“There’s a robbery going on. on in this country right now”, pastor and conservative According to the video, radio host CL Bryant told the crowd posted in Facebook member. “In fact I say it to you, and I will say it loud and clearand I’m not ashamed to talk about it. I won’t bite my tongue. I believe that Donald John Trump is the only legitimate president.”
event on On March 6, 2021, a meeting was held of Frontliners for Freedom. group jumped from obscurity to national Attention last a week with disclosure that Thomas invited Trump attorney John Eastman to speak to his members in December 2020.
Exposé coming from emails Eastman was ordered by a judge to turn into over House committee investigating the January 6 uprising testified that Thomas in contact with Eastman, and key legal architect of an attempt to disrupt the elections. Judge David O. Carter of Central District of California, wrote in June 7 opinion that emails, including two in which the groupa “high-ranking leader” invited Eastman to speak – they were related to the committee’s case. work.
While text messages and emails are unearthed in recent weeks have shown that Thomas was involved in these efforts until January 6, her presence at the Orlando meeting indicates that her union with election denial continued even after Joe Biden’s inauguration. Frontliners have hosted hard-That’s right, legislators insisted on strict secrecy and proclaimed that the top leadership of the country enemy is a radical fascist left,” according to social media posts, lawsuits and interviews with several people involved in in group.
One photo from Orlando event shows Bryant posing with Thomas. Other show Thomas wearing name tag is decorated with a yellow a ribbon she and others wore that read “Troublemaker”.
Thomas did not respond to search messages comment. Bryant also did not respond to a request for comment.
Thomas role in Frontliners was confirmed on Thursday when Eastman posted an email in whom she invited him to speak to group on December 8, 2020 Email was one of many Eastmans aspired shield associated with a group that has not been identified in court documents. Eastman argued that giving them to the committee would violate participants“First Amendment Rights.
group said it works in what was understood as a “cone of silence,” Eastman wrote. in May application. He quoted an email he received from group saying, “We care about who is on phone and who is in number and we are not leak what is happening, what is being said or who is in meeting – never!
Eastman on Thursday played down of invitation, writing that Thomas asked him give “update about the electoral litigation group she is met with periodically.” He wrote that he did not discuss “any issues pending or that may be considered by the court.” with Thomas or her husband.
The Committee has not released any Frontliners emails. He requested an interview with Thomas and asked her to turn around over connection with a range of people, including pro-Trump lawyers, members of Employees of Congress and the Department of Justice. Thomas told conservative daily caller last week when she looks forward to a meeting with committee and “can’t wait clear up delusion.”
Revelations about Thomas’ activities reveal potential conflicts of interest that her husband faces in resolving cases about the 2020 elections and attempts to disrupt them. Clarence Thomas did not refuse any of these cases, including one in January in that he was lonely justice to back Trump’s request to block the release of White House documents related to January 6th.
press secretary for The Supreme Court did not answer questions for Clarence Thomas.
Ginny Thomas said she was holding her work apart from her husbands.
Participants described Frontliners for Freedom is like loose knitting coalition of conservative activists. conservative protection group FreedomWorks provides important institutional support, including briefing group members and hosting “meetings” when members gather in person, according to former New Mexico State Representative Janice Arnold-Jones and second familiar person with Frontliner operations who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on on behalf of of in group.
FreedomWorks Partners with“Front leaders, but they are two different organizations,” wrote FreedomWorks spokesman Peter Vicenzi. in letters to the Washington Post.
“Ginny Thomas, for years, was an invaluable ally of our activist community when it comes to engagement on common problems,” wrote Vicenzi. “Thomas herself was unwavering conservative activist, and FreedomWorks is proud to work with her.”
In her email invitation, Eastman Thomas copied another recipient and said the person—whose name had been redacted—helped with meeting arrangements because “I on sabbatical until these election cases are resolved.” No it’s not clear how her role on sabbatical was different from what it was before.
Arnold-Jones told The Post that Thomas was not the group’s sole leader. “It more distribute out than that,” she said. in Interview. “She’s part of It. Sometimes we see Ginny.”
Arnold-Jones said group maintains strict confidentiality, “therefore people they can say they need say.” She said group serves critical networking feature connecting activists across states with legislators and others decision-producers. But such details are being released cautiously, she said. “When information shares, they do not send out a big old letter that says, “Here’s their phone number.” ”
Frontliners for Freedom has no web presence other than for a private facebook group of about 50 people it was installed in August 2020, managed by widow Jeannie Thomas and Stephanie Miller Coleman. of one of Clarence Thomas former clerks. Coleman did not respond to a search request. comment.
Post viewed public-facing description of facebook group last a week. Since removed from public view. group described as “a new collaborative, freedom-oriented, action-oriented group of state leaders representing popular armies are CONNECTING, INFORMING and ACTIVATE each other weekly to maintain constitutional governance.”
Banner at the top of the page read: “In enemy of America… is a radical fascist left”.
Coleman’s personal Facebook page featured Pictures of herself with Ginny and Clarence Thomas and other high-profile figures in Washington, including President Trump. former White House Strategist Stephen K. Bannon. Pictured in 2015, Coleman poses with Jeannie Thomas who is wearing pin that says “I [heart] my husband” and a name tag identifying event they attended as the “Thomas Clerk World Retreat”.
Clarence Thomas former clerks communicate on email list The Post previously reported being known as Thomas Clerk World. In the weeks after January 6 attack on Capitol, Jeannie Thomas apologized to those on Email list for split, which developed among them after her defense and support for Trump of his rally on 6 January. Eastman former Clerk Thomas.
As The Post looked through pictures of Coleman last week, she made most of her facebook page private.
During his speech at the March meeting in Orlando, Bryant said the nation is pulled in in “spiritual warfare” and called on the participants to “stand up and defend this republic.” He condemned the change in definitions of wedding, family and gender, and he repeatedly returned to the notion that the presidency was stolen.
“This was theft, I am telling you. It was the greatest theft that America has ever experienced. But still here we sit with a person in White House who is there fraudulently,” Bryant said. “My friends, you should not be afraid to say this. You shouldn’t be afraid to say it.”
Bryant, calling the crowd to action, asked: “What are you ready for?” He added: “I believe Ginny asked that question. We just I’m going to leave here with hooray ra go on about our business? … When you leave here tonight, what are you willing to do?”
No it’s not clear did he mean Ginny Thomas. Photos from event show her speech with outdoor microphone collection.
The video was posted on Facebook account owned by John Di Lemma, podcast host and founder of Conservative business magazine.
Dee Lemm told The Post he’s not related with Frontliners, but heard Bryant’s speech after he and his wife stopped by for lunch and dinner with friend who attended the meeting.
The meeting in Orlando was attended by many range of FreedomWorks employees from an ordinary organizer who later pleaded guilty to illegal demonstration in Capitol during the January 6 riot senior economist Stephen Moore who was bugged by Trump for seat on Federal Reserve Board, but withdrew from consideration after bipartisan criticism of his comments about women.
Other members included former state legislators, political candidates and conservative activists such as Ron Armstrong, Michigan businessman who rose to national fame for leading protests against coronavirus restrictions, and Brian Kamenker, President of MassResistance, which has been labeled anti-LGBT hate. group Southern Poverty Law Center.
Moore said he comments on many of these events and didn’t remember the details group.
Armstrong told The Post that he remembered Thomas saying his welcome words in Orlando because she’s “clearly people take care and will want say hello or say hello. He said Frontliners brings activists together on a range of issues and lacks a central organizational structure. Mail did not find corporate records for in group.
“Frontliners are nothing else,” he said. “All that is group of people that unite around messages and causes and do sure we work together”.
Kamenker did not respond to a request. for comment.
Susan Voyles, long time conservative activist in Georgia, said she attended the March conference in her presidency of branch in Georgia of in conservative Eagle Forum and saw Thomas there. Voyles said the meeting was focused primarily on on Educational issues highlighted by the pandemic.
In August, a few months after the meeting in Orlando, Armstrong posted Facebook letter from Michigan Frontliners for Freedom Group tells lawmakers demanding ‘forensics’ of elections 2020. Armstrong said that the state group differs from national team.
Frontliners event in October featured speech by Representative Paul A. Gosar (Republic of Arizona), one of in leading election deniers in Congress, judging by the photo he posted to Twitter. Merissa Hamilton, known as a grassroots spokeswoman for FreedomWorks director on LinkedIn tweeted another photo on same day, presumably from the same event. He included an image of three other Republican members of Congress who played key roles in 2020 election misinformation: Louis Gomert (Texas), Marjorie Taylor Green (Georgia), and Lauren Bobert (Colorado).
“Congressman @replouiegohmertcongresswoman @mtgreeneeand congresswoman @laurenboebert in @FreedomWorks Frontliners for Freedom,” the tweet read. version saved via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
Hamilton did not respond to a request. for commentas well as representatives for Gosar, Homert, Green and Bobert.
Alice Krayts, Amy Gardner and Carol Leonnig contributed to this report.
