The influence of the 2000 'Brooks Brothers Riot' on Trump's 2020 campaign strategist
The demand for a "rebellion" mirrors initiatives by Trump's campaign in other swing states during the 2020 election, as per recent unveiled claims made by special prosecutor Jack Smith in a federal court in Washington D.C., as outlined in court documents.
This request harks back to the last 25 years in American politics, as pointed out by Person 5, a Trump operative who had been warned about potential messy situations reminiscent of the influential "Brooks Brothers riot" that disrupted a recount in Miami-Dade County following the 2000 election.
The "Brooks Brothers riot" has assumed a notable place in the collective memory, possibly due to its catchy nickname. It's a nickname that was indicative of a group of well-dressed Republicans who flocked to Florida, armed with lawyers and staff, during a time when regular Miami attire might have been more common.
The purpose behind the Trump campaign's actions in 2020, as claimed in the court documents, was to disrupt the system. Trump continues to assert his innocence and accuses these legal proceedings against him as part of an unwarranted "witch hunt." He won't have the opportunity to defend himself against Smith's allegations until after the 2020 election due to his effective tactic of prolonging the court cases.
Smith's revised accusations against Trump
Smith revised and erased certain aspects of his initial accusations against Trump, which were initially filed a year prior, following the Supreme Court's granting of unique immunity to Trump for any alleged misconduct as the President of the United States.
These fresh accusations, detailed in the court documents, provide new insight into Smith and his team's findings following their investigation and grand jury testimonies.
CNN's justice team delved deeper into these allegations, which constitute the backbone of Smith's case against Trump. According to them, the FBI had been able to reconstruct Trump's activities during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots using his phone records.
Referencing the Brooks Brothers riot
The Brooks Brothers riot of 2000 is worth examining more closely in light of Smith's Detroit riot accusations, should the ballot counting extend beyond Election Day for the upcoming election. Republicans have openly announced their intention to deploy 100,000 supporters to monitor the ballot counting in crucial swing states.
Comparisons of the Trump campaign's actions in 2020 with those of the Bush campaign in 2000 are not an entirely new concept.
Douglas Heye, a former CNN political commentator with extensive Republican background, made the connection during the 2020 election and argued that the actions of 2020 bore no resemblance to the events of 2000.
Heye himself was an active participant in the Brooks Brothers riot and recognized the incongruity between the two situations. He pointed out that their ultimate objective was to ensure that every vote was counted fairly, unlike Trump's supporters who were attempting to disrupt the recount.
According to Heye, the protests in 2020 were aimed at ensuring a fair and transparent voting process, which had often been overlooked by the media during that time.
“Election observers and media should have been allowed in the room, ensuring that the counting process was transparent. That aspect was frequently ignored in media reports at the time,” Heye noted via email. “Shouldn't this remain the standard, regardless of which candidates are involved?”
The outrage methodology
Some experts hold a more pessimistic view of the Brooks Brothers riot. Princeton University Presidential Historian Julian Zelizer identified it as an early example of the GOP weaponizing outrage during his article published shortly before the 2020 election. He predicted Trump and his allies would exploit the election results to their advantage, which turned out to be an accurate prediction, given Trump's persistent claims of a rigged election.
Considering the court documents suggest a Trump campaign operative was attempting to orchestrate a "riot" in Detroit, this is hardly surprising from a historical perspective. Today, Trump persists in stating that the only way he can lose is through fraud, despite the lack of any substantial evidence of widespread cheating.
"This situation builds on multiple decades of a growing radicalized party," Zelizer stated via email. "We saw with the Brooks Brothers riot how attention-grabbing chaos and throwing a wrench into the system became essential to the strategy, diverting attention from damaging issues while creating the impression that all is in turmoil – with the underlying argument that the GOP is needed to restore order."
While the Brooks Brothers riot is distinct from what transpired in 2020, it doesn't preclude the possibility that current Republican operatives might attempt to duplicate its theatrical disruption.
Eventually, the United States Supreme Court put an end to the recounts in Florida on December 12, 2000, following the events of the Brooks Brothers riot.
According to CNN's Supreme Court specialist Joan Biskupic's observations, the present Supreme Court comprises three justices - John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Despite not participating in the grandiose legal arguments in Miami, these judges contributed to the Bush campaign's efforts during the heated recount process that year, which took place in Florida.
The Brooks Brothers riot in 2000 serves as a precedent in American politics, demonstrating how political parties can utilize disruptive tactics to draw attention away from their issues. In the context of the upcoming election, some experts caution that Republican operatives might seek to replicate this theatrical disruption.
Moreover, the demand for rebellion in recent elections, as evidenced in Trump's campaign actions and Smith's accusations, highlights the ongoing role of politics in shaping and influencing the electoral process.
