The Conservative Judge And The Two-Time Trump Voter August 10, 2023August 9, 2023 First the judge: “American democracy is in grave peril,” he says — and that peril comes from Trump. Well, duh! But hearing it from a distinguished conservative from Virginia — for whom John Eastman (aka “co-conspirator #2) once clerked before moving up to clerk for Clarence Thomas — gives it more weight. Worth reading and sharing. Now the voter. A double-Trump voter and Capitol stormer has some words for for her fellow Trumpers. Listen (2 minutes) or just read the transcript I’ve condensed: NPR REPORTER AREZOU REZVANI: More than 1,100 people who participated in the insurrection have been charged. 70-year-old Pam Hemphill of Boise, Idaho was one of them. HEMPHILL: I pleaded guilty because I was guilty. REZVANI: This retired alcohol and drug abuse counselor who voted for Barack Obama followed her friends’ and family’s support for Trump over time. HEMPHILL: He wanted to stand up against China and the border. And he had convinced me and everybody else that the Democrats wanted this to be a communist country. REZVANI: So she voted for Trump in 2016 and again in 2020. After he lost, a friend gifted her a flight to D.C. for the stop the steal rally, and off she went. . . . HEMPHILL: I want the world to know that I followed a cult leader, and I’m really sorry that I did because I’m really ashamed of it. But I can’t blame me 100% because I was lied to by Trump. REZVANI: And for that, Hemphill believes Trump deserves to face consequences. HEMPHILL: The indictment shows me that even if you are one of the most powerful people in the world, that you are still subject to the laws that allow this country to be safe and free. REZVANI: Hemphill’s choice to speak up hasn’t been easy. She says she’s received numerous death threats in recent months and is in the process of moving. But she doesn’t want to say where because the movement she once supported has now turned against her. We’re in the midst of an on-going coup. Here’s how to help resist it: with time / or with treasure.
NPR REPORTER AREZOU REZVANI: More than 1,100 people who participated in the insurrection have been charged. 70-year-old Pam Hemphill of Boise, Idaho was one of them. HEMPHILL: I pleaded guilty because I was guilty. REZVANI: This retired alcohol and drug abuse counselor who voted for Barack Obama followed her friends’ and family’s support for Trump over time. HEMPHILL: He wanted to stand up against China and the border. And he had convinced me and everybody else that the Democrats wanted this to be a communist country. REZVANI: So she voted for Trump in 2016 and again in 2020. After he lost, a friend gifted her a flight to D.C. for the stop the steal rally, and off she went. . . . HEMPHILL: I want the world to know that I followed a cult leader, and I’m really sorry that I did because I’m really ashamed of it. But I can’t blame me 100% because I was lied to by Trump. REZVANI: And for that, Hemphill believes Trump deserves to face consequences. HEMPHILL: The indictment shows me that even if you are one of the most powerful people in the world, that you are still subject to the laws that allow this country to be safe and free. REZVANI: Hemphill’s choice to speak up hasn’t been easy. She says she’s received numerous death threats in recent months and is in the process of moving. But she doesn’t want to say where because the movement she once supported has now turned against her.