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President Trump, remoted and watching the clock rely down on his time within the White House, spent a few of it on Friday with the C.E.O. of MyPillow, Mike Lindell, who introduced some notes with him.
In pictures captured by Jabin Botsford, a photographer for The Washington Post, Mr. Lindell held notes in his hand as he stood outdoors the doorway to the West Wing foyer earlier than he met with the president mid-afternoon on Friday. The notes included a point out of Sidney Powell, the lawyer and conspiracy theorist whom Mr. Trump at one level wished to supply a job within the White House.
They had been solely partially seen, however there was additionally a suggestion about invoking the Insurrection Act, by which a president can deploy lively navy troops into the streets, and “martial law if necessary.” One line appeared to recommend transferring Kash Patel, at present the Department of Defense chief of workers and a Trump loyalist, as “C.I.A. Acting,” which appeared to point the highest job.
White House press aides had been caught off guard by the images as they circulated on Twitter, and stated that they had no concept what had transpired. Mr. Lindell didn’t reply to a message in search of remark.
Mr. Lindell has been one of many few supporters of Mr. Trump from company America who has stayed with him after the riot by Trump supporters on the Capitol complicated on Jan. 6, which left 5 individuals useless and included chants calling for the demise of Vice President Mike Pence. Mr. Lindell appeared on Newsmax, the conservative cable community, the day of the riot and pushed the now-debunked declare that “antifa” protesters had masqueraded as Trump backers to be able to trigger harm.
And even after President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory was licensed, Mr. Lindell continued to insist that Mr. Trump can be inaugurated for a second time period subsequent week.
There was no transfer to fireplace Gina Haspel, the director of the C.I.A., on Friday or have Mr. Patel arrive on the C.I.A. headquarters to take over, in keeping with individuals accustomed to the matter. And Washington has already change into a militarized fortress forward of Mr. Biden’s inauguration, to be able to clamp down on threats of recent violence being deliberate for the day of the ceremony.
But Mr. Lindell’s means to stroll into the Oval Office and meet with Mr. Trump underscored the kind of conspiracy theorists who nonetheless attraction to Mr. Trump, as long as they’re saying what he needs to listen to. It is unclear whether or not Mr. Lindell wrote the notes or if he was passing alongside another person’s ideas.
Mr. Trump has at occasions thought-about Ms. Powell too conspiratorial, as she has touted falsehoods a few international conspiracy to rig the 2020 election. At different occasions, he has welcomed her enter.
Right-wing journalists have resumed calls for for the declassification and launch of paperwork associated to the 2016 election, together with materials created by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, the place Mr. Patel used to work.
Ms. Haspel has opposed the discharge of these paperwork. However each Mr. Trump and John Ratcliffe, the director of nationwide intelligence, have the authority to declassify the paperwork, and the White House wouldn’t have to drive out Ms. Haspel to make the fabric public.
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