Ohio GOP state rep falsely claims that Trump rioters were ‘plants’
Early in Wednesday’s riot at the U.S. Capitol, the misinformation began to flow about who these people really were.
A shirtless man with a painted face and horned fur headdress drew much attention, with some backers of riot inciter Donald Trump falsely claiming the protester was an Antifa plant. Politifact , Snopes and others said the accusations were without evidence. He soon was identified by several sources as Arizona Qanon promoter Jake Angeli, aka “Q Shaman.”
But that didn’t stop GOP state Rep. Kris Jordan of Delaware County from posting the “Shaman’s” picture on his Facebook page and questioning whether he actually was a Trump supporter.
“If these people are brought into custody and arrested I hope the media will report on where they came from. If no arrests are made and we never get to know their identities, you can draw a conclusion they weren’t Trump supporters, rather plants. They don’t look like my hundreds of friends, or hundreds of thousands of others, walking around DC today supporting our president,” the lawmaker said. Jordan later removed the post. However, a critic re-posted it on Jordan’s page, saying, “Oh took down your racist post I see.
“That’s ok. Here it is. You’re welcome.”
Angeli, also known as Jacob Anthony Chansley, was arrested and taken into custody Saturday. He was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, the Washington Post reported.
Trump’s Dominion critique found untrue in Ohio
Trump and his supporters hammered Dominion Voting systems with so many unfounded allegations that the company finally sued for $1.3 billion last week.
Probably because he won Ohio by 8 points, Trump and friends never emphasized the fact that the Buckeye State had 11 counties that used a Dominion device in 2020: Adams, Butler, Fairfield, Greene, Hancock, Hardin, Perry, Richland, Scioto, Wayne and Woods.
A few voters in northeastern Ohio’s
Gop-dominated Wayne County (Wooster) did question elections officials, who assured them the machines are reliable.
But when Ohio Secretary of State Frank Larose announced results of a regular audit of the state’s voting devices, the Dominion equipment proved exceptionally reliable.
In nine of the 11 Dominion counties, the audit found 100% accuracy in the presidential election. The “laggards” were Hancock County at 99.95% and Wayne County 99.94%.
In fact, the election results were spot on regardless of manufacturer. The audit showed 100% for 74 of the 83 counties listed (out of 88).
The worst-performing equipment was in Ashland County, and that showed a 99.61% accuracy rate.
The audit involves an examination of at least 5% of the ballots cast, although some looked at more than 10%.
Larose, a Republican, said in a news release: “The incredible accuracy of the results as reflected in the post-election audits should make every Ohioan proud not only of their bipartisan election officials, but of the system we have in place. Ohio ran a fair and accurate election.”
Should Ohio prison inmates be getting vaccines?
Following 128 inmate and eight prison employee deaths, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction already is administering COVID-19 vaccinations to some employees and prisoners, reporter Randy Ludlow notes.
The department began recently to administer vaccinations to health-care staffers caring for COVID patients and eligible inmates in long-term medical
units at Franklin Medical Center in Columbus, Pickaway Correctional Institution near Orient and Allen Correctional Institution near Lima. Health-care workers at other prisons also are in line for shots.
Eligibility to additional, older inmates and staff will be expanded in compliance with state directives to begin vaccinating senior citizens beginning Jan, 19, a prisons official told Ludlow.
Ohio’s inmate population amid the pandemic has dropped from about 49,000 early this year to about 44,000 amid accelerated releases of approved inmates and fewer felons being sent to state prisons.
Led by large outbreaks of COVID at Marion Correctional Institution and Pickaway, nearly 7,200 inmates and 4,500 prison employees have contracted the virus. The most deaths, 35, have occurred at Pickaway, which contains the prison equivalent of a nursing home.
Gun rights group proclaims victory
The Buckeye Firearms Association last week not only took credit for pushing through a new Stand Your Ground gun law in Ohio, but also for killing numerous measures proposing gun restrictions – several of which were introduced in wake of the August 2019 mass shooting in Dayton.
“Every gun control bill introduced in the last legislative session died at midnight, Dec. 31. We strongly opposed them all. And we now claim victory for their defeat,” the organization said. drowland@dispatch.com @darreldrowland