It’s been a while since I wrote one of these newsletters. I apologize for the hiatus but I appreciate the understanding. If you want to ensure these are hitting your inbox, subscribe here:
Jacob Wohl, if you’re reading this and you haven’t been arraigned yet, come on the podcast!
TRUMP ERA CRINGE MEMES
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A group of pro-Trump internet meme makers have joined together to create a website to house their creations. They’re calling it “Meme World.”
Three of the people currently listed on Meme World’s masthead, video editor Logan Cook (a.k.a. “Carpe Donktum”), conspiracy theorist Mark Dice, and right-wing cartoonist Ben Garrison, recently received invitations to the White House. Cook spent face time with President Trump in the Oval Office, where Trump called him a “genius.” Dice attended the White House’s social media summit in July, which Garrison was also invited to attend before his invitation was revoked because he drew anti-Semitic cartoons in the past.
The trio of meme-making notables are accompanied on the site by a gang of contributors who operate under pseudonyms like Something Wicked, Brick Suit, Big Game Productions, Devil’s Advocate, and Mad Liberals.
Meme World’s promise is to offer a space on the web where people who are making pro-Trump memes can upload their creations without fear of a social media platform removing their content. The style of videos and memes they seek to harbor have often included copyrighted material—but if you asked them, they’re simply evading “censorship” against conservative thought online.
But I want to talk about the quality of memes on the website. Here’s a few of the allegedly dank memes as they appear on MemeWorld:
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4a3c3354-86f9-47ff-beba-1d716b1b2acf_633x426.png)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facf276cf-1fce-483f-b430-5c3724552055_475x635.png)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30978051-826e-4350-83b0-b1cc457ebd96_631x439.png)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03422412-7634-44d5-ba23-4e2d43c90443_619x449.png)
Online Trump supporters often claim that the creation and distribution of pro-Trump memes across social media was a major contributing factor to Trump’s election in 2016, and it appears that the White House at least somewhat agrees with that theory.
When Trump was able to maintain an image of a crusader against the status quo, creating memes was perhaps a simpler task. But crafting viral Trump memes appears to have been far easier during the campaign than it is today. As Trump adopts the GOP status quo in place of his promised campaign agenda, and routinely throws wrenches in the government by tweeting information from Fox News Channel shows, it’s seemingly harder to sell that vision in a convincing way.
I go around and feel how it fades
I walk around and I see what's fading
Walk around and you'll see how it fades
Walk around and you'll see what's faded
Alex Jones Faces More Legal Woes
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Infowars botched an appeal before the Texas Court of Appeals related to a lawsuit the outlet is facing after its repeated claims and insinuations that the parents of children slain during the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting were dishonest about the events of that day—promoting and furthering “false flag” conspiracy theories and resulting in harassment aimed at the coping parents. From Right Wing Watch:
Infowars filed its now-dismissed appeal one day after Sandy Hook parent Neil Heslin filed a motion for contempt against Infowars as part of an ongoing legal battle against the outlet, which in 2017 broadcast claims that Heslin argued were meant to insinuate that he lied about holding his murdered son’s body and to subject him to harassment and emotional damage by those who believe Sandy Hook was a “false flag” conspiracy—a conspiracy theory advanced by the host of an Infowars program and amplified by Jones himself.
[…]
A judge extended the hearing date on Infowars’ TCPA motion and ordered Infowars to respond to discovery requests. But when the deadline for discovery approached, Infowars made clear it did not intend to cooperate. Heslin filed a motion for contempt of court.
Lawyers for Infowars argued that because defendants had appeared in court regarding their motion to dismiss, they were not required to comply with the discovery process. The Texas Court of Appeals disagreed with Infowars’ interpretation of Texas law and tossed the appeal.
I’m no mind reader, so it’s hard to determine whether Infowars’ appeal was filed out of frivolousness or incompetence regarding Texas law. But after almost a year of stalling, Infowars will soon be dragged back into trial court where they may be subject to penalties for refusing to comply with last year’s discovery motion.
The failed appeal is just the latest in a series of legal losses Infowars has tallied while in its attempt to defend itself against claims it defamed Sandy Hook parents.
What if Wohl Was One of Us?
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Jacob Wohl appeared in court today to face allegations of illegal sale of securities, finally answering a question that so many of you all have asked me: “When is this guy going to jail?”
As it turns out, that time could be soon, though these legal woes for Wohl spawn from activities he participated in before he launched his political endeavors. Will Sommer reports for The Daily Beast:
As The Daily Beast first reported earlier on Wednesday, Wohl and a former business partner were both wanted on a warrant signed in Riverside County on Aug. 19.
The warrant was recalled after Wohl—best known for a spree of bizarre, half-baked political schemes—appeared in court on Wednesday. He was released on his own recognizance until his Oct. 24 arraignment on a charge of unlawful sale of securities, prosecutors said.
The allegation that Wohl and Johnson unlawfully sold securities centers on one of Wohl’s financial companies, Montgomery Assets. A warrant application filed by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office notes that the three-year statute of limitations on the case was set to expire at the end of August 2019, meaning prosecutors had to file by the end of last month if they wanted to pursue charges.
Wohl’s career has seemed to flirt with the edges of the legalities; Wohl has orchestrated fraudulent smear campaigns and filed a seemingly false police report. It was only a matter of time before Icarus flew too close to the sun.
Last month, Wohl claimed he would be investigating the death of Jeffrey Epstein. But since Wohl is facing an arraignment next month, perhaps the world may never know.
Some Good Stuff
![Twitter avatar for @TomKludt](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/TomKludt.jpg)
![Twitter avatar for @MurderBryan](https://substackcdn.com/image/twitter_name/w_96/MurderBryan.jpg)