Conspiracy Theorists Seek Reasons for Trump Indictment on Social Media

Exaggerated accounts of the connections between Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney overseeing the case, and George Soros, the financier and Democratic megadonor, continued to spread. Representative Paul Gosar, a Republican from Arizona, wrote on the social network Gab that Mr. Bragg was “a Soros D.A.,” although a spokesman for Mr. Soros has said that he has never met Mr. Bragg nor donated directly to his campaign. (Mr. Soros donated $1 million to the political arm of Color of Change, a progressive criminal justice group that endorsed Mr. Bragg.)

Threats directed at Mr. Bragg and Mr. Soros peppered online discussions of the indictment — including claims that people were watching Mr. Bragg’s house and children, appeals for Trump supporters to “pick up your rifles” and posts asking “when is go time.” On Truth Social, some called for an armed defense of Mar-a-Lago, the former president’s residence in Florida.

Much of the chatter on far-right channels appeared to be an effort to vent or prognosticate, rather than attempt any coordinated effort. Some users called for peaceful protest and urged others to resist acting on their emotions until more was known about the indictment.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/30/business/media/trump-indictment-social-media-conspiracy.html