A prosecutor in Denver, Colorado, who was fired after she faked inappropriate messages to frame a coworker for sexual harassment, has been disbarred.
Yujin Choi, a prosecutor in the Denver District Attorney’s Office, falsely accused a criminal investigator in the office, Dan Hines, of sexual harassment, The Denver Post <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2025/01/03/denver-district-atorney-disbarred-false-sexual-harassment-yujin-choi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. A ruling on January 3 by the Office of Presiding Disciplinary Judge, which oversees professional discipline for attorneys in Colorado, determined Choi should be disbarred for her actions.
“Unremitting honesty must at all times be the backbone of the legal profession,” <a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2419-OPINION-IMPOSING-SANCTIONS-UNDER-C.R.C.P.-242.31-2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the ruling</a> said. “When a lawyer repeatedly employs deceit and dishonesty to harm another person, that lawyer corrodes the integrity of the profession and threatens to compromise public confidence in the legal system.”
Choi joined the Denver DA’s office in May 2019 and was fired in November 2022 after an internal investigation found she had lied about her accusations against Hines. She made her first false allegation against Hines in 2021, and even though her accusation hadn’t been proven, he was transferred and told not to contact her. Over the next two years, Hines faced professional and reputational harm due to Choi’s continued false allegations against him. He has filed a lawsuit against Denver District Attorney Beth McCann over his treatment.
“I just felt like it was like a bad dream,” Hines told the Post. “You attempt to hold yourself to a certain standard, and when someone comes along and makes those kinds of allegations against you, it destroys you… I wouldn’t wish this upon anybody. After the first one, when I had no way to disprove it, I was living in hell… I felt there was no way out, that everything I had lived for and stood for was destroyed. I felt like it was an embarrassment.”
Choi’s first false allegations against Hines claimed he made an inappropriate sexual comment to her. He vehemently denied the allegation, and an investigation found no evidence to support Choi’s claim.
“I was told I couldn’t talk about it, but word got out about that allegation, and you can imagine the perception it creates — ‘He must have done something wrong because they moved him,’” Hines told the Post.
He also said that the investigation was incomplete and that leadership at the DA’s office seemed to suggest Choi should be believed – a regular sentiment in the workplace – and that she was courageous for reporting the allegations. A spokesperson for the DA’s office told the Post that the “investigations were handled appropriately.”
In 2022, Choi began her second round of allegations against Hines, this time claiming he sent her inappropriate text messages. She provided purported screenshots of the messages, but when internal investigators searched Hines’ phone, they found he had not sent any messages to Choi. Choi’s records, however, showed Hines had sent her messages.
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Investigators went to Verizon to get the correct records and found that Choi had sent herself the messages after changing the name in her phone to make it appear as though the messages came from Hines. The investigation also found that Choi had altered her phone records to include Hines’ phone number before she provided those records to the probe.
When investigators asked to search her phone and laptop, Choi said she had accidentally dropped her phone in the bath and spilled water on her laptop computer, which destroyed the devices just days before they were supposed to be examined. The disciplinary panel found her explanation “not plausible.”
Hines also told the Post that he hopes his lawsuit will change the way internal investigations are conducted. He is seeking a public apology for the handling of Choi’s first allegation and wants to see her charged for her actions, though prosecutors have already declined to bring charges.
Few, if any, prosecutors are ever disbarred for their actions, no matter how grievous. One famous example is Mike Nifong, who pursued a case against innocent Duke Lacrosse players even after it became clear their accuser was lying.

Texting

Female Prosecutor Disbarred After Sending Fake Messages Framing Coworker For Sexual Harassment

Colorado

Courts

Denver

false accusations

Lawsuit

U.S.

There’s a common joke online that says the difference between a conspiracy theory and reality is only a couple of weeks. That principle proved to be true in 2024.
Throughout the past year, the media constantly jumped into “fact check” conservatives by downplaying concerns about President Joe Biden’s health, the presence of Venezuelan illegal immigrant gangs in the United States, and claiming any concerns about FEMA not helping conservatives were unfounded. As usual, the media were proved to be very wrong on each of those issues.
So, here are three of the biggest “conspiracies” that ended up coming true in the last year:
<h3>“Biden Will Drop Out And Another Candidate Will Take His Place”</h3>
<div id="attachment_768029" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-768029" class="size-large wp-image-768029" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-2159612774-864x576.jpg" alt="ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 27: U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump participate in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. President Biden and former President Trump are facing off in the first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-2159612774-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-2159612774-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-2159612774-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-2159612774.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.</div>
Even before he became president, conservatives were drawing attention to Biden&#8217;s declining mental acuity and physical struggles. As Biden’s presidency began, these concerns continued to percolate among conservatives throughout Biden’s stumbles and falls and slurring words.
The legacy media largely downplayed these concerns and some even said that he was in the best condition of his life.
“I’ve said it for years now, he’s cogent,” MSNBC host Joe Scarborough <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-scarborough-praises-best-biden-ever-says-to-critics-f-you-if-you-cant-handle-the-truth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in March 2024. “But I under-sold him when I said he was cogent. He’s far beyond cogent. In fact, I think he’s better than he’s ever been — intellectually, analytically — because he’s been around for fifty years.”
Despite the media ignoring Biden’s mental state, many conservatives still believed that Biden would be replaced by another candidate by the time Election Day rolled around. This belief was labeled as a “conspiracy” by NBC News.
In October 2023, NBC ran a <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/republicans-float-conspiracy-theory-biden-wont-ballot-rcna121467" target="_blank" rel="noopener">headline</a> saying “Republicans float a quiet conspiracy theory that Biden won&#8217;t be on the ballot.”
“Though no incumbent president has declined to seek a second term since Lyndon Johnson in 1969, there is an unfounded conversation among a faction on the political right that goes something like this: Democratic power brokers will intervene at the last minute to replace a weakened 80-year-old Biden with someone else as the party’s nominee,” the outlet reported.
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The outlet added that the theory was not a “mainstream thought within the Republican Party, but it has maintained a persistent foothold among a relevant chunk of the GOP base taking their cues from some party officials who continue to toy with the idea.”
Just months later, this “unfounded” conspiracy theory came true shortly after a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-go-into-full-blown-panic-after-biden-debate-performance-swap-joe-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disastrous debate</a> performance in June of 2024 against Donald Trump. During the debate, Biden’s decline was broadcast for all to see as he delivered raspy and mumbling answers.
Three weeks later, Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-drops-out-of-presidential-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> he was dropping out of the race, saying he would be endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
<h3>“Venezuelan Gangs Are Taking Over U.S. Cities”</h3>
<div id="attachment_846035" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-846035" class="size-large wp-image-846035" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-473344176-1024x576.jpg" alt="DENVER, CO. - May 14, 2015: Denver SWAT ready to arrest two people on felony warrants after they barricaded themselves in a home at 4646 Logan St, Globeville. They suspects surrendered to SWAT. Denver May 14, 2015 Denver, CO" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-473344176-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-473344176-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-473344176-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-473344176-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-473344176-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Joe Amon / The Denver Post via Getty Images</div>
After videos emerged of reported gang violence being perpetrated by members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in Colorado, legacy media figures and political officials rushed to downplay fears about the gang activity.
The situation exploded onto the national scene after Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/video-shows-armed-men-walking-through-co-apt-building-after-official-warned-of-venezuelan-gang-takeover" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> that gang members had taken over apartment complexes in the area. Video later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/video-shows-armed-men-walking-through-co-apt-building-after-official-warned-of-venezuelan-gang-takeover">showed</a> armed men walking through an Aurora apartment building with guns drawn and entering an apartment after knocking on the door.
Despite the footage, Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis’ office <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/co-dem-governor-says-alleged-migrant-gang-takeover-of-apartments-is-imagination" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> the “purported invasion is largely a feature of Danielle Jurinsky’s imagination.”
The media also pushed back on the concerns after the Trump campaign amplified the warnings, alluding to concerns as “<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/trump-debate-venezuelan-gangs-colorado-rcna170255" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rumors</a>” and accused them of making “<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/vance-stands-trumps-false-claims-venezuelan-gangs-aurora/story?id=114751512" target="_blank" rel="noopener">false claims</a>” about the situation.
However, the concerns appeared to be validated earlier this month after the Aurora Police Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/19-suspected-venezuelan-illegal-alien-gangsters-detained-at-colorado-apartment-complex" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detained</a> 19 suspected illegal alien gang members from Venezuela at an apartment complex.
Police said that more than a dozen armed gang members accosted a male and female victim at the Edge at Lowry Apartments and forced them into a different unit at the complex.
This came after ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz pushed back on the Trump campaign, telling Vice President-elect JD Vance that the “incidents were limited to a handful of apartment complexes.”
“Martha, do you hear yourself?” Vance responded. “Only ‘a handful of apartment complexes’ in America were taken over by Venezuelan gangs, and Donald Trump is the problem and not Kamala Harris’ open border?”
It is now reported that members of Tren de Aragua <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/violent-venezuelan-gang-tren-aragua-090027999.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are active</a> in at least 19 states across the country.
<h3>“FEMA Is Discriminating Against Trump Supporters”</h3>
<div id="attachment_842641" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-842641" class="size-large wp-image-842641" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2043599653-1-865x576.jpg" alt="DEARBORN, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 27: A sign for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is displayed in a yard on primary election day on February 27, 2024 in Dearborn, Michigan. The Michigan Democratic and Republican parties held their primary elections today. Republican presidential candidate, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley has vowed to stay in the race at least through Super Tuesday on March 5." width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2043599653-1-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2043599653-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2043599653-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2043599653-1.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Credit: Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images.</div>
Shortly after Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated the Southeast, fears began circulating that federal authorities were slow-walking their response because of the conservative political leanings of many of the victims.
In Roan Mountain, Tennessee, for example, locals <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-a-small-tennessee-town-survived-helene-after-the-emergency-response-floundered">told</a> The Daily Wire it took nearly two weeks for FEMA to show up. The town is located in Carter County, which <a href="https://www.politico.com/2024-election/results/tennessee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted 81%</a> for Trump on Tuesday. 
Trump was especially critical of the federal response, arguing that his supporters were being targeted.
“I’ll be there shortly, but don’t like the reports that I’m getting about the Federal Government, and the Democrat Governor of the State, going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas,” Trump said.
Outlets like the New York Times were quick to jump in and “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/04/us/politics/trump-helene-fema-fact-check.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fact check</a>” Trump for his “false” claims.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell responded to the concerns by calling them completely incorrect.
“It’s frankly ridiculous, and just plain false. This kind of rhetoric is not helpful to people,” Criswell <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fema-hurricane-helene-conspiracy-theories-criswell-07d5b1f6968cb2af11b63357186a1a15" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “It’s really a shame that we’re putting politics ahead of helping people, and that’s what we’re here to do.”
Just weeks later, Trump proved to be correct after The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-fema-official-ordered-relief-workers-to-skip-houses-with-trump-signs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that a FEMA supervisor in Lake Placid, Florida, ordered relief workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump.”
This directive led to at least 20 homes being skipped over as relief workers offered help to Hurricane Milton victims. FEMA responded to The Daily Wire’s report by firing the employee who issued the guidance and claiming the incident was “isolated.”
Criswell was also called to testify to Congress about the incident and request an Inspector General investigation into the guidance.
Since that time, more whistleblowers have alleged similar misconduct by FEMA in both Georgia and North Carolina.

TOPSHOT-US-VOTE-POLITICS-DEBATE-BIDEN-TRUMP

Three Conspiracy Theories That Came True In 2024

2024 Election

FEMA

gangs

Joe Biden

Kamala Harris

Opinion

Tren De Aragua

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colorado" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aurora Police Department</a> detained 19 suspected illegal alien gang members from Venezuela on Tuesday following an incident that unfolded on Monday night.
Police said at a news conference that late Monday night, more than a dozen armed gang members accosted a male and female victim at the Edge at Lowry Apartments and forced them into a different unit at the complex.
The apartment complex has been at the center of gang activity involving Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan illegal alien gang that is accused of taking over apartment complexes and committing crimes against residents.
Aurora police chief Todd Chamberlain said that the individuals who were detained are Venezuelan and they all appear to be illegal aliens.
The victims were forced into the other unit against their will, bound, pistol-whipped, beaten, and stabbed.
They were later released after the victims promised they would not contact police. Immediately upon being released, the victims contacted law enforcement.
Chamberlain said 14 people were located in one unit early Tuesday morning and they all appeared to be involved in the attack. Another five individuals were detained later on Tuesday.
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None of the individuals have been charged with a crime yet as detectives process the scene and search for evidence connecting them to the crimes. Police can hold the suspects for up to 72 hours given the severity of the crimes they are suspected of being involved in.
The agency said it has not made any formal arrests and has no charges yet to report.
“I am utilizing any resource that I can to verify who these individuals are, who these suspects are, what their involvement is with this crime and what their identities are,” Chamberlain said. “I am presently using the Department of Homeland Security, I am using HSI, and I am also using ICE to help identify who these suspects are and what actions they are involved in.”
The owners of the property, CBZ Management, have blamed the policies of Democrat politicians for the gang activity at the apartment complex as they have pleaded for law enforcement to intervene and remove the criminals.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
No matter how anyone tries to spin it, the truth is the truth and the truth will come out.
These gangs have been allowed to take over our apartment buildings and terrorize innocent people.
We hope the message is learned so it doesn&#8217;t spread any more!<a href="https://t.co/OdvqKSpHaz">pic.twitter.com/OdvqKSpHaz</a>
— Cbz Management (@CbzManagement) <a href="https://twitter.com/CbzManagement/status/1869088398239301749?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
Chamberlain said at the press conference that he was 100% certain that the incident was gang related and hinted that Tren de Aragua could be involved, but stopped short of making any definitive statements about the identity of the gang.
“What I will say based on the actions that I saw, based on how the event unfolded, this is 100% gang activity,” he said.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Police give update after home invasion, kidnapping at Aurora apartment complex" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uMM-v-89R7w?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/co-dem-governor-says-alleged-migrant-gang-takeover-of-apartments-is-imagination">CO Dem Governor Says Alleged Migrant Gang Takeover Of Apartments Is ‘Imagination’</a>

DENVER GANGS

19 Suspected Venezuelan Illegal Alien Gangsters Detained At Colorado Apartment Complex

Crime

Illegal Immigration

Venezuela

Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade is facing calls from local politicians to explain his communications with a supporter who was indicted for faking a hate crime to boost the now-mayor’s candidacy.
Mobolade last week claimed that he was the “victim of a hate crime” even after Derrick Bernard, a black man who has since been convicted of an unrelated murder, was indicted for scrawling the n-word on a Mobolade campaign sign and lighting a cross on fire in April 2023. The election-eve hoax was intended to gin up sympathy for Mobolade, who is black, in his race against a white Republican. Mobolade was soon after elected in the city, a traditional Republican stronghold.
The indictment says that Bernard was in communication with Mobolade, including him letting him know that there was a &#8220;plot amidst&#8221; beforehand, messaging him the day of the hoax to say that he guaranteed that he would win, and holding a five-minute phone call days after the incident. The Daily Wire reported on November 21 that an FBI official said that the bureau referred the mayor for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mayor-lied-in-hate-crime-hoax-probe-but-doj-refused-to-charge-him-fbi-official-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criminal prosecution for lying</a> after he denied communicating with Bernard in two separate interviews. The Department of Justice refused to prosecute him, citing racial and political considerations, and instead called him in for a third interview, where his story changed to “I don’t recall,” the official said.
In a statement to the Colorado Springs Gazette, Mobolade disparaged The Daily Wire without specifically denying the report&#8217;s accuracy.
“My family and I are victims of a hate crime, allegedly committed by three suspects against our city. I had no knowledge, warning, or involvement in this reprehensible act. It is unfortunately not a new trend that politically motivated websites will weigh in with no regard for accuracy or truth, and interest only in sensationalism and scandal. I fully cooperated in the investigation, and it is important that the judicial process is followed to allow for a successful prosecution that brings justice for our community,” he said.
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Longinos Gonzalez Jr., who ran in the race for mayor and serves as a commissioner on the governing board of El Paso County, told the Gazette that it was an “unacceptable response,” because it is “still confusing as it relates to whether he did or did not lie to the FBI.&#8221;
City Councilman Dave Donelson pressed for answers last week at a city council meeting. “I would ask the mayor to come forward and answer questions about whether or not he lied to the FBI, which is what’s alleged in that report: that he met with them twice, said he had no contact with those individuals, however in the indictment, it’s clear that he did have contact.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Did the Mayor of Colorado Springs Yemi Mobolade collude with three activists to fake a hate crime to win an election? Why don&#8217;t we have his text messages if the 3 activists have been indicted by the Department of Justice? Did the Mayor lie to the FBI?
Video from Springs… <a href="https://t.co/xJ87NCK4Vq">pic.twitter.com/xJ87NCK4Vq</a>
— Jeff Hunt (@jeffhunt) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffhunt/status/1861534329903685868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
The mayor wasn’t present, but Ryan Trujillo, his deputy chief of staff, said “We’re certainly aware and disappointed by the unfounded and unsourced allegations by the Daily Wire article. We’re mindful and respectful that this is an ongoing investigation, and so we do not anticipate any further comments to be respectful of that investigation for the defendants, none of which Mayor Yemi are included.”
Donelson replied: “What I’m asking for is not to comment on the charges made against those three individuals, but to simply state whether he was interviewed by the FBI twice and denied contact with those individuals. That’s a separate thing.”
Donelson told the Gazette, “How could it compromise the investigation to say, ‘I did not lie to the FBI in those two interviews?’”
On social media, he <a href="https://x.com/davedonelson1/status/1862139157868359873" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that the Gazette did not print the most remarkable part of Mobolade’s statement, writing: “I still don’t know if [Mobolade] LIED to the FBI &#8211; but I do know that he LIED in the statement he made to the [Gazette] yesterday. First sentence of the statement: ‘My family and I are victims of a hate crime, allegedly committed by three suspects against our city.’”
George Brauchler, who was elected as prosecutor for another district in Colorado in November, <a href="https://gazette.com/opinion/springs-mayor-owes-public-some-answers-george-brauchler/article_dfb2ee00-ae66-11ef-8a89-e7f570b92f7b.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lambasted</a> Mobolade in an op-ed in the Gazette, saying “lying to the FBI (or any federal agency) is a serious crime. A go-to-prison crime.&#8221;
He said Mobolade’s attempt to sow doubt on the reporting, without actually going on the record to contradict it, only fuel suspicion “We prosecutors look to see if the conduct of the witnesses and the guilty match up to our expectations of what an innocent person would do. Here, they do not,” he said.
He faulted the Biden DOJ and the local media, and said the crime of lying to federal agents has a five-year statute of limitations, meaning the DOJ under the Donald Trump administration could still charge him. “Mobolade does not have to wait. He can and should tell us the truth. All of it,” he said.
On the day he won election, Bernard messaged Mobolade to take credit for the win, and messaged a co-conspirator that he anticipated “favors” in return, encouraging her to pick out a city job.
The FBI source also told The Daily Wire that Mobolade personally asked the DOJ to issue a press release proclaiming his innocence&#8211;which the FBI opposed as inappropriate, including because the newly-charged suspects could be pressed for information on the mayor. The DOJ’s press release announcing the indictment falsely stated that Bernard sent a suspicious message to his co-defendants, when it was actually sent to Mobolade.
Mobolade’s taxpayer-funded spokeswoman, Vanessa Zink, did not reply when The Daily Wire asked about the FBI official’s allegations before publication of the story that the mayor&#8217;s office later disparaged. On Monday, The Daily Wire asked her for yes-or-no answers to the following questions:
-Does he deny being interviewed by the FBI three times about the Derrick Bernard/hate crime investigation?
-Does he dispute that he denied the existence of certain communications between himself and Derrick Bernard in the first two interviews?
-Does he deny contacting the USAO about a press release on the topic?
She did not reply.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mayor-lied-in-hate-crime-hoax-probe-but-doj-refused-to-charge-him-fbi-official-says">Mayor Lied In Hate Crime Hoax Probe But DOJ Refused To Charge Him, FBI Official Says</a>

An alleged hoax hate crime in Colorado / US Attorney for Colorado

Mayor Says He Is ‘Victim Of A Hate Crime’ Even After His Supporter Is Indicted For Faking It

Department of Justice

Hate Crime

Colorado Buffaloes head football coach Deion Sanders slammed the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award on Tuesday after it snubbed two-way Colorado star football player Travis Hunter from its finalist list.
Hunter, who starts at both wide receiver and cornerback for the 8-3 Buffaloes, is the heavy favorite to win the Heisman Trophy heading into the final weeks before the winner is announced on December 14. The latest odds in betting markets have Hunter at -1,000 — giving him an implied 90.9% chance of winning the most prestigious award in college football, according to BetMGM. The award is given to the most valuable player in college football every year.
The <a href="https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2025-nfl-mock-draft-three-quarterbacks-go-in-the-top-10-shedeur-sanders-new-york-giants">projected</a> No. 1 NFL Draft pick for next year was named as a finalist for multiple awards on Tuesday, including the Maxwell Award (for best all-around player), Biletnikoff Award (for best wide receiver), Bednarik Award (for best defensive player), Hornung Award (for most versatile player) and Walter Camp Award (for most outstanding player).
However, it was the one award for which Hunter was not a finalist that upset Sanders — who starred in the NFL and MLB at the same time.
&#8220;How is Travis Hunter snubbed for the Jim Thorpe Award?&#8221; Sanders asked at a press conference. &#8220;You could have my award. You could have it back. Matter of fact, I’m gonna give him mine. I ain’t using it. It’s just sitting up there collecting dust. So Travis can have my Thorpe award because if this ain’t the most idiotic thing in college football that he’s not a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and he is — I would say arguably but I don’t really think it’s an argument about this young man being the best defensive back in college football.&#8221;
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&#8220;He rarely gets thrown at,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;He’s won a game for tackling for us. And he’s always on point. So if you bring up the statistics I don’t know how in the world is Travis Hunter not a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. They just pretty much messed up all the integrity of the award, and he can have mine.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Coach Prime on Travis Hunter not being a finalist for the Jim Thorpe award:
“How is Travis Hunter snubbed by the Thorpe. You can have my award, you can have it back. In fact i’m gonna give him mine” <a href="https://t.co/vHHUF24CzA">pic.twitter.com/vHHUF24CzA</a>
— DNVR Buffs (@DNVR_Buffs) <a href="https://twitter.com/DNVR_Buffs/status/1861473018503143744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
If Hunter wins the Heisman Trophy, he will become only the second defensive player in history to win the award.
Michigan Wolverines cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997 was the only defensive player to win the Heisman.
However, there is a key difference between Woodson and Hunter. Woodson only played situationally on offense and started on defense, whereas Hunter starts on both sides of the ball and plays nearly every play in the game outside of special teams.
During Woodson&#8217;s Heisman year, he intercepted seven passes and made 43 tackles on defense while catching 11 passes for 231 yards and a receiving touchdown on offense. He also had 1 rushing touchdown.
So far in 2024, Hunter has intercepted three passes and deflected breakups — despite rarely being thrown at — and had a game-winning forced fumble on the goal line against Baylor. On offense, Hunter has 82 catches for 1,036 yards and 11 touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown.

Colorado v Colorado State

Deion Sanders To Give Travis Hunter His Thorpe Award After Hunter Gets Snubbed

Celebrities

College Football

Deion Sanders

Football

NCAA

Sports

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said this week that Republican governors needed to ship illegal aliens in their states to Denver after far-Left Denver Mayor Mike Johnston vowed to protect them from being deported after President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in.
In an interview with a local publication, Johnston <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/denver-mayor-warns-trump-of-tiananmen-square-moment-if-he-rounds-up-illegal-immigrants">said</a> he would deploy the Denver Police Department “stationed at the county line to keep [Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers] out.”
He went even further, warning of a “Tiananmen Square moment.” He also said that he was willing to go to jail to stop the deportations.
Cruz reacted to the comments during the most recent episode of his &#8220;Verdict&#8221; podcast with co-host Ben Ferguson.
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Cruz began: “So, the mayor of Denver has said, &#8216;We want illegal immigrants in our city. We will fight to keep illegal immigrants in our city. I don&#8217;t care that the voters don&#8217;t want it. I don&#8217;t care what Federal law says. I don&#8217;t care about the women being murdered, the women being raped, the children being assaulted.'&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m going to call right now for Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, for Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, and any other red state governor, to start sending buses to Denver, Colorado,&#8221; Cruz said. &#8220;I&#8217;m going to urge the state government of Texas to send every one of the illegals who comes into the state to Denver, Colorado, drop them off in front of the mayor&#8217;s residence.&#8221;
&#8220;He wants them there. He&#8217;s willing to go to jail to fight for them to be there, fine,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;We will send you the Venezuelan gang members to your city. And let&#8217;s see, you know, I&#8217;m going to predict right now the residents of Denver aren&#8217;t going to like this.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Pam Bondi as AG, plus Biden Burning the House Down on the Way Out-Opening the Border &amp; Trying to Start WW3.<a href="https://t.co/ljnu02mh1S">https://t.co/ljnu02mh1S</a> <a href="https://t.co/iVdCSjplWP">pic.twitter.com/iVdCSjplWP</a>
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1861182338282946689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2024</a></blockquote>

GOP Border Presser

Ted Cruz: Republican Governors Need To Send All Illegal Aliens To Denver Mayor’s Home

Congress

illegal alien

illegal immigrants

Mayor

Politics

Ted Cruz

Verdict with Ted Cruz

President-elect Donald Trump incoming <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tom-homan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">border czar</a> said during an interview this week that he is absolutely willing to have far-Left Denver Mayor Mike Johnston thrown in jail after Johnston said that he would obstruct federal immigration officials from carrying out deportations in the city.
Johnston <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/denver-mayor-warns-trump-of-tiananmen-square-moment-if-he-rounds-up-illegal-immigrants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in an interview with a local publication that he would deploy the Denver Police Department &#8220;at the county line to keep them out.&#8221;
He went even further, threatening to turn the situation into a &#8220;Tiananmen Square moment.&#8221;
Homan said during an interview with Fox News&#8217; Sean Hannity that impeding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials from removing illegal aliens was &#8220;absolutely breaking the law.&#8221;
&#8220;But, look, me and the Denver mayor, we agree on one thing: He’s willing to go to jail, I’m willing to put him in jail,&#8221; Homan added.
Homan&#8217;s remarks come after Johnston was asked during a separate interview with local media if he was willing to go to jail to stop deportations from happening.
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&#8220;Yeah, I&#8217;m not afraid of that,&#8221; Johnston said. &#8220;And I&#8217;m also not seeking that.&#8221;
Homan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dont-cross-that-line-trump-border-czar-warns-mayors-against-harboring-illegal-immigrants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that it is federal felony under Title 8 U.S.C. § 1324 to knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien from immigration authorities.
&#8220;President Trump has been clear, we want to concentrate on public safety threats and national security threats,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I find it hard to believe that any [government official] would say they don’t want public safety threats removed from their neighborhoods.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Border Czar Tom Homan on Denver Mayor Johnson&#8217;s threats to block deportations:
&#8220;I&#8217;m willing to put him in jail&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/cX393ay2LM">pic.twitter.com/cX393ay2LM</a>
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1861249634233929797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who sits on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rand-paul-denver-mayor-will-likely-be-removed-from-office-if-he-obstructs-ice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CBS News on Sunday that Johnston would be removed from office if he resisted federal immigration authorities.
“The mayor of Denver, if he’s going to resist federal law, which there’s a longstanding history of the supremacy of federal law, if he’s going to resist that, it will go all the way to the Supreme Court,” he said. “And I would suspect that he would be removed from office.”
“I don’t know whether or not there’d be a criminal prosecution for someone resisting federal law, but he will lose,” he continued. “And people need to realize that what he is offering is a form of insurrection, where the states resist the federal government.”
“The mayor of Denver is on the wrong side of history, and, really, I think, will face legal ramifications if he doesn’t obey the federal law,” he added.

Tom Homan

Tom Homan On Denver’s Mayor Resisting ICE: ‘I’m Willing To Put Him In Jail’

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Rand Paul

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/rand-paul" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rand Paul</a> (R-KY) said on Sunday that the mayor of Denver will be removed from office if he obstructs federal immigration officials from being able to carry out deportations in his city.
Paul&#8217;s comments come after far-Left mayor Mike Johnston <a href="https://denvergazette.com/news/trump-mass-deportation-denver-police-force/article_e643430c-a9c8-11ef-96d2-f7c3053aa81c.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that he would deploy the Denver Police Department &#8220;at the county line&#8221; to keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents out.
Johnston said that it would turn into a &#8220;Tiananmen Square moment&#8221; and that he was &#8220;not afraid&#8221; of being arrested.
Paul, who sits on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, told CBS News that Johnston will be removed from office if he tries to obstruct ICE from operating inside Denver.
&#8220;The mayor of Denver, if he&#8217;s going to resist federal law, which there&#8217;s a longstanding history of the supremacy of federal law, if he&#8217;s going to resist that, it will go all the way to the Supreme Court,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And I would suspect that he would be removed from office.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know whether or not there&#8217;d be a criminal prosecution for someone resisting federal law, but he will lose,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And people need to realize that what he is offering is a form of insurrection, where the states resist the federal government.&#8221;
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&#8220;The mayor of Denver is on the wrong side of history, and, really, I think, will face legal ramifications if he doesn&#8217;t obey the federal law,&#8221; he added.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) says that the mayor of Denver will be removed from office if he resists federal law enforcement officials who are deporting illegal aliens: &#8220;It&#8217;s a form of insurrection&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/P9e4fVxVxu">pic.twitter.com/P9e4fVxVxu</a>
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1860774341140521121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2024</a></blockquote>

Top Health Officials Testify Before Senate Hearing

Rand Paul: Denver Mayor Will Likely Be ‘Removed From Office’ If He Obstructs ICE

Denver Democratic Mayor Mike Johnston said there would be mass public resistance if President-elect Donald Trump implemented a mass deportation effort of illegal immigrants from federal forces, likening it to a “Tiananmen Square moment.”
On June 3, 1989, after weeks of student moments in Beijing, China, the Chinese communist government declared martial law and sent troops to Tiananmen Square. Government troops entered central Beijing on June 4; many people — estimates range from hundreds to thousands — were killed, including demonstrators, bystanders, and soldiers.
“About 42,000 migrants have arrived in the Denver metro area since December 2022, about 1,800 of which have now been authorized to work as a result of city-led efforts,” Common Sense Institute Colorado <a href="applewebdata://926BF661-1120-4327-B61A-CF2D43490CEE/v">reported</a> in May 2024. “The Common Sense Institute estimates city, education, and healthcare organizations have spent an estimated $216 million to $340 million on the response to feed, clothe, shelter, and provide educational and healthcare services. &#8230; The uncompensated care to migrants in Denver area hospitals is estimated to cost $123 million to providers for care received at emergency departments. &#8230; To date, the City of Denver has spent an estimated $70 million in migrant response goods and services.”
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Asked by <a href="https://denverite.com/2024/11/20/denver-immigration-policies-donald-trump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Denverite</a> if pressure from the incoming Trump administration would change how Denver treats immigrants, Johnston answered, “The short answer is, we won&#8217;t change that, because those are one of our core values. And we&#8217;re not going to sell out those values to anyone. We&#8217;re not going to be bullied into changing them. &#8230; I think we are gonna continue to be a welcoming, open, big-hearted city that&#8217;s gonna stand by our values.”
Johnston insisted that taking the right to work away from illegal immigrants would “cripple the American economy.” He said of the idea that Trump might elect to use federal forces to round up illegal immigrants, “I do not believe that our governor is going to let them use our [Colorado] National Guard at the state level. Unless they were planning on bringing national guards mobilized from Texas or Alabama to come invade Colorado, I don’t know where they would find the forces to begin to do that.”
“More than us having DPD stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” Johnston continued. “It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right?” You’d have every one of those Highland moms who came out for the migrants. And you do not want to mess with them.”
Johnston may have conflated the Tiananmen Square massacre, where there was no evidence of someone confronting soldiers with a rose, to a moment on October 21, 1967, when roughly 100,000 people marched on Washington, D.C., to demonstrate against the war in Vietnam. Then a Magnum photographer, Marc Riboud documented proceedings. A famed <a href="https://www.magnumphotos.com/newsroom/politics/behind-the-image-protesting-vietnam-war-with-flower/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">photograph</a> showed 17-year-old Jan Rose Kasmir holding a chrysanthemum flower up to a group of National Guard soldiers.

Remembering Tiananmen

Denver Mayor Warns Trump Of ‘Tiananmen Square Moment’ If He Rounds Up Illegal Immigrants

Communist China

Donald Trump

Executive

Immigration

Tiananmen Square

An illegal alien from Venezuela was charged with raping a 14-year-old girl in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colorado" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Denver, Colorado</a>, after the city’s Democrat mayor pledged that he would resist President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to enforce immigration law and deport illegal aliens.
The 20-year-old Venezuelan national, <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/11/21/us-news/venezuelan-migrant-charged-with-raping-bosss-teen-daughter/">Jesus Alberto Pereira Castillo</a>, was arrested this week after allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl, the daughter of his boss, whose home he was temporarily living in.
“Castillo forced himself on the 14-year-old daughter of the homeowner, sexually assaulting her. He left the residence before deputies arrived,” the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office explained in a post on X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JCSO Arrests Suspect for Sex Assault on a 14-year-old
Jefferson County, CO. – On November 19, 2024, the JCSO arrested Jesus Alberto Pereira Castillo &#8211; (DOB 040504) for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.
On August 29, 2024, at about 11:00 p.m., deputies responded to a… <a href="https://t.co/Yx3D2E6QMU">pic.twitter.com/Yx3D2E6QMU</a>
— Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffcosheriffco/status/1859307735604469898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
“After many weeks of relentless investigative work, JCSO investigators were able to locate Castillo in Denver, CO., and placed him in custody without incident,” the office went on to say. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reportedly filed a detainer request for Castillo and are requesting that the sheriff’s office deliver him to federal custody.
Castillo is believed to have illegally entered the United States by way of El Paso, Texas, under the Biden-Harris administration in September 2023.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, a Democrat, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/mayor-predicts-tiananmen-square-moment-trump-deportation-plan-1989655">recently said</a> that he would resist attempts by the federal government to enforce immigration law, even indicating that he could use police in an attempt to keep federal law enforcement out of the city.
“More than us having DPD stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” Johnston <a href="https://denverite.com/2024/11/20/denver-immigration-policies-donald-trump/">threatened</a>. “It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right? You’d have every one of those Highland moms who came out for the migrants. And you do not want to mess with them.”
Johnston’s statements, and the arrest of the illegal alien, come after a similar series of events unfolded in Massachusetts. The state’s Democrat governor, Maura Healey, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-gov-refuses-to-help-deportations-as-ice-busts-alleged-illegal-alien-child-rapists-in-her-state">pledged</a> that state police will “absolutely not” cooperate with federal law enforcement agents as they attempt to carry out the mass deportation agenda.
The Democrat’s statements came just before ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations agents in the state arrested three illegal aliens who each allegedly raped children, including one who was freed by a local police department after it allegedly flouted an immigration detainer request from ICE.

Illegal alien

Illegal Alien Charged With Raping 14-Year-Old Girl In Denver As Mayor Opposes Deportation Effort

The FBI referred Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade for prosecution for making false statements related to a hate crime hoax intended to boost his candidacy, but the Department of Justice refused to pursue it for racial and political reasons, an FBI official told The Daily Wire.
On Nov. 12 the Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado announced that three of Mobolade&#8217;s supporters had been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/prosecutors-indict-trio-for-staging-hate-crime-to-elect-left-wing-colorado-mayor">charged</a> with writing the n-word on one of his campaign signs, erecting a burning cross in front of it, and sending video of the spectacle to the news media to turn out the black vote for Mobolade, an African immigrant. Mobolade, a left-wing candidate, went on to defeat a white Republican in a closely fought election in the conservative-leaning city.
Communications obtained by investigators showed that the now-mayor was in close contact with the lead suspect, Derrick Bernard, before the incident, on the day of, and afterward.
The FBI interviewed Mobolade twice to determine his knowledge of the hoax, and Mobolade explicitly and strenuously denied contact with Bernard, the official said. The official said there were dozens of messages between Bernard and the now-mayor. The official also said Mobolade was scrolling through his phone as a memory aide during the interview, but that “he was literally skipping over text messages,&#8221; not realizing that the bureau had already obtained them elsewhere.
Bernard is a career criminal who was sentenced to 32 months in prison in 2018, allegedly attempted to kill two police officers, and has since been convicted of an unrelated <a href="https://gazette.com/news/courts/in-quick-fashion-man-convicted-of-ordering-death-of-colorado-springs-rap-artist/article_598bde2e-9d5c-11ef-af44-4b6bcbcd61a6.html">murder</a> of a rapper who disrespected him.
As a result of Mobolade’s conduct in the interviews, the FBI referred the now-mayor to the Department of Justice to face charges for making false statements to federal investigators, the official said. But the Justice Department refused.
“The initial response from the Department of Justice was ‘we can’t indict the first black mayor of Colorado Springs,’” the official said, adding &#8220;In my experience if anyone had been in that position they would have been charged with lying to a federal agent.”
Instead, the Justice Department arranged for Mobolade to do a third interview.
&#8220;During that interview, most of his answers consisted of ‘I do not recall.’ This was contrary to his interview answers from the previous two interviews where he denied involvement very strongly,” the official said. The DOJ then told the FBI it would not charge him with false statements.
The would-be hate crime occurred in 2023 between an April 4 general election and a May runoff election that was scheduled because the general election was so close. Earlier this month, arrest warrants were issued against the three suspects, and on November 12, the case was <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69367366/united-states-v-bernard-jr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unsealed</a> and made public.
Acting U.S. Attorney for Colorado Matt Kirsch put out a <a href="https://archive.is/7eYia">press release</a> that day that misrepresented the candidate’s role. It said Bernard sent a message “to the other defendants” that said he was “mobilizing my squad” for “black ops.” But that message, according to the actual indictment, was sent to the now-mayor, not to Blackcloud and West. The message also notified Mobolade that “I spoke with some of my friends in other places and theirs [sic] a plot amidst.”
When The Daily Wire asked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado for comment on the allegation that it rejected an FBI criminal referral for false statements and included a false statement in its press release, a spokesman said &#8220;we have no comment&#8221; and <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-co/pr/three-people-indicted-charges-related-hate-crime-hoax" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stealth-edited the press release</a> to strike the phrase &#8220;to the other defendants.&#8221;
Yet Mobolade seemed to expect even more from the Justice Department. On November 13, The Daily Wire emailed the mayor&#8217;s spokespeople asking about his communications with Bernard. That day, he personally called the Justice Department to request that it put out a second press release saying he was not a subject in the hoax hate crime investigation, the official said.
The Justice Department seemed open to doing so, and consulted the FBI about it. But the FBI was taken aback by the request, because the mayor was, in fact, on investigators&#8217; radar, the official said. Additionally, such a statement would come just as the other defendants had a reason to provide information about any involvement by Mobolade as part of plea deals, and an unusual and premature exoneration from the DOJ could derail that, the official said.
The <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indictment</a> relates several other interactions raising questions about whether Mobolade knew about Bernard’s hoax either before or after.
Early in the morning on April 23, 2023, the trio allegedly staged the hate crime and emailed photographs to media outlets from an anonymous email address. The email used the supposed hate crime to turn out black voters.
That night, Bernard texted Mobolade, “I guarantee the finish,” referring to winning the election, the indictment says. Three days later, on April 26, Mobolade and Bernard spoke on the phone for five minutes, the indictment says.
Law enforcement mounted an intensive investigation to get to the bottom of an apparent white supremacist hate crime. But as the NAACP pressed for a full-scale investigation into the incident, Mobolade’s campaign seemed to hope for the opposite, saying it was <a href="https://kdvr.com/news/local/racist-vandalism-left-at-black-mayoral-candidates-sign/">probably a hoax </a> and asking not to give it “<a href="https://krdo.com/news/2023/04/24/colorado-springs-mayoral-candidates-sign-painted-with-a-racial-slur-in-front-of-burning-cross-springs-mayoral-candidates-sign-painted-with-a-racial-slur-in-front-of-burning-cross/">any oxygen</a>.” Mobolade has not explained what led him to believe it was a hoax.
Local media covered the incident as Bernard intended, and Mobolade won the May 16 election with 58% in what <a href="https://www.cpr.org/2023/05/16/colorado-springs-mayoral-runoff-yemi-mobolade-leads-wayne-williams-concedes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">local news</a> called a “stunning turn of events.” That day, Bernard allegedly texted the candidate saying, “we got you through it all brother.” He added, “I have the info you requested before. Another time though, we’ll handle business.” Bernard texted Blackcloud a link to city job openings and implied that he anticipated a favor from Mobolade, saying, “I want favors quicker than later.”
Bernard, Blackcloud, and West are charged with using interstate commerce to make a threat and convey false information, but not with a hate crime or election interference.
Mobolade did not return a request for comment from The Daily Wire with specific questions. He previously sent a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/prosecutors-indict-trio-for-staging-hate-crime-to-elect-left-wing-colorado-mayor">statement</a> saying, “My knowledge and interaction with Bernard was as a local media personality, and I was not aware at the time that he was suspected of this crime. I appreciate local and federal law enforcement’s work in pursuing justice and sending a message that we will not tolerate such reprehensible behavior.”

Mayor Lied In Hate Crime Hoax Probe But DOJ Refused To Charge Him, FBI Official Says

Colorado has agreed to pay over $1.5 million after violating the First Amendment rights of a graphic designer who took her case to the United States Supreme Court.
The Court ruled in June that the state could not compel Lorie Smith and her design studio, 303 Creative, to create art that violates her religious beliefs. As a Christian, Smith <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/06/30/supreme-court-rules-colorado-cannot-force-graphic-designer-to-create-art-violating-her-beliefs/">believes that marriage should be</a> between a man and a woman. Though she wanted to design wedding websites, Colorado&#8217;s discrimination laws would have required her to create same-sex wedding websites.
Smith, who was represented by lawyers from the Alliance Defending Freedom, asked the Supreme Court to say Colorado&#8217;s discrimination law violated her First Amendment rights. Her case followed that of Jack Phillips, a cake designer persecuted by LGBTQ activists in Colorado for over a decade for attempting to only design cakes consistent with his religious beliefs.
“After enduring Colorado’s censorship for nearly seven years, I’m incredibly grateful for the work of my attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom to bring my case to victory,” Smith said in a statement on Tuesday.  “As the Supreme Court said, I’m free to create art consistent with my beliefs without fear of Colorado punishing me anymore. This is a win not just for me but for all Americans—for those who share my beliefs and for those who hold different views.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_831287" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1446991422-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-831287" class="wp-image-831287 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1446991422-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1446991422-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1446991422-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1446991422-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1446991422-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1446991422-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1446991422-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1446991422-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)</div>
Alliance Defending Freedom CEO Kristen Waggoner <a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/colorado-officials-pay-15m-violating-constitution#:~:text=“For%20the%20past%2012%20years,Amendment%20protections%20are%20non%2Dnegotiable.">said</a> that the &#8220;government can’t force Americans to say things they don’t believe, and Colorado officials have paid and will continue to pay a high price when they violate this foundational freedom.&#8221;
“For the past 12 years, Colorado has targeted people of faith and forced them to express messages that violate their conscience and that advance the government’s preferred ideology,&#8221; she said. &#8220;First Amendment protections are non-negotiable. Billions of people around the world believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman and that men and women are biologically distinct.&#8221;
&#8220;No government has the right to silence individuals for expressing these ideas or to punish those who decline to express different views,&#8221; Waggoner added. &#8220;Political and cultural winds shift, but the freedom to speak without fear of censorship is a God-given constitutionally guaranteed right, essential for a flourishing society and self-governing people.”
In October, the Colorado Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by the same trans-identifying attorney who has brought cases against Phillips for over 12 years — Autumn Scardina, a man who identifies as a woman. Scardina first contacted Phillips in 2012, calling the cake-maker a hypocrite and a bigot, according to Alliance Defending Freedom. Scardina has requested that Phillips create cakes celebrating gender transitions and &#8220;Satan smoking Marijuana.&#8221;

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