There Are No Girls on the Internet - Kanye West “associate” and other Trump cronies threatened 2020 Georgia election workers

Episode Date: June 24, 2022

In the 4th installment of the January 6 hearings, we heard from Ruby and Shay Freemen, election workers in Georgia. Trump and his allies (including a Kanye West “associate” ) baselessly accused them of vote tampering in the presidential election. Their testimony is a heartbreaking reminder of the human cost of disinformation, conspiracy theories, and lies.  Want to support the show? (thank you!) Subscribe, tell a friend, leave a review, or buy some merch at There Are No Girls on the Internet’s store: TANGOTI.COM/STORE Join our newsletter: Tangoti.com/newsletter Say hello at [e-mail] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, it's a Shanti Plummer from Fudderound and Find out. This week, Azee Fud and I sat down with Step and Curry. Step talks pressure, confidence, and what it really? takes to stay great. There's different categories, I guess, so on like conditioning, shooting drills where you try to simulate kind of games. Look at her face. We have a love-hate relationship with those

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So here in the United States, we're on day four of hearings around the deadly January 6th insurrection, where Trump supporters stormed the Capitol believing Trump's repeated lies that the 2022 presidential election had been stolen from him and that he was the actual winner. I obviously don't feel like I need to tell you that that was complete bullshit. And it really goes to show the power and danger that can happen when lies and disinformation are weaponized. People died. Now, in that hearing, we heard the testimony of Ruby and Shea Freeman. and it really broke me. And I think it's important for everyone to hear, in their own words,

how their livelihoods and safety were jeopardized by racist, sexist lies. So if you don't know, 62-year-old Ruby and her daughter, Shea Freeman, were both election workers in Fulton County, Georgia, a state where Trump legitimately lost and where he would go on to pressure Georgia's Secretary of State to, quote, find votes for him. In an attempt to cast doubt on the election,

Trump and his henchman Rudy Giuliani repeatedly named Ruby and Shea, both of whom are black women, as specific election workers who were rigging the election in favor of Biden. Now, this was an outright lie based on nothing, and it basically destroyed their lives. Trump and his allies obtained video of the women and baselessly lied about those videos, saying they showed evidence of the women vote hampering. In one video, Trump and Giuliani claimed the women carried suitcases with as many as 18,000 ballots all for Joe Biden. Complete bullshit. there aren't even suitcases in the video. They were just the normal boxes that ballots are kept and moved in.

Trump also said that video of the women counting votes at the state farm arena showed the fraudulent processing of ballots. Also bullshit. State officials repeatedly cleared the women and all election workers of any mishandling of votes. Complete nonsense. But none of this stopped Trump and his cronies from putting these women in real danger by repeatedly lying about it. And we need to be really open about the ways that they specifically used racism

and misogyny to fuel this attack. I don't think these lies would have worked in the same way had Ruby and her daughter not been black women, who we know are disproportionately harmed by disinformation and online harassment. Just listen to what Giuliani said about the women and tell me it is not a racist line of attack. Tape earlier in the day of Ruby Freeman and Shea Freeman-Mawes

and one other gentleman quite obviously surreptitiously passing around USB ports as if they're vials of heroin or cocaine. I mean, it's obvious to anyone who's a criminal investigator or prosecutor, they are engaged in surreptitious as illegal activity, again, that day. And after a week ago, and they're still walking around Georgia line. It should have been questioned already. There are places of work, their homes should have been searched for evidence of ballots, evidence of U.S. Borts, for evidence of voter fraud. So Giuliani accuses the women of passing votes on a USB drive back and forth, which already, like, what?

But in reality... What was your mom actually handing you on that video? A ginger man. Trump also accused the women of vote tampering, baselessly attacking them by first and last name. We had at least eight. We had them counted very mistakenly. 18,000 voters having to do with Ruby Freeman. She's a vote scammer, a professional vote scammer and hustler.

Okay, so here's what I think people are not saying clear enough. I think that Trump and Giuliani just saw video of two black women in Georgia and knew that they could say that those black women were the culprits, that those black women were liars, and those black women were the reason that Trump lost the election. The same way that Trump has repeatedly attacked black women, like White House correspondent April Ryan, I think that he knew that his base would be poised and ready to believe it

because they have a visceral hate and distrust and disdain for black women. And that they would be ready to believe that the visual of black women working at a Georgia polling place would be proof to convince them that something shady was going on. They basically just said to their racist supporters, hey, look at this video. It shows that black women were involved in the vote counting process in Georgia, and that should be evidence enough that the election was rigged. His attacks really weaponized their identities against them

and relies on tropes about black women being untrustworthy, which we see time and time again with disinformation and online harassment. This led to a flood of racist death threats and harassment against Ruby and Shea. At first, mostly centralized around Facebook Messenger. Here's Shay's testimony. So I'm just asking him, like, where are the messages? All I see is the feeds. Like, how do you get to the messages?

And he said, it's another icon on your phone that says Messenger. And I went to that icon, and it was just a lot of horrible things there. And those horrible things that they include threats? Yes, a lot of threats, wishing death upon me, telling me that I'll be in jail with my mother and saying things like, be glad it's 20-20 and not 19-20. So obviously, saying you'll be gladys 2020 and not 1920 is a reference to her being lynched and killed,

which is just disgusting. And Shea's testimony about how she felt is really heartbreaking. I felt horrible. I felt like it was all my fault. Like, if I would have never decided to be an elections worker, like, I could have done anything else, but that's what I decided to do. And now people are lying and spreading rumors and lies and attacking my mom.

I'm her only child. Going to my grandmother's house. I'm her only grandchild. And my kid is just I felt so bad. I just felt bad for my mom. And I felt horrible for picking this job and being the one that always wants to help and always there, never missing out one election. I just felt like it was my fault of putting my family in this situation.

Shea's mom, Ruby, describes how she was always so proud of her nickname, Lady Ruby, and how as a business owner and community staple in Georgia, everybody knew her as Lady Ruby. She even had a staple shirt with Lady Ruby bedazzled on it that she wore all the time. But because of Trump and his camp's lives, she no longer even uses her name because it doesn't feel safe. She says she hasn't worn that shirt since 2020. Now I won't even introduce myself by my name anymore. I get nervous when I bump into someone. I know in the grocery store who says my name.

I'm worried about who's listening. I get nervous when I have to give my name for food orders. I'm always concerned of who's around me. I've lost my name and I've lost my reputation. I've lost my sense of security, all because a group of people starting with number 45 and his ally, Rudy Giuliani, decided to scapegoat me and my daughter Shay to push their own lives about how the presidential election was stolen. Shea and Ruby, once pillars of their community, have basically been resigned to a life of hiding for their own safety. safety. Ms. Moss, how is this experience of being targeted by the former president and his allies affected

your life? He's turned my life upside down. I no longer give out my business card. I don't transfer calls. I don't want anyone knowing my name. I don't want to go anywhere with my mom because she might yell my name out over the grocery aisle or something. I don't go to the grocery store at all.

I haven't been anywhere at all. Let's take a quick break. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer,

Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Run a business and not thinking about podcasting, think again. More Americans listen to podcasts than ads supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora. And as the number one podcaster, IHearts twice as large as the next two combined.

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It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves. I got to manipulate the game.

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nasree. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night bases on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson,

we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball like, after you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time.

You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a parameda Pazel chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria. where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that?

I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard, you know? Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter,

and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, How Hard Can It Be? I cannot believe I'm about to speak this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Ed were back. Now, this detail didn't come up in the hearing at all, but I wanted to talk about it

because I think it adds some important, if not totally what-the-fuck, context. In addition to the mixed bag of Trump cronies, who you've probably heard about, Ruby and Shea were also being harassed and threatened by a woman named Travani Kudi. Trivani was formerly a publicist for the R&B singer-slash-convicted sex criminal R. Kelly.

So, yeah, it sure seems like she really knows how to pick men to associate herself with. Trivani claims to have had some kind of association with rapper Kanye West, who you may recall ran for president himself alongside Trump in 2020 before becoming a vocal Trump supporter. According to NBC News, a biography of Trevani posted on the website of the Women's Global Initiative, a business networking conference,

identified her as a member of the, quote, young black leadership council under President Donald Trump. And that same biography noted that in September of 2018, she, quote, was secured as a publicist to Kanye West and now serves as West's director of operations. Now, I should also say that Kanye West's camp says that Trevani was not associated with them. Here's a statement they released. Trivani Cootie was not associated with Kanye West or any of his enterprises at the time of the facts that are reported in these articles or since these facts occurred.

In any event, when Trirvani showed up at Shea and Ruby's door, the women, understandably, were pretty freaked out and they called police to be present for the conversation. Trivani told them that she was visiting at the direction of a, quote, high-profile individual who warned that if the women did not confess to voter fraud allegations, they would be arrested after 48 hours. So if that's not enough, this is where it gets really weird. According to Rolling Stone, the police body cam footage of the conversation showed Trivani telling the women, quote, I cannot tell you specifically what will take place, I just know that it will disrupt your freedom, and the freedom of one or more of your family members. you are a loose end for a party that needs to tidy up.

Kuti then put a man called Harrison Ford on speakerphone who said that he could offer the women protection. You're probably wondering, is it that Harrison Ford from Indiana Jones and Star Wars? I was thinking the same thing. No, it is not. But according to the body cam audio, the man told the women, if she confessed to voter fraud, he would offer her legal protection. But if she declined, she would go to jail. So Ruby and Shea obviously did not believe this woman, but later, because of the web of lies that the Trump machine spread about them, Trump supporters did show up to their home.

Back to Ruby's testimony. Around the week of January 6th, the FBI informed me that I needed to leave my home for safety. And I left my home for safety around that time. So they had to flee their home for their own safety, which is bad enough. But here's where it gets even scarier. Trump supporters actually tried to break in to Shays' grandmother's home to make a, quote, citizens' arrest. I received a call for my grandmother.

This woman is my everything. I've never even heard her or seen her cry ever in my life. And she called me. screaming at the top of her lungs like, Shea, Shay, oh my God, Shay, just freaking me out, saying that there were people at her home and they, you know, they knocked on the door. And of course, she opened it and seeing who was there, who it was. And they just started pushing their way through, claiming that they were coming in to make a citizen's arrest. they needed to find me and my mom.

They knew we were there. And she was just screaming and didn't know what to do. And I wasn't there. So, you know, I just felt so helpless and so horrible for her. I honestly cannot even imagine how terrifying it must have been to have an angry, potentially armed mob of Trump supporters, show up at your elderly grandmother's home and try to force their way in.

all of this because Trump and his allies repeatedly lied. And his lies were fueled by hatred and distrust of black women. Now, people are calling Ruby and Shea heroes. You know, they served their community during a pandemic and the president put their lives at risk because of it. And even in testifying and speaking up about what they experienced, they're sure to be at even more risk. So what they did is indeed heroic.

But here's the thing. Black women shouldn't have to be put in such great danger for a country that is weaponized against them. Shea says that every single election worker that she worked with at the polling center in 2020 in Georgia has now quit, and honestly, I don't blame them. Who would want to open themselves up to these kinds of harassment and attacks

for just trying to serve the public and do their jobs? Ruby and Shea have sued the right-wing website, the Gateway Pundit, and its owners for defamation for publishing stories that, quote, instigated a deluge of harassment, intimidation, and threats, and force them to change their phone numbers, delete their online accounts, and fear for their physical safety. And they also settled a suit with one America news network.

And honestly, I hope they get every last dime of these people's money. But no amount of money can make right what happened to them. I think Lady Ruby really puts it best. There is nowhere I feel safe. Nowhere. Do you know how it feels to have the president of the United States to target? You, the President of the United States is supposed to represent every American, not to target one. But he targeted me, Lady Ruby, a small business owner, a mother, a proud American citizen,

who stand up to help Fulton County run an election in the middle of the pandemic. If you're looking for ways to support the show, check out our merch store at tangoity.com slash store. Got a story about an interesting thing in tech or just want to say hi? You can reach us at hello at tangoody.com. You can also find transcripts for today's episode at tangoity. There are no girls on the internet was created by me, Bridget Todd. It's a production of IHeartRadio and Unbossed Creative.

Edited by Joey Pat. Jonathan Strickland is our executive producer. Tarry Harrison is our producer and sound engineer. Michael Amato is our contributing producer. I'm your host, Bridget Todd. If you want to help us grow, write and review us on Apple Podcast. For more podcasts from IHartRadio, check out the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel,

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments.

If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, it's Shanti Plummer from Fud Around and Find Out. This week, AZ Fud and I sat down with Step and Curry. Step talks pressure, confidence, and what it really takes to stay great. There's different categories, I guess, so on like conditioning, shooting drills where you try to simulate kind of games. Look at her face. We have a love-hate relationship with those because you know you're getting something out of it. You don't look forward to those days. Listen to Futter Around and Find out on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. Your husband is not who you think he is. Your body is not what you thought it was. Your identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets. He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move.

And he went out the front door and he jumped in a car and drove off. and that was the last time I saw him. Listen to season 14 of Family Secrets on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.