The creator of one of the most cited sources of election disinformation now admits that at least part of his claim was bogus.

Dinesh D'Souza's film, "2,000 Mules," claimed to provide evidence that the 2000 presidential election was stolen based upon some absurd premises. Using geolocation data, the film showed that foot traffic was higher in areas that had ballot dropboxes. But of course, ballot dropboxes are intentionally placed in areas that already have high foot traffic so they are easy to find. The "evidence" was always ridiculous but the film convinced many that the election was stolen.

Mark Andrews, a man shown in the film depositing his ballot and alleged to be a "mule" carrying fraudulent ballots, sued D'Souza.

“What you are seeing is a crime. These are fraudulent votes," D'Souza says in the film as Andrews is shown putting his family's ballots in a dropbox.

In the lawsuit, Andrews said the film led to threats of violence against him and his family.

D'Souza now admits he was wrong (while blaming someone else), writing, “I know that the film and my book create the impression that these individuals were mules that had been identified as suspected ballot harvesters. I owe this individual, Mark Andrews, an apology. I now understand that the surveillance videos used in the film were characterized on the basis of inaccurate information provided to me and my team.”

"2,000 Mules" has been one of the most cited sources of election deniers, including President-elect Donald Trump.

The film was produced by Salem Media Group, which is also the largest provider of talk radio content to Christian radio stations across the country. And I've heard stories of the film being shown in churches. Salem issued an apology to Andrews and stopped promotion and distribution of the film a few months ago.

Let's be clear, Salem and D'Souza are now admitting they were wrong because of the lawsuit, and after they already made a ton of money off the film. The film sold for $29.99. As we pointed out on this blog in May, 2022, if D'Souza's claims were true — if Democrats had actually stolen the 2000 presidential election — why wouldn't he just provide that information for free, given its importance? But no, this was always a scam. D'Souza and Salem are hucksters and a bunch of people got conned.

While D'Souza and Salem made off with a bunch of fat cash, our democracy has been undermined, and families, friendships, and churches have been torn apart over their lies.

Did you or someone you know promote the "2,000 Mules" film? Even if you simply fell for the con, you should also admit your error, because many people still believe the lie. And if you belong to a church that promoted the film, please urge your leaders to publicly repent. Truth is difficult to recover when more people are willing to share the lie than share the truth.

What Else We’re Reading

Wired: “Neo-Nazis Are on the March Across America”

WIRED compiled all reported instances of similar neo-Nazi demonstrations, gleaned from local news reports and social media, and counted 34 in total for 2024, across 16 states. That’s compared to about 30 demonstrations in 2023, 22 in 2022, and four in 2021. Experts say they are now happening with such frequency that they risk becoming normalized.

And although hardcore neo-Nazi groups tend to eschew electoral politics, they view Trump and his second presidency opportunistically. Blood Tribe leader Christopher Pohlhaus, known as Hammer, celebrated Trump’s victory after the election in a post on Telegram. “Thanks Trump,” he wrote. “Cheaper gas will make it easier to spread White Power across the whole country.”

Days after the election, a group of neo-Nazis gathered outside a community theater production of The Diary of Anne Frank in Howell, Michigan, to shout antisemitic slurs. They chanted “Heil Hitler, heil Trump,” according to news reports.

Read the whole thing.

NewsChannel5 Nashville: "Inside the influential white-supremacist conference that calls Tennessee 'home away from home'"

Sitting down on the balcony where the protesters had earlier spotted conference attendees, I asked Taylor how he would describe the people who had shelled out $200 each to attend.

"These are smart, observant, thoughtful Americans who see that our country is going in the wrong direction and has been going in the wrong direction for decades,” Taylor said.

I noted, “Your critics say you use being smart, being intellectual, as a cover for racism."

"What is racism, for heaven’s sake?" he shot back.

"Do you not know what racism is?"

"Well, nobody can really define it in any sensible, consistent way."

Read the whole thing.

NBC News: “FBI searches an alleged Jan. 6 rioter's home as clock ticks on Capitol attack cases”

With less than 50 days until President-elect Donald Trump enters the White House again, the Justice Department continues to prosecute and arrest Jan. 6 rioters, even as Trump has said he’ll pardon an unknown number of the more than 1,500 people charged in connection with the attack.

There are still more than 90 people on the FBI’s Capitol Violence page, which features photos of the bureau’s most wanted rioters, who have been identified to the FBI but not yet arrested, online sleuths told NBC News. And the sleuths, who have aided in those cases, have identified hundreds more rioters who weren’t featured on the Capitol Violence page and may never face justice.

Read the rest.

PsyPost: “New study uncovers psychological roots of support for partisan violence in the United States”

A recent study published in Political Behavior sheds light on what drives support for politically motivated violence in the United States. Researchers found that while overall public support for such violence is very low, those who do support it often share certain psychological tendencies. These include a propensity to dehumanize political opponents and a personal “need for chaos,” or a desire to disrupt the social order to gain status. The findings suggest that these drivers, rather than purely political ideologies, play a significant role in fostering support for violence.

What We’re Listening To

I was interviewed for the most recent episode of the Sons of Patriarchy podcast, which you can listen to on YouTube below or on your favorite podcast app.