Former President Donald Trump recently posted on Truth Social what he said was former President Barack Obama’s home address. Later that day, a man already wanted for his part in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was arrested in that Washington neighborhood.
What Happened: Taylor Taranto was arrested by Metropolitan police on charges of being a fugitive from justice, according to AP News. Secret Service spotted the 37-year-old in the vicinity of Obama’s house and chased him.
Taranto was armed with explosive materials and weapons and had made what law enforcement officials described as “social media threats against a public figure,” according to the outlet.
The Details: On June 28, Taranto made “ominous comments” on video, stating, "Can’t stop what’s coming. Nothing can stop what’s coming.”
On June 29, Trump posted what he claimed was Obama’s address on social media, prosecutors wrote in a memo. Taranto used his own Truth Social account to re-post the address and then on Telegram, he stated, “We got these losers surrounded! See you in hell, Podesta’s and Obama’s” (seemingly referencing the former chair of Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, John Podesta).
Prosecutors said Taranto also told followers on his YouTube channel that he was trying to get “a good angle on a shot,” according to the publication.
Taranto, who already had an open warrant for his arrest and is facing four misdemeanor counts related to the insurrection, which Trump allegedly incited, had been active on social media since Jan. 6, according to prosecutors.
The Implications: Maggie Haberman, author of “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America,” appeared on CNN to discuss the revelations Wednesday.
“He's been much more reckless in terms of what he is willing to repost or reach truth or whatever he calls it on his site. And he is constantly, you know, reposting content that had he done it on Twitter, it would have gotten a lot of different attention. And had he been doing it on Twitter before he was banned, it would have created all kinds of consternation at the pre-Elon Musk company," she said.
While posting an address is not illegal, the timing of Trump’s post and Taranto’s actions may help investigators looking into the former president’s role in the Jan. 6 attack.
"It appears as if the timing is related to this gentleman’s showing up at former President Obama’s home," Haberman said. "It is hard to ignore the fact that, you know, a lot of people who are in adherence to QAnon or who listen to Trump’s verbal queues on other issues, have looked at his social media feed over time and taken inspiration from it."
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