Maricopa County Chairman Transferred to Undisclosed Location After Death Threats

[catbyte]

Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling
Breaking News Intern
Published Nov. 20, 2022 3:51PM ET

A top Maricopa County election official has been moved to an undisclosed location over safety concerns following the midterm elections. Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates confirmed on Sunday that he was transferred and provided a security detail after workers at the Arizona county elections office faced months of escalating death threats that made it increasingly difficult to do their job. Gates, a Republican, has faced particular backlash as a vocal critic of false election claims spurred by Trump’s election denialism in 2020. Gates’ transfer comes on the heels of a particularly volatile gubernatorial race in the swing state, in which Trump-backed MAGA candidate Kari Lake lost to Democratic challenger Katie Hobbs. So far, Lake has refused to concede the race. On Monday, hours before she was projected to lose, an attorney for Lake’s campaign allegedly called Maricopa County to warn the office of “a lot of irate people out there” that their campaign “can’t control,” according to The Washington Post. And just last week, a dozen people were seen hurling insults at Gates during a meeting of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors—reportedly at the behest of Lake, according to Fox10.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maricopa-county-chairman-bill-gates-transferred-to-undisclosed-location-after-death-threats

Fox10 report

[GreenWave]

1. I hope they nab them all.

[old guy]

2. But they're just joking!

[orthoclad]

8. cue the music

"jus' some good ol' boys, never meanin' no harm"

We're stuck in mutiple TV fantasies.

[Solly Mack]

3. K&R

[gratuitous]

4. "A lot of irate people out there"

And Lake's campaign should know, since they're the ones stoking that anger until it's out of control. Will there be any stronger response from the Republicans when it's one of their own being targeted?

[louis-t]

5. No, because they consider all election workers traitors unless

they win. Won't throw out Democratic votes? Traitor. Won't hand over voting records? Traitor. Won't allow radicals with no mechanical experience to inspect the voting machines? Traitor. Won't agree that elections are rigged? Traitor.

[oldsoftie]

15. Thats exactly it. This weekends meeting in Vegas shows its cracking tho

FINALLY
Pompeo, of all people, had some of the sharpest digs at trump

[AZSkiffyGeek]

7. Gates is a Republican

The whole Maricopa elections team are Republicans.

[SergeStorms]

20. No one is safe from these dickheads.

If they don't get their way, violence is their default position. They're collectively mentally ill.

[DBoon]

6. incipient fascism

When attempts to run a clean and fair election are countered with death threats that require this level of protection.'

A step towards the violent destruction of democracy.

[orthoclad]

9. What strikes me,

is why the Lake lawyer reported the "irate" people to the State election people, and not the State Police. I wonder why?

[yankee87]

10. Eating their own

It’s happening. All cultists as their movement is falling apart, begin to eat their own. Reminds me of at the end on Nazi Germany, when if you didn’t sufficiently love the leader, you were killed.

[orthoclad]

11. It's not falling apart,

it's gaining traction and power. Look at Florida and Texas. Just wait until Boebert or Marge run a committee, or get Speaker.

[Elessar Zappa]

12. It's not gaining traction.

In some states, maybe, but not in most. Certainly not in places like Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and other states. The midterm results prove this.

[yankee87]

13. +1

Absolutely

[orangecrush]

16. Just wait

Till Boebert or Marge get indicted by the special counsel.

[orthoclad]

23. Yes. I'm waiting.

For two years now, and counting. Half the length of the civil war.

Fer dawg's sake, they caught Trump red-handed committing multiple felonies, and he's still holding rallies and RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.

[orangecrush]

28. Let me know

How that works out for him!

[oldsoftie]

17. No, trumpism IS weakening. They're not as scared to criticize now.

The elections showed them that the people, including the Independents & some GOP, are tired of him & it.
His top donors have said they wont back him in 24. Thats a big hit right there. he's getting older and dumber.

[orthoclad]

22. Trump is just one of many

front-ends for the oligarchy. Trump is not the threat. The right-wing mindset fostered by the oligarchy is the threat.

If trump stroked out tomorrow, DeSantis, Abbott or any of their ilk are ready to step in.

[oldsoftie]

27. But the mindset of the GOP as a whole was the same under Bush, Reagan etc.

And we didnt have these insane candidates that we've seen the past few yrs. The "tea party" was a thing for awhile, but they flamed out too. TRUMP made insanity cool to some people. Those people always felt what they felt, but they just bitched to their friends about it. With trump gone they'll slither back under their rocks. Not all of them, no. But enough to make them quietly irrelevant. I know what we all think of DeSantis, but I just don't see him trying to just take trumps place by acting just like him. Most surprising to me was Pompeo at this weekends Vegas convention. Pompeo was a trump guy all the way & HE said "we were told there would be so much winning that we'd be tired of winning. Well I'm tired of LOSING". I could see it out of Chrisite or Sununu but never thought I'd see it out of him. Thats a big change. Maybe I'm just too optimistic

[orthoclad]

30. The Tea Party didn't flame out

Now they're Oath Keepers and Patriot Front and J6ers and other useful loonies.

We've been losing steadily since Reagan. And by "we", I mean the vast majority of people having their wealth and power stolen by the 0.01%. Just look at the wealth distribution curves. Never in our history has so much wealth (=power) been concentrated in so few hands.

Pompeo and Pence and all their ilk are abandoning ship now that they know the oligarchy is abandoning Trump, and they see a need for CYA.

Think 2015, when everybody (including me) thought Trump was such a joke that he couldn't POSSIBLY win. Well, they have two years to come up with another joke.

[PufPuf23]

14. Lake is no innocent and is guilty of terrorist threats IMO

"On Monday, hours before she was projected to lose, an attorney for Lake’s campaign allegedly called Maricopa County to warn the office of “a lot of irate people out there” that their campaign “can’t control,” according to The Washington Post. And just last week, a dozen people were seen hurling insults at Gates during a meeting of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors—reportedly at the behest of Lake, according to Fox10."

The nation has watched for weeks Lakes' threat to not accept election results where she did not win. This is incitement of a radical movement that is no longer fringe but a threat to peace and safety.

[Cha]

18. Fuckers can't Win so they Cheat &

threaten those who are doing their jobs with DEATH..

They need to the Fuck to BE LOCED UP!!!

[orthoclad]

24. Yes. What do they understand?

The exercise of power. Reasoned arguments make them laugh. Prison makes them pay attention -- and not the slaps on the wrist most J6ers are getting.

Ask Kyle Rittenhouse.

[Evolve Dammit]

19. Right out of the orange mob boss's playbook. Mein Kampf is his fave. Says it all, really. nt

[Genki Hikari]

21. His favorite wasn't Mein Kampf

It was a book of speeches called My New Order. According to his first wife, he kept it on the nightstand.

[Evolve Dammit]

29. You are correct. My mistake. Still Hitler though

[oldsoftie]

31. You mean he read a BOOK? A whole book?

[FlyingPiggy]

25. Ridiculous that he even needs to have security detail bc of the whackjobs

[FSogol]

26. Stuff like this will continue to happen until we lock up these domestic terrorists & the politicans

that instigate them.