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Democrats, Never-Trumpers compiling ‘lists’ of Trump supporters in case ‘they try to deny complicity’ in future

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Democrats and conservative critics of President Donald Trump have begun creating ‘blacklists’ for his staff and supporters, apparently hoping to shun them from polite society as divisions grow wider amid a contentious election.

As ballots continue to be tallied across several battleground states three days after Americans hit the polls to select their next president, knives are coming out among some of Trump’s detractors. A new initiative dubbed the “Trump Accountability Project” is compiling names of administration officials and the president’s high-profile supporters and donors, insisting “we must never forget those who helped further the Trump agenda.”

While the project doesn’t say how it will use its blacklist to ensure “accountability,” the registry has already swelled to hundreds of names, including dozens of sitting judges, and continues to grow as others in the anti-Trump orbit come around to the idea. The list was publicly viewable for a brief time, but was locked by its creators on Friday evening without explanation, evidently defeating its purpose altogether.

Among the project’s supporters is Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), who called to document the “tweets, writings [and] photos” of “Trump sycophants” so that they can’t “deny their complicity” with the current administration.

The congresswoman soon prompted a response from Obama administration alum Michael Simon, a member of the Accountability Project team, who vowed to compile the names of “every administration staffer, campaign staffer, bundler, lawyer who represented them – everyone.”

In a stroke of irony, Simon sent his reply down the memory hole in a matter of hours, telling mathematician and commentator Eric Weinstein the tweet was too “strident” after the latter mockingly suggested “solitary confinement” and “executions” for those on the blacklist. Simon’s deleted post was preserved for posterity in screenshots, however – as one netizen pointed out, “the internet is forever.” Simon later scrubbed his response to Weinstein as well, and shortly thereafter locked his entire Twitter handle from the prying eyes of the public.

The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin – who until September styled herself as a “conservative opinion writer” – also endorsed the blacklist initiative, saying Republicans questioning the result of the 2020 race “should never serve in office, join a corporate board, find a faculty position or be accepted into ‘polite’ society.”

We have a list.

Like Weinstein – who was joined by his brother, Bret – a host of conservative commentators also saw dark undertones in the effort to compile lists, with Will Chamberlain of Human Events going as far to suggest that they would be used to “strip [people] of their rights and property.”

“Have fun with your little Listallnacht project. Those always turn out well,”tweeted Federalist co-founder Sean Davis. “Are you going to make your targets wear certain types of clothing for identification purposes?”

Other netizens also weighed in to slam the idea, one asking whether the blacklists would be used to “hold some kind of Nuremberg trial” for Trump supporters, while another charged that the project would only “fan the flames” and intensify “the polarization plaguing our nation.”

While the blacklisters appear to be taking Trump’s electoral defeat as a foregone conclusion, no winner has yet been declared in the 2020 race as reams of mail-in ballots continue to be counted. Democratic nominee Joe Biden is nearing the 270 electoral votes needed for victory, but close contests across Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia could still shake up the outcome and open up a path to victory for the incumbent.

Biden campaign threatens to ESCORT Trump from White House if he refuses to concede

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Erdogan election defeat would be ‘revenge’ – Syrian Kurds

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The YPG claims the Turkish president failing to win another term would be payback for Ankara’s counter-terrorism operations in Syria

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s defeat in this month’s presidential election would serve as “revenge” for Türkiye’s military operations in Syria, a top official of the People’s Defense Units (YPG) has said.

Salih Muslim, one of the leaders of the YPG — a Syrian militant group affiliated with the Turkish Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and designated by Ankara as a terrorist organization — said in an interview with Medya Haber Kurdish TV channel that his organization has grown frustrated with Türkiye’s counterterrorism operations ongoing in the northern part of Syria since 2016, Daily Sabah reported.

“Now, we have an opportunity in our hands,” Muslim said, stressing that the YPG is eager to see Erdogan unseated. “It’s the first time we have such a thing happening in elections.” He added that “If we can win at the ballot box, we will take all the revenge from [the defeat of] one person.”

Muslim’s statement comes as several members of the YPG and the PKK have openly expressed support for Erdogan’s main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, as the two head into a runoff election on May 28. In the previous round, held on May 14, both candidates failed to secure an outright majority with Erdogan gaining just over 49.4% of the vote while Kilicdaroglu received 44.96%.

Kilicdaroglu has vowed to mend Ankara’s relations with NATO and revive Türkiye’s EU membership talks, which have been effectively stalled since 2016. He has also accused Russia of spreading “conspiracies” and “deep fakes” apparently referring to footage circulating online purportedly linking him to the PKK, and told Moscow to get its “hands off the Turkish state.” Russia has rejected the accusations.

Somalis cheer on Türkiye’s Erdogan to win re-election

Erdogan has repeatedly accused his rival of “colluding with terrorists” and threatening to undo Türkiye’s achievements in its war on terror. He has also blasted Kilicdaroglu for trying to “detach” the country from Russia.

Türkiye has been waging low-intensity warfare against Kurdish militias along its Syrian and Iraqi borders for four decades, in a back-and-forth campaign that has claimed the lives of over 40,000 people.

The PKK and its affiliates have been waging an insurgency since 1984 demanding political and cultural autonomy with the final goal of establishing an independent Kurdish State, laying claim to territories in southeast Türkiye and northern parts of Iraq and Syria.

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Chinese special envoy meets with Zelensky

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Li Hui visited Kiev to share Beijing’s views on a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has met with China’s newly appointed special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, who traveled to Kiev to convey Beijing’s views on a diplomatic resolution to Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.

According to a statement published on Thursday by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Li held talks with Zelensky as well as the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Andrey Yermak, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, and representatives from several other ministries.

Beijing said both sides had agreed that the recent phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Zelensky had outlined the direction for future relations between their two nations, which it stated should be built on mutual respect and sincerity.

During his trip, Li reiterated that Beijing is willing to serve as a peace broker to help reach a political resolution to the conflict with Russia, based on the principles outlined in a 12-point roadmap published by China in late February.

“There is no panacea in resolving the crisis. All parties need to start from themselves, accumulate mutual trust, and create conditions for ending the war and engaging in peace talks,” Li said, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s statement.

The special envoy’s two-day trip to Ukraine is the first leg of a wider European tour, during which he is expected to visit Poland, France, Germany, and Russia. Beijing has explained that the trip aims to promote communication toward “a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”

Hungary backs Chinese plan for Ukraine

China’s peace efforts have been welcomed by Russia as well as some European nations such as Hungary, and have been praised for acknowledging the national interests of both parties.

The roadmap, however, has been criticized by some in the West. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg claimed that China lacked “credibility” as it has refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell insisted that “the only thing that can be called a peace plan is Zelensky’s proposal.”

The Ukrainian president has demanded that Russia must withdraw from territories that Kiev claims as its own, as well as pay war reparations and face an international tribunal. The Kremlin has dismissed the initiative, claiming it does not take into consideration “the realities on the ground,” including the new status of four former Ukrainian regions as part of Russia.

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Pakistan’s top court orders release of former PM Imran Khan

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Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, whose arrest earlier this week triggered deadly protests across the country, Geo TV news channel has reported.

The court considered an appeal by Khan’s legal team on Thursday, ruling that the arrest of the opposition figure was illegal, according to the broadcaster.

The leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was detained on an order from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday as soon as he arrived at a lower court in connection with a graft case against him. He has been held at a police compound in the capital, Islamabad, since then.

Khan’s spokesperson told Al Jazeera that the 70-year-old was apprehended in court before he could even appear before the judges, which was “in violation of all laws.” The PTI party claimed that it was not an arrest, but “an abduction,” and called on its supporters to take the streets.

Pakistan deploys army after Imran Khan’s arrest

Pakistan has been gripped by violent protests for the last three days, with demonstrators clashing with security forces and setting government buildings on fire in major cities across the country. The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has deployed the military in an attempt to curb the unrest.

Some 2,500 of Khan’s supporters, including some top figures in his party, have been arrested so far. Local media have reported at least 11 protesters killed and hundreds of police officers wounded.

Numerous criminal cases have been launched against Khan since his removal from office after a no-confidence vote in April 2022. The PTI leader, who remains highly popular in the country, denies all accusations against him.

The politician claimed a year ago that he had been deposed as a result of a US-led “international conspiracy” and accused his opponents of receiving money from foreign forces.

Khan has been making active attempts to return to power since then, staging massive rallies across the country. The former premier survived an assassination attempt last November, escaping with a non-life-threatening leg wound after several bullets were fired at him.

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