Duped: National Guard & media stake out state capitols, but ‘pro-Trump armed uprisings’ never materialize

(Please read parts one and two of my investigation into the FBI intelligence bulletins that resulted in the deployment of tens of thousands of National Guardsmen and law enforcement officers across the country)

FBI intelligence bulletins warning of a massive, unprecedented armed “pro-Trump” uprising in all 50 states never came close to fruition. The big day of promised chaos came and went without incident. The National Guard was ready. Law enforcement was ready. The media was ready, but hardly anyone showed up. How could the FBI get this so wrong?

According to “FBI bulletins” that were selectively leaked to the media over the course of the last week, Sunday was supposed to be the big day, rife with chaos and destruction committed by enraged MAGA armies. 

Sunday was supposed to be the day we would witness hordes of pro-Trump groups storming state capitols.

Instead, state capitals were occupied by lots of media, National Guardsmen, a bolstered law enforcement presence, but virtually zero pro-Trump protesters. In a handful of states, 5 or 6 members of the anti-Trump Boogaloo movement showed up, along with some far-left groups like Antifa and BLM, but there was no pro-Trump presence to be found. Not a single violent clash related to these protests was reported in the media all day long.

Here’s a sample of the headlines making the rounds today:

The AP reports:

“Small groups of right-wing protesters — some of them carrying rifles — gathered outside heavily fortified statehouses around the country Sunday, outnumbered by National Guard troops and police brought in to prevent a repeat of the violence that erupted at the U.S. Capitol. As darkness fell, there were no reports of any clashes.”

“Security was stepped up in recent days after the FBI warned of the potential for armed protests in Washington and at all 50 state capitol buildings.”

The Guardian reports:

"At heavily fortified state capitals across America on Sunday, law enforcement and media outnumbered protesters, with only a handful of armed men showing up to planned demonstrations."

Business Insider reports on Wisconsin: 

“ In Wisconsin, where freezing temperatures or clouds have never deterred noisy political protests, and where rallies that have attracted thousands of people have been occurring with increasing frequency, Sunday's expected pro-Trump rally was all but a no-show.”

The Orlando Sentinel reports on Florida: 

“State and local law enforcement locked down the Florida Capitol on Sunday in anticipation of a pro-President Trump protest that authorities feared could become violent, but only five demonstrators briefly showed up.”

“An FBI bulletin last week triggered the heavy law enforcement response after it warned of potentially armed protests at the capitol buildings in all 50 states.”

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports on Kansas:

“Officials were worried about possible violence at the Kansas Statehouse on Sunday. No one showed up.”

“In a memo last week to legislative leaders, Gov. Laura Kelly's chief of staff Will Lawrence referred to an FBI report indicating possible violence and protests at state capitols, including the Kansas Statehouse, at noon Sunday in protest of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday.

New York’s Democrat and Chronicle reported:

“In Albany, the only forces marshaled in any numbers were state police and journalists, joined by counterprotesters you could count on one hand.”

The Sacramento Bee reported on California: 

“With an overwhelming show of force by law enforcement and National Guard troops, California’s state Capitol remained peaceful Sunday despite warnings of armed violence and demonstrations in advance of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.

By afternoon, only a few demonstrators had appeared.

One was an Eagle Scout holding a U.S. flag, two others were Biden supporters waving signs for the president-elect and alternately being cheered or jeered by passing motorists. Earlier in the day, a man with a loudspeaker preached about the Bible.”

 How did the Bureau get this so wrong? FBI Director Christopher Wray was so sure of the threat that he briefed the Vice President directly on this uprising, sourcing his confidence to “extensive amounts of online chatter.”

If you followed my earlier reporting on these developments, this was the outcome we expected all along. 

You can get up to speed here:

(Part one: Debunked: There's no evidence of a planned 'huge uprising' of pro-Trump ‘armed protests’ in all 50 states)

(Part two: Hoaxed: The FBI continues leaks warning about 50 state ‘pro-Trump uprisings’ that are not actually happening)

There was never any indication that pro-Trump groups would partcipate in these protests. The FBI bulletins were short on facts on heavy on nonsense. Far from real intelligence, they gave off the stench of a weaponized political narrative.

Not a single major pro-Trump outfit even discussed the possibility of attending such a march. The handful of individuals who showed up were, as expected, not at all supportive of President Trump. Some states saw zero protests. Others witnessed a small, random assortment of activists, from the far-right to the far-left.

There are now tens of thousands of National Guardsmen patrolling state capitols (along with a robust presence of 25,000 alone in Washington, D.C.) for seemingly no reason whatsoever. Countless millions of dollars have been spent to mobilize these forces, gin up the panic to new levels, and upgrade security across America, and for few, if any, legitimate reasons. We were told the January 6 Capitol Hill melee was a sign of what was planned for Sunday. That forecast could not have been more off the mark.

As for Inauguration Day, there are no indications that we will have any issues with the peaceful transfer of power, and there were never any real established threats to this process. However, that hasn’t stopped the FBI from involving itself in the process.

America’s governors were duped by faulty “FBI bulletins” warning of imminent danger from Trump supporters that was always imaginary. Notably, the FBI has not said a word publicly in detail about their unsubstantiated fear mongering. The legacy media appears to have already memory-holed the incident, packed their bags, and are now following the next big story: the possibility of an “insider attack” committed by a disloyal National Guardsman on Inauguration Day. The FBI, for its part, has positioned itself for success, in highlighting how they are taking the lead in the vetting process.

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