Task Force Butler Institute

BLUF: We’ve found a network of Facebook pages run by a Chinese company that is buying Facebook ads in which they indicate that they will donate proceeds from all sales to both the Trump and Harris campaigns. Some pages are pretending to be run by unemployed veterans, begging for charity. Content and merchandise being sold includes calls for the assassination of Harris, Walz, and Biden. Explainer: This Google Doc contains documentation of the network of Facebook Pages that I'm finding that are run by the Chinese "广州时维网络科技有限公司" company. (Google translates this to "Guangzhou Shiwei Network Technology Co., Ltd."). There are over 32 pages in this network selling Harris/Walz and Trump/Vance branded merchandise, with posts promising to donate all proceeds "to the cause" (when referencing Trump), "to the H & W campaign," or "to ActBlue." Some pages are also buying ads in which they’re purporting to be unemployed veterans (just in time for Veterans Day). At least one of these pages (Restvivid.shop) is both buying Facebook ads calling for assassinations and purporting to be veterans, while also saying they’ll donate to support Trump’s campaign. Federal law prohibits contributions, donations, expenditures (including independent expenditures) and disbursements solicited, directed, received or made directly or indirectly by or from foreign nationals in connection with any federal, state or local election. (FEC guidance here.) There are two possible scenarios here: 1) this foreign company is making illegal campaign donations; or 2) this foreign company is fraudulently advertising that it will make (illegal) campaign donations and then keeping the money. According to the "Transparency" tabs on each Facebook Page, this network utilizes administrators in the United States, China, Russia, Iran, Malaysia, France, Indonesia, the UAE, Thailand, Philippines, and Australia. Several administrators are listed as being in "unknown" countries. Some of these pages have switched back and forth between supporting Harris and Trump. This includes posting divisive and demeaning content, primarily aimed against Harris and Walz, and with some veiled calls for the assassination of both Biden and Harris. The Trump-branded merchandise they’re selling includes coded calls for violence, saying that “It’s time to take Harris to the train station.” The train station reference was first used by white supremacists as a nod to how Jews were rounded up during the Holocaust, but became a much more mainstream and non-anti-Jewish reference to murder because of a scene in the series Yellowstone.

NEW: 404 Media just published an article based on our latest investigation, which reveals that a Chinese company has for months been buying thousands of political Facebook ads. These Facebook ads promise to donate 100% of all proceeds for merchandise sold to the Trump or Harris campaigns, or to ActBlue. Some of this advertised merchandise includes calls for the murder of Biden, Harris, and Walz. https://lnkd.in/etwfQ298

Episode 3 of Task Force Butler’s “What is Fascism?” Guide discusses “Control.” CONTROL Fascist leaders may use the tools of democracy to secure power, but once in position, they will use extraordinary levels of violence to quash opposition - or even divergent thought - in their quest to maintain absolute control. The fascist leader cannot allow threats to their political power to persist, regardless of how big or small. Their position needs to be absolute and without question. One of the fascist leaders' first moves upon taking power will be to purge political rivals, whether they are in different parties or their own. A dictatorship will replace the democracy they may have used to gain power. After Mussolini declared himself dictator of Italy, the Italian parliament made suspicion of being anti-fascist punishable by imprisonment without trial. Shortly after Fransico Franco consolidated power, he dissolved all other political parties in Spain, leaving only his own party. Hitler purged his political rivals after seizing power in 1933 by utilizing the Reichstag Fire Decree to imprison anyone considered to be opponents of the Nazis and suppress publications not considered "friendly" to the Nazi cause. This worked to establish Germany as a one-party state, as any opposition to Nazi rule became illegal. Anti-intellectualism emerges as a locus of control because academics can present countervailing thought and the academic tradition encourages inquiry and dissent. Intellectualism, fascists believe, should only exist if it benefits the fascist state. Any idea or concept that is in opposition or could be in opposition to the fascist leader and his ideology must be silenced. Propaganda and falsehoods are then presented as truth as the ideology of the fascist becomes more and more accepted. Fascists need to operate in a society where individualist thought is squelched and the fascist version of “truth” cannot be questioned. Book burnings, faculty purges, library closures, and the elimination of a free press become the status quo. Among the most well-known instances of fascist anti-intellectualism are the Nazi book burnings, where texts regarded as Jewish, communist, socialist, anarchist, liberal, pacifist, and sexual in nature or “degenerate” were publicly destroyed. An independent media presents a clear threat to a fascist leader. Journalists, if not controlled by the state, can present the failures of the fascist leader or shortcomings of their ideology to the public. Propaganda wrapped in the veneer of journalism will exist in a fascist state, propped up in a heavily regulated structure and unquestionably supportive of the leader. It is crucial for fascist leaders to silence all non-supportive and critical thoughts before their power can be challenged. Intellectuals, the free media, and political rivals pose a threat to the fascist leader by allowing differing ideas and viewpoints that may challenge the state’s ideology.

Task Force Butler exists to shine the light on authoritarians, and our community of veterans and volunteers are committed to using lawful means to stop them. But to stop them, we need to be able to spot them, and that’s why we have created WHAT IS FASCISM? WHAT IS FASCISM? is our summary of the common characteristics of fascist thought and behavior. Our response to the question “What is fascism?” focuses on four categories: Power, Control, Loyalty, and Grievance. Part 2 of Task Force Butler’s “What is Fascism?” Guide focuses on the element of Power in fascist ideology and behavior. POWER The fetishization of power, and the creation of a powerful image, is paramount for a fascist leader. They will spare no expense in presenting themselves as unchallengeable both to foreign adversaries and domestic critics. The image of unquestionable power is often honed through a cult of personality, a reliance on militarism, and a carefully curated propaganda campaign fixated on the aesthetics of masculine strength. A fascist leader will be revered as a savior to the nation. The common archetype is that the leader is the only one who can save the nation from turmoil and decay. Through this portrayal, criticism of the leader is akin to disparaging the nation, as the man and country are perceived as one and the same. The cult of personality is used to unite the people behind one single leader and often serves as insurance for the leader as those deemed not loyal enough can find themselves open to reprisals. Fascist leaders need to present themselves as strong men who are unquestionably confident in their abilities to lead the nation out of the decline that it is currently experiencing. Everything they do - from how they speak and their body language to their wardrobe and surroundings - is specifically curated to keep them on brand. In Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler embraced what was called Führerprinzip, translated as “leader principle,” which was understood to mean that the Führer’s word was above all written law and could not be questioned. In Fascist Italy, there was a slogan which proclaimed “Il Duce ha sempre ragione” or “Mussolini is always right." The leader reached this state of near superhuman abilities due to a “divine right to lead.” This cult of personality is often cemented by a carefully curated propaganda campaign designed to make the leader appear infallible, often by blaming shortcomings of their leadership on others. The military is foundational to the leader’s need to both project maximum strength and maintain maximum control. If a fascist is to stay in power, they need to be intimidating to their adversaries, and this is why the ritualized showcases of militarized strength are universal to fascism.

Since we started posting videos, lots of folks have been asking us how they can get involved with Task Force Butler. We’ve got some big news coming about just that!

Part 1 of 5 - “What is Fascism?” Guide by Task Force Butler In the face of America’s rising authoritarianism, for some, saying “that’s fascist” or “they’re fascists” is a way to ring the alarm. For others, it’s a bad faith effort to numb us to evil. When the goal of authoritarians and their sympathizers is to make people numb so they shrug and say, “if everyone’s a fascist, no one’s a fascist,” how do we agree on what makes someone a fascist? History helps. Studying historical fascists helps us spot the common elements that span multiple movements. Our collective memory rightfully focuses on the horror of Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Nazi Party, but Franco’s Spain, Peron’s Argentina, and Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists shows us a key truth: Fascism exists on a spectrum, and it’s not a distant historical phenomenon. Task Force Butler exists to shine the light on authoritarians, and our community of veterans and volunteers are committed to using lawful means to stop them. But to stop them, we need to be able to spot them, and that’s why we have created WHAT IS FASCISM? WHAT IS FASCISM? is our summary of the common characteristics of fascist thought and behavior. Our response to the question “What is fascism?” focuses on four categories: Power, Control, Loyalty, and Grievance. We’ve also included a Fascism Reader that highlights a range of books, articles, and podcasts you may want to explore as you try to make sense of what’s happening in our society.

In July 2024, evidence compiled by Task Force Butler's research team provided for 15 out of the 16 exhibits used in the successful felony conviction in North Carolina v. Thomas Vance Pollock. Beginning in September 2022, in retaliation for Task Force Butler's first report documenting conspiracies to commit hate crimes by the neo-Nazi organization Patriot Front, Mr. Pollock began targeting our organization. In December 2022, he hand delivered an anti-Semitic death threat to the home of the mother of our founder and CEO, Kristofer Goldsmith. This video contains the story of how we found justice and how our research was used to secure a felony conviction against this domestic extremist.

Today the Southern Poverty Law Center revealed the identity of a man behind the "Appalachian Archives" Telegram account, whose doxxing of researchers and journalists resulted in real-world harassment campaigns including swatting. "Kai Liam Nix, 20, of West End, North Carolina, also known as Patrick NC inside Patriot Front, is stationed at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, with the 82nd Airborne Division. His enlistment and active-duty status were confirmed by an Army public affairs officer." The DOJ sent out a press release today confirming the charges against Nix, which include selling stolen firearms and lying on his Security Clearance Application Standard Form (SF) 86 when he claimed he had never been a member of a group dedicated to the use of violence or force to overthrow the U.S. Government. Nix now faces up to 30 years in prison. https://lnkd.in/eGUsiDyZ

On the anniversary of D-Day, the President of the United States shared a video that includes USMC veteran Curtis Register repping Task Force Butler wearing one of our Veterans Fighting Fascism t-shirts. We couldn't be more proud! See this video here: https://lnkd.in/ey6xg639

Are you going to be in New York City on Friday, March 29? If so, we'd like to invite you to a free screening of the Against All Enemies documentary, which will be followed by a panel discussion including producer and combat journalist Sebastian Junger. Get your free tickets via the link here! About the film: Why would US military veterans take up arms against the country they swore an oath to protect? Through gripping personal perspectives from all sides of this ongoing crisis, Against All Enemies goes deep inside the violent extremist movement in America, alongside the Proud Boys, 3 Percenters, and with never-before-seen footage of the Oath Keepers. These groups, organized and led by highly trained military veterans, pose one of the greatest threats to the United States today. While most veterans are successful in their transition to civilian life, an increasingly radicalized element is drawn to the insurrectionist movement. We saw evidence of this during the January 6 Capitol riots, but the danger goes far beyond a single day. The film explores the historical roots of the insurrectionist cause, its powerful draw for today’s veterans, and the top-cover being provided by highly decorated former military officers and political leaders. Against All Enemies is both a warning about an existential threat to our democracy, and a beacon for those hoping to combat it. https://lnkd.in/eNtk7hfm