Maroc - RAWSTORY.COM - Raw Story - 12/Aug 16:10

Trump’s Harris rally size attack ‘precisely’ mirrors fraud case conviction: legal expert

The former head of the U.S. Dept. of Justice's fraud division says Donald Trump's false claim Vice President Kamala Harris used artificial intelligence to create the false impression there were thousands of supporters at her rally inside a hanger at the Detroit Metro airport last week is "precisely" the type of action Trump was convicted for in the New York business fraud/hush money case. Multiple media outlets have documented there were thousands in attendance at the rally, despite the ex-president's claim his Democratic presidential opponent "cheated.""Taking the stage before a rollicking crowd gathered at a hot Detroit Metro Airport hangar on Wednesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris made her first appearance as the Democratic presidential nominee in Michigan," the Pulitzer-prize winning Detroit Free Press reported that night.MLive.com, a consortium of Michigan news outlets, published 64 images from the Harris-Walz Detroit airport hanger rally, clearly showing thousands of supporters inside and outside the rally.READ MORE: ‘Especially a Woman!’: Fox Host Furious Kamala Harris Loves to CookNumerous videos and photos on social media sites including TikTok and X, including the ones below, also show thousands of supporters. For those inquiring about Kamala Harris’ Michigan rally crowd size — here is the view of both inside and outside the hangar at DTW before, during and after the rally. 🎥: Kayman Whaley, TDN. Stay with us at https://t.co/SwQpP52S0b for live, accurate updates. pic.twitter.com/6K48qjKtfo — The Detroit News (@detroitnews) August 8, 2024 Thousands of supporters gathered for a @VP Kamala Harris rally inside and outside of a hangar at Detroit Metro Airport. Follow along with @CraigDMauger and https://t.co/yN1D3kcDqW for live updates. https://t.co/FHLnMCncGK — The Detroit News (@detroitnews) August 7, 2024The Harris campaign also posted this video: Now that’s how you pull up in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/l9BHPQ9czK — Daniel Wessel (@da_wessel) August 7, 2024NYU professor of law Andrew Weissmann, the MSNBC legal analyst who served as FBI General Counsel, the lead prosecutor under Special Counsel Robert Mueller, as well as the chief of DOJ's Criminal Fraud Section, on Sunday blasted Trump's AI claims, writing, "it is precisely what Trump was convicted of in NY re the 2016 campaign--generating fake news and killing true adverse news."READ MORE: ‘Something Is Afoot’: Joe Rogan Joins Pro-MAGA Influencers in Ditching Trump CampaignSpectrum News/NY1 on Sunday reported, "Trump baselessly charges Harris Michigan rally crowd ‘didn’t exist,’ was generated with AI."CNN called the criminally-convicted ex-president's post a "false conspiracy theory."Weissmann had been responding to a post on X by NBC News/MSNBC's Vaughn Hillyard, who posted both Trump's remarks and a photo of the Detroit hanger event. Hillyard wrote: "Right-wing social media on Saturday was promoting conspiracy theories that images of Kamala Harris’s campaign rallies were AI generated to explain her big crowds," before pointing out that Trump was spreading those same false claims.Trump was convicted by a New York jury on 34 criminal felony counts of business fraud in a scheme to cover up "hush money" payments to two women, a adult film actress and a Playboy bunny. District Attorney Alvin Bragg "argued that Trump had falsified the records with the intent to violate a New York state law that says it is illegal for 'any two or more persons who conspire to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means,'" The Guardian reported in May.Trump on Saturday posted to his Truth Social platform: "Has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport? There was nobody at the plane, and she 'A.I.’d' it, and showed a massive 'crowd' of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST!"He went on to claim a "maintenance worker at the airport...noticed the fake crowd picture, but there was nobody there," and promoted another false claim that a "reflection of the mirror like finish on the Vice Presidential Plane" validated the allegation."She’s a CHEATER. She had NOBODY waiting, and the 'crowd' looked like 10,000 people!" Trump, again falsely, claimed. "Same thing is happening with her fake 'crowds' at her speeches. This is the way the Democrats win Elections, by CHEATING - And they’re even worse at the Ballot Box. She should be disqualified because the creation of a fake image is ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Anyone who does that will cheat at ANYTHING!"Former Obama campaign manager and White House senior advisor David Plouffe, who recently joined the Kamala Harris for President campaign as a senior advisor posted a screenshot of Trump's remarks and warned: "These are not conspiratorial rantings from the deepest recesses of the internet. The author could have the nuclear codes and be responsible for decisions that will affect us all for decades."Watch the videos and see the social media posts above or at this link.READ MORE: Is Donald Trump ‘Quiet Quitting’? Here’s What His ‘Meltdown at Mar-a-Lago’ Reveals