wing evil.
Lawrence Is this guy being arrested?
Lawrence Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. Samuel Johnson
Lawrence Of course they were.
Lawrence STOP CALLING THIS NITWITS “MILITIA.” They’re more correctly called bedwetting domestic terrorists.
The radical right should be outlawed
Welcome to realDonldTrump America where hate is a family value to be passed down to your children. Making America Hate Again. That is trump’s legacy.
Another Fox News survives!
Scary
They need to make an example of these mentally deficient folks.
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️then they found out that would be to good for them . So instead they called it off so those morons would have to live with the horrific decisions they have and will continue to make . After all they should have to live with it !! Get up every day , see their reflections
It must be true Homeland Security said so.
It must be true the FBI said so.
It must be true the media said so.
greensymons Are any of those folks (Obama, etc) known to walk in our southern desert at night?
Nice 'Fake News' story. Demonstrating why WaPoo or Wash-Poo are appropriate nicknames. Those people are not there training to kill any political figures, they are there to reduce illegal crossings. They are doing it on there own, not backed by anyone, doing it since Obama Adm.
Lawrence So when is Congress going to 1) Impeach this Clown for Obstruction 2) Declare White Nationalist a Terrorist Group 3) Impeach Barr for his roll in Coverup
Can they now be called terrorist?
I hope the militia is successful! Wish I could be with them but I'm not trained and too late for me. But my heart and prayers are with them.
Years not over
Fake news....just another lie from a fraudulent Fake news
Good Job Repubs. So this is now your party?
Las personas mienten, las pruebas documentales no.
This is trumps next chief of staff
Lawrence Ignorance is alive and well!
LOCK THEM UP or ship them to Russia
realDonaldTrump GOP GOPLeader kayleighmcenany fomenting hate and violence
Clowns.
But white nationalists arent a risk right RealCandaceO.
A bit shocked- that POTUS hasn’t offered free lawyers for these guys.
Round them up and LockThemAllUp
LIAR!
Well that's comforting. How many more of these yahoos are out there?
Lawrence How about telling us who trained them for that job!
Once claimed Lol fake
Like an assassination team?
Lawrence President Soros 🤷🏻♂️
Trump's Base. Enough said.
Well I am glad someone was prepared to stop the Traitors.
Lawrence They are allowed to get away with this because they are white.
Lawrence I'm old enough to remember when 'detaining' people against their will as a private citizen was called kidnapping.
Ya right
Under indirect orders from Donald trump
Where/how was he radicalized? terrorist
Lawrence Who was training them?
Unsettling.
Lawrence So of course they wouldn’t hesitate to harm kill a migrant so what are we doing about this
I read a magazine ad for the NRA and they mention soros a lot lol.
If true, shouldn’t the FBI arrest everyone associated with this so-called militia? They’re no different than ISIS.
How convenient, to say members were training to kill Obama and Hillary Clinton. A Coast Guard Lt. caught with a literal hit list. A president saying his base would act against political opponents. Just as House debates to 'I' or not. So incitement laws don't apply to POTUS?
America in her last days
This was brought on by the direct connection of Trump's family connections to the drug cartel and Mexican mafia. This was a Trump directive to try and instigate a crisis at the southern border to support his wall. This is how Trump knew his claim of criminals were crossing border
Lawrence If that’s not domestic terrorism nothing is
Lock them up and throw away the key! Trump is formenting this.. knowingly! Lock him up, too.
Why aren't they all in jail?
*terrorist leader*
This is the republican idea of a great American. Is this who you want leading the country?
The desire to kill Obama, Clinton and Soros is directly linked to the propaganda foisted by Fox and the President. More of this happening since the election and shows no sign of abating. Boycott Fox sponsors.
Lawrence WoW, what rock did these creepy guys crawl out from under ? Training to kill people. ReallyAmerica
These are the people that love trump get it they’re all haters
What wver happened to the folks in New Mexico? The ones with the kids?
If accurate, prosecute and throw away the keys. Curious how publicity suddenly resulted in action.
Lawrence One of the many unstable individuals that Trump’s dog whistles speak to at every one of his rallies.
rewegreatyet This should be front page all day news coverage.
Trump supporters and their 2nd Amendment solution. In addition to everything in the Mueller report, he's also encouraging terrorism.
“It’s not kidnaping, murder, sedition or domestic terrorism if you’re just trying to help CBP out, right?”
A Mighty Wind.
Gee I wonder who nutured and encouraged all that targeted hate?
Just more white, male, home grown terrorists. LockThemAllUp
This is the headline for this story? Sensationalism at its best.
you notice these 'groups' tend to be made up of welfare takers cause I know I havent the vacay time banked to play GI JOE at the border
He’s not a “militia leader.” He’s a terrorist leading a terrorist organization.
Lawrence No surprise!
1. Murder is a mortal sin. 2. You’re never going to kill Soros’s money. 3. The identity worship/govt dependence crowd has been looking for a martyr for some time. Don’t be that guy.
Lol. Okay. Sure thing glowies.
Lawrence RNC GOP SenatorRomney senatemajldr GOPLeader LindseyGrahamSC If anything happens blood is going to be on your party's hand. This is for years of your party demonizing the other party.
And the FBI knew about it for over a year and did nothing.
This is truly insane.
Lawrence I think you mean 'terrorist leader. '
Lawrence lets do it again!
Lawrence Think realDonaldTrump will give him a pardon?
Surprised Trump hasn't called him a hero
And if you believe the fake joke news paper print from this asclown I have an island in the middle of the Ohio river in Ceredo. West Virginia I am trying to sell, help me please. Live fake news
Anyone surprised? Anyone? In addition to illegal possession of guns charges against him.
I wonder who inspired this freak? Is it a fat, wig wearing, wife cheating, narcissist, dictatorial, carnival barker who lives in the White House?
Toss them in Guantanamo Bay
And Hitler was often a target of assassination.
Why won’t editors use the term ‘terrorist’ when describing white organizations that use threats of violence to push their agenda?
Terrorists should be locked up in Guantanamo with the Animals.
Nothing surprising about that. If and when an immigrant gets shot at the border, it will probably be by one of these militia people.
So why wasn't this terror training camp subject to a drone strike
Whacky Trump supporters.
What kind of fake staged picture is this?
And Democrats still support Obama’s open borders policy.
I'm going to call this early. They are Christians, right? You'll call Christians terrorists, yet you'll omit them from being victims in something such as a bombing. Am I in the ballpark here? Rhetorical, of course I am.
Terrorist leader**
This sounds like a terrorist organization to me.
This would be a great time for Chuck Todd to pull one out of his own ass about both sides
Shoot them with their own weapons
Trump Terrorists. Please call them what they are.
Terrorists. Please call them what they are.