Don’t fall for Silicon Valley Bank misinfo: Check the people, money and agenda behind the claims.
“Silicon Valley Bank spent more than $73 million on donations to BLM and related organizations – falsely claimed Tucker Carlson” – Popular Info
Don’t fall for misinformation. It’s designed to get people riled up and distract them from the truth. Check the people, money and agenda behind the claims.
Where did the $73 million number come from? Who is the Claremont Institute? Who funds it? Who are the people involved with it? Follow along with this relationship map to meet some Claremont Institute luminaries:
– Jack Posobiec behind the Pizzagate hoax
– John Eastman who incited the crowds at the Jan 6th insurrection
– Charlie Kirk who tweeted about sending 80+ buses to the Capitol
– Darren Beatie former Trump and alleged white supremacist
– Michael Anton form Trump National Security advisor
Don’t fall for misinfo
False claims
Fox News, host Jesse Watters asserted that Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) “donated $74 million to Black Lives Matter.” That was why, Watters claimed, federal regulators did not pursue more aggressive oversight of SVB’s business practices. According to this theory, SVB was treated with kid gloves because it was “woke.” Watters’ claim is false. The actual amount that SVB donated to Black Lives Matter was zero. But that didn’t stop similar claims from being made repeatedly on Fox News, conservative websites, and social media.
This is not the first time that the Claremont Institute has been involved in spreading misinformation. John Eastman, who sits on the Board of Directors and is the Founding Director of the institute’s Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, “helped lead [former President] Trump’s drive to overturn the results of the 2020 election.” – Popular Info
Amplified by right wing echo chamber
“But some “facts” are too good to check and the Claremont Institute’s flawed data spread rapidly on conservative websites. Fox Business reported that SVB “donated around $73,450,000 to the BLM movement.” A headline in the Daily Mail blared, “REVEALED: Woke Silicon Valley Bank donated over $73 MILLION to Black Lives Matter-related social justice groups.” The Daily Wire, another far-right website, wrote that SVB “gave more than $73 million [sic] BLM and related groups.” – Popular Info
Follow the money
“The Thomas D. Klingenstein Fund is a private foundation created and run by Thomas D. Klingenstein, an investment banker and a principal in the brokerage Cohen, Klingenstein and Marks. Klingenstein is chairman of the board of the Claremont Institute, a right-of-center think tank. Klingenstein has been chairman of the board of the Claremont Institute for at least five years. In 2018, the institute received $2.6 million from the Klingenstein Fund, over half of the fund’s distributions in that year.
In a 2017 speech to the institute at a dinner presenting an award to Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Klingenstein said that many scholars affiliated with the Claremont Institute “have the ear of this administration and may help Trump take what he feels in his gut and migrate it to his head. This is Claremont’s moment.” – Influence Watch
TakeAway: Don’t fall for misinformation. Check the money, people and agenda behind the headline.
Deepak
DemLabs
DISCLAIMER: ALTHOUGH THE DATA FOUND IN THIS BLOG AND INFOGRAPHIC HAS BEEN PRODUCED AND PROCESSED FROM SOURCES BELIEVED TO BE RELIABLE, NO WARRANTY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED CAN BE MADE REGARDING THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, LEGALITY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY SUCH INFORMATION. THIS DISCLAIMER APPLIES TO ANY USES OF THE INFORMATION WHETHER ISOLATED OR AGGREGATE USES THEREOF.
Reposted from Democracy Labs with permission.
