By Patrick Colbeck
One of the major categories of election fraud that I have been sharing deals with the topic of “Influence Operations”. The origin of the term “Influence Operations” is military in nature. There is clear evidence of “Influence Operations” at work leading up to and after the 2020 Election as listed in my Election Fraud Evidence Primer post. Those behind the 2020 Election coup influence operation are attempting to push a #BigLie via their media allies. I attempt to shed some light on this lie in this post.
Ironically, the term “The Big Lie” traces back to the National Socialist German Workers Party. You know them today as “Nazis”. Adolf Hitler coined the term to describe the use of a lie so big that no one “could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously.” Joseph Goebbels was responsible for implementing the “Big Lie” that attempted to flip the narrative on who was responsible for Germany’s loss in World War I. Goebbels was the chief propagandist for the Nazi party where he had complete control over the news media, arts, and pretty much all information flow in Germany. We are experiencing a similar level of control being exerted by those behind the 2020 election conspiracy.
Do you believe that the term “conspiracy” an overstatement? If so, you should hear what self-professed conspirators have to say about the matter. Molly Ball, in her March 2020 Time Magazine article “The Secret Bipartisan Campaign That Saved The 2020 Election“, outlines how the conspiracy to “save” the election was executed.
The following November 22, 2020 article by MLive was typical of the post-election narratives espoused by most media outlets: 6 reasons that allegations of Michigan election fraud defy common sense
Let’s focus in upon the media narrative surrounding a more recent event. One for which I was the organizer and an attendee. In other words, it was an event about which I have first hand knowledge.
The following media reports were released regarding the June 5th, Decision Day: Come Hear the Evidence event held in Antrim County, MI at the Friske Farm Market:
- “Doomed campaign to reinstate Trump comes to Antrim County, original home of the election lie“, MLive, June 5, 2021 by Malachi Barrett | [email protected]
- “Weekend rally planned in Antrim County calls for private audit of 2020 election ballots“, WDIV, June 4, 2021 by Grant Hermes
- “Audits become new front in Michigan GOP’s fight against 2020 election“, Detroit News, June 6, 2021 by Craig Mauger
- “Sweet Cherries, Bitter Politics: Two Farm Stands and the Nation’s Divides“, New York Times, June 6, 2021, By Neil MacFarquhar
Were these accounts propaganda or journalism? Let’s find out by comparing their #BigLie assertions with the #BigTruth from someone with first hand knowledge of the event.
MLive, Malachi Barrett
| #BigLie | #BigTruth |
| “An election night error in Antrim County – which temporarily showed Donald Trump losing the historically Republican county -continues to fuel unproven allegation of voter fraud eight months later.” | “Inconceivable” is the iconic line from the movie Princess Bride. The 2020 Election has its own iconic line. “Unproven” although you may see it represented by its close relatives “unsubstantiated” or “debunked”. It begs the question, “unproven” by whom? There is a significant body of evidence in support of election fraud. Instead of citing specific evidentiary claims which they believe to be “unproven”, they exhort what amounts to be an ad hominem attack against all of the evidence of election fraud. Sorry. Straw dog arguments like this are insufficient to convince Americans still willing to think critically and objectively. |
| “this weekend, promoters of fraud claims and QAnon conspiracy theories” | Gratuitous QAnon reference is deliberate. The media has invested significant time and resources into smearing Q dialogue followers as insurrectionists in much the same what that they smear evidence of election fraud as “unproven”. Their goal is to marginalize anyone in attendance at the event regardless of the merit of what they say. |
| “Lindell, who faces a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit over his claims of rigged election machines, recently predicted Trump will be reinstated as president in August.” | Interesting to note that Malachi did not reference Mike Lindell’s $1.6 billion countersuit. Classic example of omission tactic to give readers impression that only one side of an issue has merit. |
| “There is no legal mechanism to reverse President Joe Biden’s victory.” | Multiple legal mechanisms do exist. Legislative thread involves leveraging plenary authority of state legislatures under Article II Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution. Judicial thread involves invocation of Writ of Quo Warranto as a remedy for a fraudulent election. |
| “The Michigan Bureau of Elections conducted statewide audits already and released a report in April. Michigan’s certified results show Biden won the state by 154,000 votes, a difference of 3 percentage points.” | The Michigan Bureau of Elections may have asserted that they conducted “audits”, but they didn’t. They didn’t even comply with their own flimsy definition of an audit. They merely conducted “recounts” masquerading as “Risk-Limited Audits”. Professor Philip Stark of UC Berkeley, who coined the term “Risk-Limited Audits” admitted that they were simply “recounts” in the HBO Documentary Kill Chain. In it, he states, “It is easy to do a Risk-Limited Audit. You just do a hand count of everything. Done.” |
| “Although vulnerabilities in election technology are well documented, the Antrim County incident was not caused by a security breach,” Halderman wrote. “There is also no credible evidence that it was caused deliberately.” | The conclusions of J Alex Halderman has been refuted in depth by Analyst Jeffrey Lenberg (See court filing) as well as by other technical experts (See technical expert comparisons). NOTE: Professor J Alex Halderman is a typical example of university professors being used by reporters to promote their #BigLie. One should be wary of their heavy reliance upon university professors as the “authorities” in their news stories. The political views of university professors lean significantly towards the left of the political spectrum yet the media attempts to assert them as “authorities” on political matters. |
| “So why is Antrim County still so important? Patrick Colbeck, a former state lawmaker who has spent months promoting various allegations, argues proving fraud in Antrim County would unravel a plot to deny Trump a second term.” | They are attempting to shift the narrative from election integrity to providing President Trump a second term. I have said repeatedly during my talks that our pursuits are motivated in a pursuit of the truth not a reinstatement of President Trump. In fact, I often cite my request for an investigation into election fraud by the MI Attorney General and MI Secretary of State in the wake of the 2016 election in support of this assertion. The pursuit of election integrity is NOT about changing the results of the election to our preferred candidate. It is about changing the results of the election to ensure that the candidate who was truly elected is the one serving in office. |
| “Dominion Voting Systems sent Colbeck a letter in April demanding that he retract false claims about their election machines. Attorneys from Dominion claimed Colbeck solicited $1 million through his “disinformation campaign.” | Media outlets continue to repeat the maliciously defamatory assertion that I am making $1 million from a “disinformation campaign”. Why? It creates the impression that I am a snake oil salesman motivated by greed. That assertion is demonstrably false. In fact, I recently turned down $300/hr, multi-month contract in order to continue the pursuit of election integrity. That wouldn’t have happened if financial gain was my aim. The pursuit of election integrity has nothing to do with money. It is about ensuring that our right to vote is honored by having the legitimate victors of each contest serving us in office. |
| “Vincent Hutchings, a professor of political science who studies public opinion and elections at the University of Michigan, said election fraud narratives persist because they’re reinforced by elected officials.” | Yet another professor cited as an “expert”. Regrettably, the only narratives reinforced by most of our elected officials in Michigan to date have been in support of the #BigLie not the #BigTruth. He should be asked what elected officials in Michigan are promoting “election fraud narratives”, but he wasn’t. |
| “They are in fact being responsive to a constituency, so they are giving voice to a point of view which they know runs counter to reality, but they’re doing it because there’s an audience for it,” Hutchings said. “It’s a reflection of what’s going on nationally, there is a constituency for this big lie.” | The professor continues the #BigLie narrative that election fraud evidence “runs counter to reality”. Contrary to this narrative, the evidence is widespread, significant and substantive. Anyone concluding otherwise should be asked for specific examples of “unreal” evidence. |
| “The people who are doing them don’t have the qualifications, the expertise, the background or the experience,” he said. “They’re looking to slant things. The reality is, the election is over.” | The professor demonstrates an old political adage. You know when you have won an argument, when your opposition resorts to name-calling or derogatory remarks. I’ll put my qualifications, expertise, background and experience up against ANY of those who conclude there was no election fraud. As a former Vice Chair of the MI Senate Elections and Government Reform Committee, Certified Microsoft Small Business Specialist, Aerospace Engineer, Certified Poll Challenger, and eyewitness to election fraud at the TCF Center in Detroit, MI, I believe that my observations merit a significant degree of respect not marginalization by people with significantly less relevant credentials. |
| “People in general, Americans or otherwise, are surprisingly adept at convincing themselves that two plus two equals five,” Hutchings said. | This statement by Professor Hutchings is one that I believe does hold a measure of truth although it is clear from an examination of the evidence that it is his friends in the media who are attempting to convince us that 2+2 = 5, not the proponents of the #BigTruth. |
WDIV, Grant Hermes
| #BigLie | #BigTruth |
| “Weekend rally planned in Antrim County calls for private audit of 2020 election ballots. People expected to attend rally requesting audit to be completed by group, Cyber Ninjas.” | The event was my idea. I was the one who developed all of the press releases for the event. Nowhere is any event materials is there a request for a “private audit” much less any reference to it being completed by “Cyber Ninjas”. This assertion (which was in the headline) was a COMPLETE fabrication with ZERO basis in reality. It was clearly intended to leverage the political capital invested by proponents of the #BigLie towards demonizing Cyber Ninjas in light of their role in the Maricopa County, AZ audit. |
| “Former Michigan Sen. Patrick Colbeck is calling for “Decision Day” in Antrim County, the small northern county where the categorically false claim of voting machines being rigged was developed.” | “Categorically false claim”? According to who? There is overwhelming evidence of tampering with the election machines. The Antrim County Clerk Sheryl Guy is on record admitting to tampering with election machines during an Antrim County Commissioner meeting. |
| “A rally planned this weekend will feature some of the most prominent election deniers, including conspiracy theorist and MyPillow Inc. CEO Mike Lindell.” | Mike Lindell has clearly been targeted by proponents of the #BigLie for being outspoken with evidence of election fraud. They need to make an example of him in order to discourage others from speaking out on the matter so they have invoked Alinsky Rule #13: “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions.“ |
| “Those behind the rally want Michigan to allow a private and problematic audit similar to the one in Arizona from the group, Cyber Ninjas. Michigan’s former Elections Director Chris Thomas said that is dangerous.” | Once again, as the event organizer, I have never promoted a request for a “private audit”. On the contrary, I have been imploring our legislators to conduct an audit. This begs the question, who is truly promoting this narrative? Upon reading his comments elsewhere in the story, it appears to be promoted by Democrat Chris Thomas. As for being “dangerous”, I would submit that turning over the reins of government to illegitimate elected officials as a result of foreign and domestic subversion of our elections is significantly more dangerous. |
| “Thomas said there are real issues — such as voter access, streamlining processing and counting and lies about results — that take away from the real success of the 2020 election, despite a global pandemic.” | In contrast to the assertion made by Chris Thomas, the “global pandemic” was demonstrably used to promote “real issues” in the execution of our election processes. See “COVID can’t be an excuse for subverting election integrity.“ |
| “It was a miracle that it came off as well as it did. And at the same time, it became a tragedy, and a tragedy that all that good were once undermined for partisan political advantage by creating the big lie,” he said. | The proponents of the #BigLie are understandably supportive of the election results. They were successful in subverting the integrity of the election. The principle partisan political advantage was on full display at the TCF Center when Republican poll challengers were prohibited from observing the duplication of military ballots. |
| “Here at the Detroit Department of Elections the election of 2020 has been fully settled. Election deniers from across the country will be pushing their Big Lie about the election. Experts say that’s dangerous.” | The Detroit City Clerk is on record congratulating poll workers for getting Joe Biden into office. Her duties and the duties of poll workers are supposed to be performed in a non-partisan manner. Then why is she congratulating them for getting Joe Biden into office? |
| “Antrim County, the small northern Michigan county where the debunked claim voting machines rigged the election was born” | Once again, never debunked. In fact, the evidence of machine-based subversion of the election continues to grow. |
| “Those behind the rally want a private and problematic audit like the one in Arizona from the group Cyber Ninjas.” | Once again, no one is promoting the idea of a private audit except for Chris Thomas. The reporter, Grant Hermes, deliberately avoids granting equal time to detractors of his #BigLie narrative. |
| “The audits aren’t real audits at all and could do real harm” | The Arizona audit is a much more substantive audit than any post-election review conducted to date in Michigan. There have been ZERO audits in Michigan…only recounts. |
| “That audit has been done repeatedly in Antrim County” | On December 4th, Judge Kevin Elsenheimer ordered a forensic audit in Antrim County. On December 17th, the MI Secretary of State led what they deemed to be an audit. The December 17th activity was simply a recount as video testimony reveals. See Antrim County Election: Audit or No Audit? |
| “How would a private audit be legal? It’s not. According to federal law, records must be preserved for 22 months.” | Once again, they seek to promote the false narrative that a “private audit” is sought. All that is sought is a forensic audit. It is the MI Secretary of State which is promoting the destruction of election records prior to the completion of the 22 month preservation period (See MI SoS Poll Book Data Deletion Directive). |
Detroit News, Craig Mauger
| #BigLie | #BigTruth |
| “The proponents of these ‘fraudits’ are resisting any evidence that goes against the Big Lie.” | In contrast to this assertion, proponents of the #BigTruth have carefully analyzed any evidence that seeks to contradict assertions of election fraud. See Antrim County: Technology Expert Witness Comparisons. |
| Likewise, Chris Thomas, Michigan’s former elections director, said policymakers need to think hard about what precedents would be set if they pursue another audit. “Sore losers exist after many elections, and some are never convinced that they lost,” Thomas said. “When one argument is found deficient, another one pops up. Elections require finality. All of the opportunities were available to Donald Trump; some he tried unsuccessfully through the judicial process, while others, such as recounts, he did not bother with.” | Elections require “integrity” not simply “finality”. I sought investigations into the 2016 election results and President Trump was victorious in Michigan during that election. This is demonstrably not a matter of being a “sore loser” as asserted by one of the leading proponents of the #BigLie, Chris Thomas. Recounts were not pursued because the salient issue is the chain of custody. That is why forensic audits are being pursued. Recounts are insufficient to determine if the election record chain of custody has been maintained. See Election Recounts: How Useful Are They? |
| Despite lingering claims of election fraud that remain unsubstantiated, President Joe Biden won Michigan by 154,000 votes, or 3 percentage points. Bipartisan boards of canvassers, a series of court rulings and dozens of audits performed by election officials have reinforced the outcome. | Claims have never been “unsubstantiated”. In the 24 court cases decided upon merit, the evidence of fraud has prevailed in 17 (See List of Presidential-Related Lawsuits). The Wayne County Board of Canvassers did not certify the election results. Zero election audits have been performed in state of Michigan. Cyber attack evidence presented in Mike Lindell lawsuit against Dominion shows that 165,410 votes were switched from Trump to Biden which is sufficient to change the election results in Michigan to a Trump victory. |
| County clerks already performed procedural audits in at least 200 randomly selected precincts across the state. | Evidence of these procedural audits has yet to be provided to the public at large. Procedural audits would be more substantive than the “recounts” masquerading as “Risk Limited Audits”, but the issue of independent oversight and verification of these audits remains. |
| The Michigan Bureau of Elections and local election officials also examined absentee counting boards in four large municipalities, including Detroit and Grand Rapids, and conducted a risk-limiting audit exercise. | Evidence of these “Risk-Limiting Audits” has yet to be provided to the public at large. The issue of independent oversight and verification of these audits remains. |
| In December 2018, the Legislature approved a law that allows Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, to set the procedures for conducting audits, which have already occurred for the 2020 presidential election. | Judge Kevin Elsenheimer ordered a Forensic Audit on December 4. The order supersedes any audit standards established by the MI SoS that are not forensic in nature. Furthermore, nothing in statute or the constitution prevents the legislature or any other government body with subpoena authority from conducting an audit in accordance with standards sufficient to root out any election fraud. |
| The gathering took place outside Friske Farm Market but also at what organizers described as “Ground Zero” for the 2020 election fight: Antrim County. The conservative northern Michigan county has been at the center of unsubstantiated claims about Dominion Voting Systems for months. | Once again, the use of the term “unsubstantiated” is itself unsubstantiated. |
| The incorrect initial tallies were spurred by human errors — the failure to properly prepare equipment after late changes to the ballot designs. But Trump supporters have claimed there were problems with Dominion’s software and votes were flipped. | See the evidence submitted in support of the Antrim County lawsuit by attorney Matt DePerno on behalf of plaintiff Bill Bailey. The evidence clearly refutes the assertions made in this article. |
| Brater added that “interest in granting access to unqualified third parties to conduct a ‘forensic audit'” might stem from “misplaced reliance on ongoing misinformation” about Dominion Voting Systems. | The voting system verification governance is rigged at the Election Assistance Commission. Only two organizations have been “certified” by the EAC (Pro V&V, SLI). As it turns out, the certification process is the responsibility of former senior executive at Dominion, Jessica Bowers, which is a clear conflict of interest. |
| “In any post-election inspection of ballots, election officials must retain control,” Thomas wrote. “Those seeking access may inspect ballots without handling them. Only authorized election staff may touch the ballots, providing real security to the ballots and maintaining the requisite chain of custody.” | Chain of custody was never maintained including under Chris Thomas’ watch at TCF Center. He couldn’t even explain how the chain of custody pertaining to vote tally results was maintained much less the chain of custody for the qualified voter file, poll books and ballots. |
NY Times, Neil MacFarquhar
| #BigLie | #BigTruth |
| Vocal residents had also taken sides in a nagging battle over the results of the presidential vote in Antrim County. A human error in programming some of the Dominion voting machines in the county resulted in several thousand votes for Donald J. Trump being attributed to Mr. Biden. Although the mistake was caught immediately and corrected, it prompted one of the longest-running lawsuits over the results, with Mr. Trump cheering from the sideline. | See the evidence submitted in support of the Antrim County lawsuit by attorney Matt DePerno on behalf of plaintiff Bill Bailey. The evidence clearly refutes the assertions made in this article. |
| The Friskes turned to Facebook to explain their position in videos that attracted both zealous supporters and harsh critics. An area newspaper profiling the ruckus dredged up the archconservative political past of Richard Friske, who died in 2002; he bought the family orchards some 60 years ago after serving in Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe. | What does the deceased Richard Friske’s service as a technician in the Luftwaffe have to do with the Antrim County event? Nothing. But it does fit the #BigLie narrative of the media. |
| They took regular bike rides together until he returned from a trip to Florida, when she asked whether he had been vaccinated. He would never get vaccinated, he told her, suggesting that she had no right to ask. “Our core values were not aligning at all,” said Ms. Brodsky, who stopped the bike rides at that point. “Why would you not follow the science?” | Most government officials have not been “following the science” since Day 1 of the COVID epidemic. The arrogance of those who ignorantly assert otherwise is an affront to those who have been following the science and, as a result, disagree with many of the government COVID policies. Once again, this is propaganda and underscores the role that #FakeScience plays in the promotion of #FakeNews. |
| The local resident who sued and his lawyer are widely expected to appeal. Supporters organized a $20-per-head fund-raiser on Saturday. The speakers included Mike Lindell, the chief executive of MyPillow, who continues to sell the false claim that Mr. Trump won the election. | Mike Lindell has evidence in support of his assertion that President Trump was the legitimate victor of the 2020 election. It may be a contested claim, but it is not a false claim. |
CONCLUSION:
The #BigTruth is that the 2020 Election was subverted by foreign and domestic agents.
The #BigLie is that the 2020 Election was the most secure election in history.
In the same way the National Socialist German Workers Party (i.e. Nazis) sought to push a #BigLie in Germany, there are agents in America and abroad who are using the media to suppress the release of any evidence of election fraud. Today’s propagandists are attempting to “count” our ballots and convince America that 2+2 = 5.
I was in Antrim County for the June 5th Decision Day: Come Hear the Evidence event. I organized the event. I know the purpose of the event. I know what happened at the event. The media coverage of the event as evidenced above simply seeks to continue their commitment to the #BigLie instead of the #BigTruth.
I was also at the TCF Center in Detroit on election day. I witnessed the pizza boxes on the windows, internet connectivity, and the 3:30am delivery of unsecured ballots. The evidence of election fraud is not limited to Antrim County yet the media persists in pushing their #BigLie instead of the #BigTruth.
The #BigTruth is that the evidence of election fraud is widespread, significant, and substantiated. Soon, it will be accepted. When that happens, we need to remove illegitimate office holders from office and prosecute those responsible for the #BigLie.
Being active in local representation, I have taken this very seriously. Since the day I received a call about what happened., I have not one time tried to downplay or ignore the calls to find out the truth. Isn’t that what is expected of us as elected. As for the call for an audit., We tried everything to make this happen in my county. But, the obstruction of many individuals prevented a true forensic audit. The legislature poses a different issue. These are Rep/Dem members that worry more about THIER reelection than the integrity of our Election process. This doesn’t make sense too me but, it’s is what we have done as constituents. We allowed the self entitlement and arrogance of office to manipulate the political arena to an extent that it’s all that matters to them anymore.
I believe a have hearted House led effort to announce an state wide forensic audit will happen. The big problem will be, that no effort will be made to get both the house and Senate to collectively do this. Thus once again turning it into a SHOW with no substance. Sad isn’t it! Less than 2% of the hundreds of bill submitted to the Governor have become public Acts. So why do they continue to submit bill after bill knowing damn well once the (One) term governor vetoes it, the Dems who first showed bipartisanship will then have an excuse to vote NO on the override. And so the circus continues. If the legislature REALLY wants to get things done!, than make this Governor squirm by a unified push for a forensic audit. Who cares what the media says, they hate you any way so give them reason too!
TRUTH is we have Progressively become more and more Anti GOD, FAMILY and AMERICA for the past 50 or so YEARS. We have taught Political and MANS ways of life for five decades and we EXPECT not to have TOTAL CORRUPTION in all of the areas that GOD belongs in!!! HELLO!!!
Michigan has a cancer of RIÑO politicians and donors. If the state legislature can’t develop a spine they must be replaced. I am encouraged by the story of Vernon Jones in Georgia. He said that when he realized that he was no longer a Democrat he also realized that the state GOP was too ready to capitulate than to risk name calling and “cancel culture”, He vowed to show the GOP how to fight. Sorry DeVoss, Meijer’s , Romney’s, but you can no longer be the driving influence in MI GOP!
We deeply appreciate your efforts, Patrick. People need to take time to understand what happened. You seem to be the only one who is making an effort to explain what happened painstakingly every step of the way and in much more detail. Most exposes have been too rushed and too fly-by.