Karl Marx said, “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.” Watergate was the tragedy — at least if your name was Richard Milhous Nixon — and over the weekend the campaign offices of the Republican GOP nominee were seemingly “bugged,” and that’s the farce. At least, “bugged” was the belief of the fifty workers who heard a beeping sound coming from under a desk, saw some kind of a gadget, and went screaming out the door. New York Times:
Watergate this was not.
Last week, the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee offices in West Palm Beach, Fla., were abuzz with talk of listening devices and espionage, possibly by a foreign government. The police were called and the offices were closed for a forensic search.
The reality was more Charlie Chaplin than John le Carré.
A plastic prank device that can be purchased on Amazon for $13.97 was the cause of the problem.
A police report from the West Palm Beach police department, obtained by The New York Times, detailed the incident. Devices were found on Thursday after people heard beeping under a staff member’s desk at the Trump campaign offices. When Trump officials searched, they found additional devices, for a total of three.
“FOUND POTENTIAL LISTENING DEVICES // HEARD BEEPING BY DESKS // INTERNAL SECURITY ALSO FOUND DEVICE,” the police report reads. The person making the report, according to the document, “THINKS THEY HAVE FOUND LISTENING DEVICES ‘BUGS; IN THE OFFICE.’”
The article goes on to recount how “about fifty employees evacuated the suites,” and their “heightened sense of paranoia,” due to the fact that the “F.B.I. has confirmed that Iran attempted to hack both the Trump campaign and President Biden’s former campaign.” I wasn’t there, obviously, but why would fifty people evacuate the premises over a few pieces of beeping plastic? Why not just rip the things off the desk(s), throw them in a plastic bag, and give the bag to the police?
But then again, maybe they thought it would explode. “Despite the police presence, officials determined quickly that the devices were likely a prank. No one has owned up to the prank, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.” But the incident only goes to show you what a total zoo Trump campaign headquarters is right now.
And I’m sure that Democrats will get blamed for the prank but in all reality, who’s going to have easy access to Trump headquarters other than Republicans? I’ve been saying for some time now that Trump has fifth column activity going on in his own campaign and this incident just buttresses that theory.
I do not put it past them to stage this just as they likely staged the “assassination attempt” to “dominate” the news cycle. It keeps his name front and center and not for anything STUPID vonshitznpants nor shillbilly imbecile does nor says. And, as you wrote, WHO, besides those who have clearance to BE there could have placed them? There will NEVER be follow-up investigations nor reports just as there never will be for the “assassination attempt” or anything else they stage.
Listening devices would not beep.
Neither would a bomb, I’m thinking.
Given fifth-column activists exploit fears and paranoia by spreading rumours and misinformation, and use espionage and sabotage, one can well appreciate it’s both possible and plausible such activities are transparently staged ‘in-house’ by the Trump apparatus – its owners, backers, advisors, and members.
the more pranks the better
von shitzinpants is trailing V.P. Harris. Now, I expect there will be some ups and downs in both campaigns so shitzi and his campaign team having kittens every time they turn around is an indication of just how amateurish, clownish actually, they are. If these devices are as cheaply made as they are being reported then it is highly likely they’re trying yet another frantic attempt at getting the pity vote. No one is interested in bugging any of his campaign offices because his people generally tell the press, etc. what all is going wrong this time around–who needs to bug them?
More likely any bugging would be done by Trump and/or his lickspittle Stephen Miller, to find out if anyone in the office was speaking against the orange lardass, maybe even laughing behind his back.