Connect with us

Trending

“You Will Go To Your Grave As A Traitor”: How One Jan. 6 Participant Cooperated With The FBI

Published

on

Newly unsealed court documents detail the “significant information” that right-wing influencer Brandon Straka provided to the FBI as part of a plea deal with prosecutors over his involvement in the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, including his naming of another rioter whom the authorities had not yet identified.

Straka — a self-described former liberal actor who built a large conservative following when he founded the #WalkAway campaign to encourage others to abandon the Democratic Party and support Donald Trump — was sentenced in January to three months of home detention, a $5,000 fine, and three years of probation for one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.

Straka had spoken at a “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 5, 2021, and then joined the mob that descended on the Capitol the following day. But he did not enter the building or assault law enforcement. Instead, he admitted to urging other rioters to steal an officer’s shield and to enter the building. He also posted inflammatory comments on social media urging “patriots” to “hold the line,” but he later said he did not realize there was violence or vandalism occurring inside the Capitol.

At the time of his sentencing, prosecutors had acknowledged Straka had been “cooperative” and “helpful” with investigators, but they did not detail the extent of his cooperation.

This week, US District Judge Dabney Friedrich ordered the unsealing of documents detailing his cooperation following a request from a coalition of media outlets, including BuzzFeed News. But in an apparent error, sealed attachments were also released despite the judge asking for additional information on whether these should be made public. In these attachments, prosecutors went into great detail in laying out for the judge the information Straka had turned over on himself and others in interviews with the FBI.

Straka attorney Bilal Essayli on Friday filed a motion in the US District Court for the District of Columbia seeking a status conference hearing to discuss the documents’ release “without Court approval.”

In a statement posted on the social platform Gettr just before midnight on Friday, Straka also decried that the sealed documents “were leaked to the liberal media.” He also defended himself against accusations of being a “snitch,” insisting that he hadn’t got anyone into trouble.

“There is NOTHING WRONG with talking to the DOJ and telling them your friends are innocent,” he wrote.

“I hope at some point people pull their heads out and begin focusing on the ACTUAL horror here- that sealed court documents were leaked from within the DOJ to the liberal media,” Straka added. “Perhaps we can begin caring about that at some point?”

In one document, prosecutors outlined three times Straka had met with FBI investigators after he was charged: Feb. 11, 2021; March 5, 2021; and Jan. 5, 2022. His lawyers also passed along information on his behalf on Dec. 8, 2021.

“Straka was cooperative at each meeting,” prosecutors wrote in the Jan. 13, 2022, filing.

At the Feb. 11 meeting, he provided information regarding “Stop the Steal” organizer Ali Alexander and members Amy Kremmer, Kylie Kremer, and Cindy Chafian.

He also provided information regarding Simone Gold, the founder of America’s Frontline Doctors, a group that has questioned COVID-19 vaccines and pushed unproven drugs. Gold pleaded guilty to one Jan. 6–related misdemeanor offense in March this year as part of a plea agreement. Last month, she was sentenced to two months in prison.

In his Gettr statement, Straka said Gold was now a friend of his who had been arrested and charged before he was, indicating he played no part in her prosecution.

But in the unsealed filing, prosecutors said Straka had turned over voicemail messages from Gold that contained “valuable” information, which they indicated could lead her to take a plea deal.

Trending

This Couple Has Unbelievably Strict Rules For Their Wedding And It’s Causing Major Drama

Published

on

Couple Divides Families with Strict Wedding Rules

Hi. You read the headline, so you know this Am I the Asshole Reddit thread is gonna be juicy. Without further ado, here are the details of a woman who asked if she is the asshole for all of the rules she is enforcing on her wedding day…

Reddit user u/Calm-Blueberry2618 starts off the thread by saying, “Before y’all jump to any conclusions about how my fiancé needs to run away from me, how unhinged I am, and what a poor man he’s for dealing with me, let me clarify that these rules for the wedding were mutually agreed on by both me and my fiancé, and many of them were his idea.”

Below we will list each rule and then why her family is upset about each one.

Here is rule number one: “Unplugged ceremony and reception until dinner is over and the dance party starts. That means no phones at all unless it is a huge emergency.”

Here is why the family is upset: “People were okay with the ceremony part, but they found the dinner part too much. Many of my parent friends also said that since they’re leaving their kids at home, they should at least be able to check their phones for their kids’ babysitters. I said if I made an exception for them, I’d have to make it for everyone, so no. Unplugged means unplugged. Checking with your kids is not an emergency. If something serious happens, you’ll know.”

Rule number two: “Color scheme and strict dress code. All black color schemes and mandatory dresses for women and tuxedos for men. No pants allowed for women.”

Why the family is upset: “I got reactions for this for two reasons. One reason was that my aunt who’s been mourning her dead husband for over two years just got rid of black clothes a couple of months ago, tried to move on, and claims wearing black makes her depressive. Another issue was the mandatory dress as my husband’s sister has body dysphoria and hates dresses on her and always wears pants. Again, if we make an exception for two people, we’ll have to make an exception for everyone.”

Rule number three: “Bridesmaid diets. We’ve ordered the bridesmaid’s dresses months in advance. So they’ll stay on the weight they are right now. If you’re bigger size, do whatever is in your power to stay big. If you’re skinny, quit fast food for a few months and stay skinny. If the dresses don’t fit you, we’re gonna have a fuckin’ problem, so stick to your fuckin’ diets.”

Why the family is upset: “They had an issue with this, claiming I can’t police their eating habits. One of my bridesmaids claims she developed an eating disorder from that rule, but there’s no official diagnosis, so IDK if that’s valid.”

Rule number four: “My Maid of Honor’s (MOH) daughter is supposed to be our flower girl, but my MOH claims she can’t since her kid will have to stay with a babysitter at a hotel after the ceremony. She lives four hours away from me and where I’ll be having my wedding. She planned on leaving her daughter with her mom to save money on babysitters and refuses to bring the kid as a flower girl and leave her at the hotel with a babysitter.”

Why the family is upset: This one is more between the MOH and u/Calm-Blueberry2618 — but I think it is pretty self explanatory.

U/Calm-Blueberry2618 said her in-laws have been against most of the rules from the start. “My parents supported us until now, but my mom got so mad that she said our wedding is doomed from the get-go with these dumbass rules. Many people are canceling on us last minute, and bridesmaids are threatening to drop out,” she concluded.

As you can imagine, Reddit users did not hold back. “You can make all the rules you want, but be ready to have fewer people at your wedding if you persist so rigidly. Also, don’t use your MOH’s child as a prop. It’s her child, not ‘the kid.'”

—u/lianavan

“You’re an asshole. Your rules will be enforced at the expense of your guests and most likely quite a few friendships. If you want an empty ceremony and few people at your reception, then by all means be the dictator you come across as.”

—u/broadsharp2

“I think you just won asshole of the month. Oh, and the 1950s called, they want their dress code back.”

—u/an0nym0uswr1ter

“Rule One. Ceremony — reasonable. Dinner/reception — unreasonable and unrealistic. Rule Two. Absolutely 100% unreasonable. Expect a lot of declines over this. I would have zero interest in attending a wedding with this kind of dress code. Rule Three. Not only unreasonable but appalling. You’ve got some fucking nerve trying to police your bridesmaids’ bodies and eating choices. Shame on you. Rule Four. Your MOH is under NO obligation to provide you with a flower girl if your rules around her child’s care are outside of her comfort zone. You are being a huge, asshole-ish bridezilla from hell. Knock it off or you’re going to find yourself with a much smaller circle of friends than you started off with, and a family that’s going to be pissed off at you for a very long time.”

—u/Mehitabel9

You get the gist — in no way, shape, or form are these rules remotely okay. So, what do you think of wedding rules in general? Do you know anyone who has had ridiculous rules for their wedding day? Share what they were in the comments if so!

Continue Reading

Trending

Cardi B Explained The “Annoying” Process Of Coming Up With Clean Versions Of Her Explicit Songs

Published

on

Cardi B On Rapping Clean, Corny Radio Versions Of Her Songs

Cardi B revealed one of the downsides of making songs with raunchy lyrics.

During a recent interview on Hot Ones, Cardi B answered a string of questions while eating hot wings that progressively got hotter.

Cardi was asked how she feels about making radio-friendly versions of her songs, and she didn’t waste any time giving her answer.

“Annoying,” Cardi yelled. “So annoying. I just did it practically two weeks ago. I was so over it.”

She revealed she recorded a clean version of her latest single, “Bongos,” featuring Megan Thee Stallion. And Cardi had to get real creative with the new lyrics, because even the opening line of the song is X-rated.

View this video on YouTube


Atlantic Records

“In [‘Bongos’] I’d be like, ‘N***a, eat this ass like a plum.’ So [when] I’m doing the clean version, I’m like, ‘Baby, eat it up like a plum.'”

But even that slight change didn’t sit well with radio executives. The lyrics were still a little too suggestive for the pop radio charts.

“They’re like, ‘No, you still can’t play that for pop radio.’ Whatever. So I’m like, ‘Baby, eat these peaches and plums.’ That sounds so corny!”

“That sounds like Kidz Bop. But I had no choice. So baby, eat these peaches and plums.”

Cardi and Meg performed the song live for the first time at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. This is their second collaboration together.

While she might not be a fan of the edited version, the song is already doing numbers on the Billboard charts — it climbed into the Top 5 Hot R&B/Hip Hop songs chart during its debut.

Continue Reading

Trending

19 Uncommon Sex Tips That People Are Too Freaking Scared To Talk About

Published

on

Throughout the years, we’ve asked the BuzzFeed Community for their favorite tips, tricks, and hacks when it comes to sex. Here are the best responses.

Everyone’s bodies, interests, and experiences are different, so not all of these tips will apply to you. Feel free to take what you want and leave the rest. Just make sure you communicate with your partner(s), and always have consent.

Continue Reading

Trending