title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] researchers, analyzing a national survey of likely Republican primary voters from December 2015, found that having an [[authoritarian personality]] and a fear of terrorism were the only two variables among those tested that were [[statistically significant]] predictors of Trump support. Another study based on a different survey, conducted by professors at the [[University of Chicago]] and [[University of Minnesota]], concluded that Trump supporters were no more authoritarian than supporters of other Republican candidates, but rather were characterized primarily by a strong nationalist identity and a mistrust of experts, intellectuals, and perceived elites.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: A geographical study found support for Trump in the Republican primaries was correlated positively with the following factors (in order of statistical strength): (1) proportion of white lacking a high school diploma; (2) ethnicity reported as "American" on the census; (3) living in a mobile home; (4) jobs largely in agriculture, construction, manufacturing or trade; (5) having a history of voting for segregationists such as [[George Wallace]] in 1968; and (6) residents born in the United States and being an evangelical Christian.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: , the Trump campaign had received $7.5 million in donations from individuals, $250,318 donated directly by Trump himself, and a $17.78-million loan from the candidate. The loaned amount can be repaid to Trump as other donations arrive. According to reports to the FEC, the campaign had $1.9 million on hand as of February 20.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: As of March 31, he had raised $48.4 million, spent $46.3 million, and had $2.1 million cash on hand. His total spending including $3.2 million by outside groups, total $49.5 million. As of May 31, he had raised $63.1 million, spent $61.8 million, and had $1.3 million cash on hand. His total spending including $3.0 million by outside groups, total $64.7 million. As of June 30, he had raised $89.0 million, spent $68.8 million, and had $20.2 million cash on hand. His total spending including $7.6 million by outside groups, total $76.4 million.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: On June 23, Trump announced that he was forgiving $50 million in loans that he had made to his campaign for the primary. His campaign refused to release evidence to the press that would prove that he had forgiven these loans.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: In October 2015 Trump had said: "I am self-funding my campaign and therefore I will not be controlled by the donors, special interests and lobbyists who have corrupted our politics and politicians for far too long. I have disavowed all super PACs, requested the return of all donations made to said PACs, and I am calling on all presidential candidates to do the same." [[Politifact]] reports that Trump's claims that he is "self-funding" his campaign are "half-true." By the end of 2015, Trump's campaign had raised $19.4 million, with almost $13 million (about 66 percent) coming in the form of a loan from Trump himself and the remainder (34 percent) coming from others' contributions. The announcement came a day after a main super PAC backing Trump closed amid scrutiny about its relationship to the campaign itself. Although Trump attended at least two Make America Great Again Super PAC fundraising events, including one at the home of his daughter Ivanka's in-laws, he later said he never gave his endorsement to the super PAC or any of the other eight super PACs supporting his run. In addition to a $100,000 donation from Ivanka Trump's mother-in-law, the Make America Great Again super PAC accepted $1 million in seed money from casino mogul and longtime Trump business partner [[Phil Ruffin]] who, according to FEC filings, gave the money just two weeks after the super PAC was established; the super PAC spent about $500,000 on polling, consulting, and legal expenses before shutting down in the wake of "The Washington Post"s coverage.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: According to "[[Bloomberg News]]", Trump's general election campaign raised over $500 million, roughly half the sum raised by the Clinton campaign. By October 19, Trump had "put $56.2 million of his own [money] into the campaign, leaving him with scant time to put in the rest of the $100 million he's pledged to spend."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: After becoming the presumptive nominee in early May, the Trump campaign announced that it would be seeking large donations for the general election, and that Trump would not be self-funding his campaign in the general election. By the end of May, Trump was reported to have had $1.3 million available for his campaign, while Clinton had $42 million.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Wall Street banker [[Steven Mnuchin]] was named finance chair of the Trump campaign in May 2016. In May 2016, the campaign established the [[Trump Victory Committee]] to enable joint fundraising with the Republican National Committee and eleven state parties; longtime Republican financiers [[Diane Hendricks]], [[Woody Johnson]], [[Mel Sembler]], [[Ray Washburne]], and [[Ron Weiser]] (all of whom backed other candidates during the Republican primary) agreed to serve as vice chairs of the committee.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: In May 2016, casino billionaire [[Sheldon Adelson]] announced that he would spend $100 million in support of Trump's election. Several months later, the Federal Election Commission had not yet reported any donations to the Trump campaign by Adelson, but Adelson eventually donated $25 million and was the campaign's largest donor.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: A number of large-dollar donors who previously backed other candidates, even some who were once mocked by Trump, changed their minds and joined Trump's campaign. Other prominent Republican megadonors, however, more staunchly opposed Trump and opted to "sit out" the election, withholding their support and financial backing. These include [[Norman Braman]], [[Paul Singer (businessman)|Paul Singer]], [[Seth Klarman]], and the [[Koch Brothers]].


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Several [[Super PAC]]s were founded in support of Trump's campaign in the general election, including Great America PAC, Committee for American Sovereignty, and [[Rebuilding America Now]]. Vice presidential nominee [[Mike Pence]] and former Trump campaign manager [[Paul Manafort]] both endorsed Rebuilding America Now, and Trump agreed to headline fundraising events for the organization.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: At a campaign stop in [[Wilmington, North Carolina]], on August 9, Donald Trump said that [[Hillary Clinton]] wanted to "essentially abolish the [[Second Amendment to the United States Constitution|Second Amendment]]" because of her [[Gun politics in the United States|support for gun control]]. He said if she nominates judges to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]], there would be nothing that could be done about it, and then added, "Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is. I don't know".


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Trump's comment sparked condemnation from various Democrats and Republicans for being perceived as suggesting violence against Clinton or liberal jurists, instead of suggesting political action. Clinton Campaign spokesman Robby Mook released a statement that said, "...what Trump is saying is dangerous", and that a person seeking the presidency "should not suggest violence in any way." General [[Michael Hayden (general)|Michael Hayden]], who is the former head of the CIA, stated that "If someone else had said that outside the hall, he'd be in the back of a police wagon now with the Secret Service questioning him." Secret Service spokesperson Cathy Milhoan said in a statement that the [[United States Secret Service|U.S. Secret Service]] was aware of Trump's comments. "The New York Times" opinion writer [[Thomas Friedman]] condemned Trump's comment, saying "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how Israeli Prime Minister [[Yitzhak Rabin]] got assassinated."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: [[PolitiFact.com|Politifact]] noted that some people saw it as a joke about assassination or a reference to political action, while others took it as a threat. Politifact also noted that the premise behind Trump's remark—that Clinton wants to "abolish the Second Amendment"—was factually false. The Trump campaign responded with a statement that attributed the comment to the great political power that Second Amendment people have. House Speaker [[Paul Ryan]] said Trump should clarify what seemed to him a joke gone wrong. Hillary Clinton responded to Trump's comments by saying, "words matter", and that Trump's comments were part of a long line of casual comments from Trump that had "crossed a line."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: In September, Trump repeated the false statement that Clinton wanted to abolish the Second Amendment and suggested that Clinton's Secret Service detail disarm themselves and "let's see what happens". The comments were interpreted by many commentators as an incitement to violence.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: During the [[2016 Democratic National Convention]], one of the speakers was [[Khizr and Ghazala Khan|Khizr Khan]], a Muslim U.S. citizen who immigrated from Pakistan in 1980. Khan is the father of [[Humayun Khan (soldier)|Captain Humayun Khan]], a U.S. soldier who was killed in Iraq in 2004 by a suicide bomber, and later awarded the [[Bronze Star Medal]] and a [[Purple Heart]]. Khan spoke about his son and criticized Trump for his Muslim ban proposals, asking if Trump had ever read the [[United States Constitution|U.S. Constitution]], and offering to give him a copy. He stated that Trump had "sacrificed nothing and no one."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: The following Sunday on [[This Week (ABC TV series)|ABC's "This Week"]] with [[George Stephanopoulos]], Trump was asked about Khan. Trump replied that Khan was, "you know, very emotional and probably looked like a nice guy to me." Trump went on to wonder why Khizr Khan's wife Ghazala, who stood silently by her husband's side during his speech, did not speak and speculated that she might not have been allowed to speak. (Ghazala later responded by stating that at the time she was too emotional to speak.) When Trump was asked what he had sacrificed for his country, he told Stephanopoulos, "I think I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I've had tremendous success. I think I've done a lot." Trump also cited his work on behalf of veterans, including helping build a [[Vietnam Veterans Plaza|Vietnam War memorial in Manhattan]] and raising "millions of dollars" for veterans.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Trump's comments touched off a firestorm of controversy by appearing to belittle the Khans, with public officials and commentators from all sides of the political spectrum arguing that he should show more respect to the parents of a fallen soldier. A Fox News poll found that 69 percent of respondents who were familiar with Trump's comments, including 41 percent of Republicans, felt that Trump's response was "out of bounds". The Khan controversy, along with Trump's initial refusal to endorse Speaker of the House [[Paul Ryan]] for re-election, contributed to significant drops in Trump's poll numbers that week.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Trump responded to the criticism on Twitter, stating that Khazir Khan "viciously attacked me" and tweeting: "This story is not about Mr. Khan, who is all over the place doing interviews, but rather RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM and the U.S. Get smart!" Later, Trump released a written statement saying "Captain Humayun Khan was a hero to our country and we should honor all who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our country safe", adding "While I feel deeply for the loss of his son, Mr. Khan, who has never met me, has no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution (which is false), and say many other inaccurate things."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: When questioned about the Khans during the [[2016 United States presidential debates#Second presidential debate (Washington University in St. Louis)|second presidential debate]], Trump claimed that Humayun Khan would be alive had he been president in 2004 and referred to him as an "American hero". The Khans responded by saying that they know that their son is an American hero.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: In December 2015, [[Politifact]] named "the many campaign misstatements of Donald Trump" as its "2015 Lie of the Year", noting at the time that 76 percent of Trump statements rated by the factchecking website were rated "Mostly False, False or Pants on Fire", more than any other politician. [[Norman Ornstein]], a scholar at the conservative [[American Enterprise Institute]], said that "Trump came into an environment that was ripe for bombastic, inflammatory, outrageous statements without having to suffer the consequences", citing the rise of partisan media, popular desensitization to inflammatory rhetoric, and "the assault on science and expertise" as contributing factors.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: In March 2016, "[[Politico Magazine]]" analyzed 4.6 hours of Trump stump speeches and press conferences over a five-day period and found "more than five dozen statements deemed mischaracterizations, exaggerations, or simply false." Trump's penchant for exaggerating to voters has roots in the world of New York real estate, where hyperbole is common. Lucas Graves, a professor at the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication]], observed that Trump often speaks in a suggestive way that makes it unclear what exactly he meant and, in this regard, warned [[fact checking|fact checkers]] "to be really careful... to pick things that can be factually investigated and that reflect what the speaker was clearly trying to communicate."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Trump's frequent praise for foreign leaders accused of being either [[authoritarianism|authoritarian]] or [[totalitarianism|totalitarian]] prompted significant criticism from members of both major political parties.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Trump frequently praised Russia's [[Vladimir Putin]], calling him a strong leader, "unlike what we have in this country," "a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond," and wondered if "he will become my new best friend." He continued to praise Putin throughout the campaign, comparing him favorably to Obama, hailing Russia as an ally in fighting [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIS]], and downplaying any suggestion that Russia had behaved aggressively in the world. He also dismissed the assertion by U.S. intelligence officials that Russia is responsible for the computer hacking of Democratic party organizations and individuals. Trump called for closer relations with Russia and "has surrounded himself with a team of advisers who have had financial ties to Russia."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: In January 2016, Trump commented on North Korean leader [[Kim Jong-un]], first saying he's a "maniac", but then stating "you gotta give him credit" for the "incredible" way he eliminated his opponents to take charge of the country.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: During the Republican debate on March 10, 2016, Trump stirred controversy by saying that the Chinese government's [[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989|1989 massacre]] of unarmed civilians in [[Tiananmen Square]] was "horrible" and "vicious" but also "shows you the power of strength." When challenged, he said he was not endorsing the massacre and proceeded to characterize the protest as a riot: "I was not endorsing it. I said that is a strong, powerful government that put it down with strength. And then they kept down the riot. It was a horrible thing. It doesn't mean at all I was endorsing it."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: At a July 5 campaign rally, Trump again raised controversy by praising [[Saddam Hussein]] for being good at killing terrorists, saying Hussein was "a really bad guy" but "you know what he did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good. They didn't read them the rights. They didn't talk. They were terrorists. It was over." "The New York Times" said that Trump's descriptions "are not grounded in fact", noting that [[History of Iraq#Under Saddam Hussein|Saddam Hussein's Iraq]] itself had been listed as a state sponsor of terrorism. Terrorism expert [[Peter Bergen]] defended Trump: "Saddam Hussein repressed terrorist groups, as he did all forms of rebellion and dissent ... Trump's claim that following the fall of Saddam, Iraq has emerged as the 'Harvard' of terrorism is correct because [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi|Zarqawi]] in 2004 merged his terrorist group with [[al Qaeda]] to create "Al Qaeda in Iraq," which is the parent organization of today's ISIS." In October Trump said that both Iraq and Libya would be better off if their deposed dictators, Saddam and [[Muammar Gaddafi]], were still in power, and in December he described Saddam's use of poison gas against civilians as "throwing a little gas". His July5 comments were widely criticized. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan dissociated himself from the remarks, and a spokesman for Hillary Clinton said "Donald Trump's praise for brutal strongmen seemingly knows no bounds."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Asked about the failed [[2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt]], Trump praised Turkish President [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]], saying, "I give great credit to him for being able to turn that around."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: During his campaign, Trump frequently gave voice to fringe or [[conspiracy theories]]. Professor [[Joseph Uscinski]], the co-author of "American Conspiracy Theories", writes that Trump made "unabashed" and "deft and almost daily use of... conspiracy narratives" on the campaign trail. According to political writer [[Steve Benen]], unlike past political leaders, Trump did not keep [[fringe theory|fringe theories]] and their supporters at arm's length.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Trump, for example, promoted the [[MMR vaccine controversy|discredited belief that vaccines can cause autism]] unless administered according to a lengthened schedule. He also alluded to the [[Barack Obama religion conspiracy theories|unfounded notion]] that President Obama is secretly a Muslim, for example stating that Obama might have attended a particular funeral "if it were held in a Mosque" and saying that "some people" think a Muslim already had been elected president. Trump also speculated that Supreme Court Justice [[Antonin Scalia]]'s death by natural causes, was in truth caused by murder.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Trump did not release his personal [[Tax return (United States)|income tax returns]], as nominees traditionally do, and said he does not plan to do so before the November election. Before declaring for president he said he would "absolutely" release them if he decided to run for office. Early in the 2016 primary process he promised to put out "very big, very beautiful" returns. He offered various reasons for not giving out the information. He says his lawyers told him not to release the returns because they are being audited. He contends that voters are not interested and "there's nothing to learn from them". He told one interviewer that his tax rate is "none of your business". There is no requirement that presidential candidates release their tax returns but candidates are legally free to do so even when under audit. Tax lawyers differ as to whether releasing tax returns is legally advisable for someone like Trump who is under audit. According to [[NPR]], tax experts such as [[New York University Law School]] professor Daniel Shaviro say that "Trump's lawyers may advise him not to release the returns for legal strategy purposes."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Donald Trump's prolific use of Twitter, which he started using in March 2009, earned him millions of followers. His almost daily use of [[Donald Trump's use of social media|social media]] as a vehicle for connecting to his audience is unprecedented as a campaign tool. On November 22, 2015, Trump retweeted an image containing racially charged and inaccurate [[Race and crime in the United States|crime data between blacks and whites]], cited to a non-existent group. According to "Newsweek", the image appeared to originate with a [[neo-Nazism|neo-Nazi]] Twitter account. When later asked by [[Bill O'Reilly (commentator)|Bill O'Reilly]] about his sharing of the image, Trump confirmed that he had personally retweeted the image and said that it came from "sources that are very credible." The [[Annenberg Public Policy Center]]'s [[FactCheck.org]] reported that the image was a "bogus graphic."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: On February 28, Trump re-tweeted [[q:Benito Mussolini|a Mussolini quote]] that had been posted from a parody bot created by "[[Gawker]]": "It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep". When informed that the source of the quote was 20th century Italian [[Fascism|fascist]] dictator [[Benito Mussolini]], Trump responded that the origin of the quote made no difference because "it's a very good quote."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: On July 2, 2016, Trump tweeted a picture originally created as a meme by [[White supremacy|white supremacists]]. The tweet featured a photo of Clinton next to a star-shaped badge saying "Most Corrupt Candidate Ever!" with a background of $100 bills. The six-pointed star was interpreted as a [[Star of David]] and the tweet denounced as "blatantly anti-semitic" by many observers, ranging from the Hillary Clinton campaign to the [[Anti-Defamation League]] to House Speaker [[Paul Ryan]]. However, Trump's former campaign director Corey Lewandowski dismissed the attacks as "political correctness run amok" and compared the star to a sheriff's badge. The Trump campaign took down the image, then re-uploaded it with a circle replacing the star. However, the re-uploading of the image included the hashtag "#AmericaFirst", and so was criticized by many pundits as evoking the name of the [[America First Committee]], the name of a [[fascist]] organization in the United States that urged [[appeasement]] with [[Adolf Hitler]] and [[Nazi Germany]] in the [[Second World War]].


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: In September 2016, after Hillary Clinton's [[Basket of deplorables|"deplorables" comment]], Donald Trump retweeted a statement [[Barack Obama|President Obama]] made in 2012 regarding [[Mitt Romney]]'s [[Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign#47% comment|47% comment]].


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: An [[open letter]] from 120 conservative foreign-policy and national-security leaders, released in March 2016, condemned Trump as "fundamentally dishonest" and unfit to be president. Signatories to the letter included a number of former high-level [[George W. Bush administration]] figures, and others, including [[Eliot A. Cohen]], [[Max Boot]], and [[Daniel W. Drezner]]. Critics noted that the signers of the letter are "the exact type of establishment Republicans against whom Trump has been railing."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Also in March 2016, another group of foreign policy experts published a letter in "[[Foreign Policy]]" magazine, entitled "Defending the Honor of the U.S. Military from Donald Trump", against Trump's statements that he would direct the military to torture suspected terrorists and their families and target the families of terrorists and other civilians, stating that "every reputable legal expert we know has deemed [these activities] illegal." The letter was signed by both [[neoconservative]]s and prominent [[Realism (international relations)|realists]], such as [[Andrew J. Bacevich]] and [[Richard K. Betts]].


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Several incumbent Republican members of Congress announced they would not vote for Trump. South Carolina Senator [[Lindsey Graham]] says he will not vote for either Trump or Clinton in the fall and urged other Republicans to "un-endorse" Trump. Illinois Senator [[Mark Kirk]] said he plans to write in a name, possibly [[David Petraeus]] or [[Colin Powell]]. New York Rep. [[Richard L. Hanna|Richard Hanna]], who is retiring at the end of this term, was the first Republican to say he will vote for Hillary Clinton. Illinois Rep. [[Adam Kinzinger]] said Trump "for me is beginning to cross a lot of red lines in the unforgivable on politics" and he will vote for a write-in candidate or not vote. Pennsylvania Rep. [[Charlie Dent]] said Trump crossed "a bridge too far"; he plans to vote for a write-in candidate. Virginia Rep. [[Scott Rigell]], also retiring at the end of this term, said he will vote for Libertarian candidate [[Gary Johnson]].


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: A letter from 50 Republican [[National security of the United States|national security officials]] was published on August 8. The senior officials, who included former White House officials and Cabinet secretaries, said Trump "lacks the character, values, and experience" to be president. Trump responded the same day, saying "The names on this letter are the ones the American people should look to for answers on why the world is a mess, and we thank them for coming forward so everyone in this country knows who deserves the blame for making the world such a dangerous place."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: [[Trump University]], and Trump himself, were involved during the campaign in three ongoing lawsuits alleging fraudulent business practices. One of the suits was scheduled to be heard in San Diego in November, three weeks after the general election. In late July, the judge hearing that case denied a motion to dismiss it. Shortly after Trump won the presidency, the parties agreed to a settlement of all three pending cases. In the settlement, Trump did not admit to any wrongdoing but agreed to pay a total of $25 million.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: The lawsuits were active throughout the campaign and were invoked by Trump's rivals in Republican primary debates. Hillary Clinton used the Trump University allegations against Trump in speeches and campaign ads. Trump repeatedly criticized [[Gonzalo P. Curiel]], the presiding judge in two of the cases, stating that his Mexican heritage serves as a [[conflict of interest]]. During a June 3, 2016, interview with [[Jake Tapper]] of [[CNN]], Tapper asked Trump what Curiel's rulings have to do with his heritage. Trump answered, "I've been treated very unfairly by this judge. Now, this judge is of Mexican heritage. I'm building a wall, OK? I'm building a wall." Trump also suggested that Curiel is a friend of a lawyer for one of the plaintiffs, to which the lawyer responded that they had not been friends in any "social" setting.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Legal experts criticized Trump's comments, and [[Paul Ryan]], who had endorsed Trump for president, disavowed the comments, saying that they were racist. Meanwhile, Governor [[Chris Christie]] defended Trump's comments, saying that Trump was not a "pre-programmed robotic politician".


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Trump also accused Curiel of bias because of his membership in La Raza Lawyers of California, a [[professional association]] of Hispanic attorneys. Former [[United States Attorney General]] [[Alberto Gonzales]] wrote on June4 that some of Trump's aides alleged a link between the La Raza Lawyers of California and an advocacy organization called the [[National Council of La Raza]], which had organized protests at Trump rallies: "The two groups are unaffiliated, and Curiel is not a member of NCLR. But Trump may be concerned that the lawyers' association or its members represent or support the other advocacy organization".


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: On June 7, 2016, Trump said that his criticism of the judge had been "misconstrued" and that his concerns about Curiel's impartiality were not based on ethnicity alone, but rather on rulings in the case. He said that he was not categorically attacking people of Mexican heritage.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: In 2013 Florida Attorney General [[Pam Bondi]] requested a political donation from Trump while her office was "currently reviewing the allegations" in a New York class action suit. The [[Donald J. Trump Foundation]] sent her re-election campaign $25,000. Bondi's office decided not to pursue action.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: "[[The Washington Post]]" reported in September 2016 that foundation was fined $2,500 by the IRS for using the funds to make a political contribution to Bondi's PAC.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Video and accompanying audio were released by "The Washington Post" on October 7, 2016, in which Trump referred obscenely to women in a 2005 conversation with [[Billy Bush]] while they were preparing to film an episode of "[[Access Hollywood]]". Trump said that he could [[groping|grab women]] "by the [[Pussy#Female genitalia|pussy]]" and get away with it, because he is a "star". The audio was met with a reaction of disbelief and disgust from the media. Following the revelation, Trump's campaign issued an apology, stating that the video was of a private conversation from "many years ago".


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: The incident was condemned by numerous prominent Republicans. RNC Chairman [[Reince Priebus]] said "No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever." [[Mitt Romney]] tweeted "Hitting on married women? Condoning assault? Such vile degradations demean our wives and daughters and corrupt America's face to the world." [[John Kasich]] called the remarks "indefensible." [[Jeb Bush]] called them "reprehensible." [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] [[Paul Ryan]] disinvited Trump to participate in a campaign event for Ryan in Wisconsin, saying that he was "sickened" by Trump's comments. Three days later Ryan indicated that he would no longer defend or support Trump's presidential campaign, and in a highly unusual move he freed down-ticket congressional members to use their own judgement, saying "you all need to do what's best for you and your district." Trump's wife [[Melania Trump|Melania]] called Trump's words "offensive" and "inappropriate." By October8 several dozen Republicans had called for Trump to withdraw from the campaign and let Pence head the ticket. Trump insisted he would never drop out.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Several hours after the initial report by "The Washington Post", the Trump campaign released a video statement in response to the controversy, in which Trump apologized, stating that "Anyone who knows me knows these words don't reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize." Towards the end of the statement Trump also said that "there is a big difference between the words and actions", and then went on to say that "Bill Clinton has actually abused women and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed, and intimidated his victims". This apology was criticized severely by the media and members of the public as being insincere and attempting to divert the problem at hand with unsubstantiated accusations against his political opponents. Trump replied that "thousands and thousands" of supporters sent him letters after the controversial video was published.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Following the October 7, 2016, revelation of Trump's 2005 remarks during a filming of an "Access Hollywood" episode and his denial that he had ever actually engaged in the behaviors he described, multiple women came forward with new stories of sexual misconduct, including unwanted kissing and groping. Sources for the stories included "The New York Times" and "[[People (magazine)|People]]" magazine. The stories received widespread national media coverage. Also, previous allegations and statements from other women resurfaced. In 1997, Jill Harth filed a lawsuit alleging Trump groped her in "intimate" parts and engaged in "relentless" sexual harassment. Trump and his campaign denied all of these charges, and Trump claimed to have begun drafting a lawsuit against "The New York Times" alleging [[libel]]. On October 13, Trump denied all of the allegations, referring to them as "false smears" and alleging "a conspiracy against ... the American people".


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Trump, who owned the [[Miss Universe]] franchise, which includes the [[Miss USA]] and [[Miss Teen USA]] pageants, was also accused to have walked into dressing rooms of contestants while they were in varying stages of undress without prior notice of his arrival. Trump has said in an interview with [[Howard Stern]] in 2005, "no men are anywhere. And I'm allowed to go in because I'm the owner of the pageant. And therefore I'm inspecting it... Is everyone OK? You know, they're standing there with no clothes. And you see these incredible-looking women. And so I sort of get away with things like that. [...] I'll go backstage before a show, and everyone's getting dressed and ready and everything else."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Trump repeatedly suggested that the election is "rigged" against him, and in the final debate he cast doubt on whether he would accept the results of the election should he lose, saying "I'll keep you in suspense". His comment touched off a media and political uproar, in which he was accused of "threatening to upend a fundamental pillar of American democracy" and "rais(ing) the prospect that millions of his supporters may not accept the results on Nov.8 if he loses". [[Richard L. Hasen|Rick Hasen]] of [[University of California, Irvine School of Law]], an election-law expert, described Trump's comments as "appalling and unprecedented" and feared there could be "violence in the streets from his supporters if Trump loses." The next day Trump said, "Of course, I would accept a clear election result, but I would also reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result." He also stated that he would "totally" accept the election results "if I win."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: In the weeks before the election, Trump urged his supporters to volunteer as [[poll watcher]]s on Election Day, saying they were needed to guard against "voter fraud" and a "rigged" outcome. The rhetoric was seen as a call to intimidate minority voters or challenge their credentials to prevent them from voting.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Democratic Party officials sued Trump in Arizona, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania, accusing him of voter intimidation, in violation of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965|1965 Voters Rights Act]] and the [[Second Enforcement Act of 1871|1871 Ku Klux Klan Act]], with his calls for supporters to monitor polling stations in minority neighborhoods. The Ohio Democratic Party wrote in a legal filing, "Trump has sought to advance his campaign's goal of 'voter suppression' by using the loudest microphone in the nation to implore his supporters to engage in unlawful intimidation," Other lawsuits used similar language. A separate lawsuit in New Jersey accuses the Republican National Committee of cooperating with Trump's "ballot security" activities, which the RNC is prohibited from doing by a 1982 consent decree.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: A federal District Court judge in Nevada ordered Trump campaigners to make available any training materials they provided for "poll watchers, poll observers, exit pollsters or any other similarly tasked individuals." A District Court judge in Pennsylvania denied a request by the state Republican Party to allow poll watching by people from outside the immediate area, which is forbidden by the state election code.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: President [[Barack Obama]] congratulated Trump on winning the election and stated that although he and Trump had differences of opinion, it is his goal to ensure a smooth transition for the incoming president. Trump also received congratulations from fellow Republican primary rivals including Florida Governor [[Jeb Bush]], Texas Senator [[Ted Cruz]], and Ohio Governor [[John Kasich]]. In addition, [[Mitt Romney]], [[Bill Clinton]], [[Hillary Clinton]], [[George H. W. Bush]] and [[George W. Bush]] also congratulated him.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Mexican President [[Enrique Peña Nieto]] offered his congratulations and stated that Mexico will continue to have positive working relationships with the United States. Leaders of the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Rwanda, Israel, Palestine, and other countries voiced similar messages.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Chinese President [[Xi Jinping]] stated to Trump that he placed "great importance on the China-U.S. relationship, and look[s] forward to working with you to uphold the principles of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation." Japanese Prime Minister [[Shinzō Abe]] said "The stability of the Asia-Pacific region, which is a driving force of the global economy, brings peace and prosperity to the United States. Japan and the United States are unwavering allies tied firmly with the bond of universal values such as freedom, democracy, basic human rights and the rule of law."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: German Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] expressed that it was "difficult to bear" some of the confrontations during the Trump campaign. She expressed her interest in working with President-elect on shared values, such as respect for individuals irrespective of their religion, gender, or heritage. Merkel stated that the relationship with the U.S. is "a foundation stone of German foreign policy." French President [[François Hollande]] said that his country would need to be strong in the face of an upcoming "period of uncertainty... What is at stake is peace, the fight against terrorism, the Middle East and the preservation of the planet."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] "expressed confidence that the dialogue between Moscow and Washington, in keeping with each other's views, meets the interests of both Russia and the U.S." After stating that the relationships between the United States and Russia had degenerated over time, he declared that "Russia is ready and wants to restore the fully fledged relations with the U.S." Putin said that the engagement should be "based on principles of equality, mutual respect and a real accounting each other's positions."


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: Turkish President [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] said that he hoped that the Trump presidency would be a "beneficial" step towards worldwide democracy, liberty, and fundamental rights.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: German Justice Minister [[Heiko Maas]] tweeted: "The world won't end, but things will get more crazy". Germany's Defence Minister, [[Ursula von der Leyen]], wanted to know if the U.S. would maintain its [[NATO]] commitments, since Trump had suggested during his campaign that the U.S. should consider NATO allies' level of military commitment before coming to their aid. [[Jens Stoltenberg]], [[Secretary General of NATO]], offered his congratulations and welcomed Trump to the [[NATO Summit]] in 2017 to discuss how to respond to the "challenging new security environment, including hybrid warfare, cyberattacks, the threat of terrorism." He further stated that continuing to build a strong NATO presence is good for the United States and for Europe.


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: [[Marine Le Pen]], leader of the far-right [[National Front (France)|Front National]] party, sent her congratulations and exclaimed, "peuple américain, libre! " () [[Nigel Farage]], the outgoing leader of the [[UK Independence Party]] and [[Brexit]]er, said he was handing his "mantle" over to Trump. Trump was supported by other right-wing and far-right leaders in various countries, including [[Austria]], [[Germany]], [[Serbia]], the [[Czech Republic]], [[Belgium]], the [[Netherlands]], and [[Italy]].


title: Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign

text: After the 2020 election, protests against Trump were held in many cities across the United States for over one week beginning the day following the election. Trump said that some of the protesters were "professional protesters" who were protesting him because they did not know him. Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, had called the protesters "spoiled crybabies".


title: Osees

text: Osees are an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1997, now based in Los Angeles, California. The band currently consists of primary songwriter and core member John Dwyer (vocals, guitar), Tim Hellman (bass), Dan Rincon (drums), Paul Quattrone (drums) and Tomas Dolas (keyboards). Osees sound incorporates a wide range of rock genres, including 1960s garage rock and psychedelic rock, punk rock, noise rock, art punk, and 1980s post-punk.


title: Osees

text: Initially an outlet for Dwyer (Coachwhips, Pink and Brown and The Hospitals) to release experimental home recordings, Osees evolved into a full band, featuring Brigid Dawson (vocals, keyboard), Petey Dammit (bass, guitar), Mike Shoun (drums), and Lars Finberg (drums, guitar). Over the course of several releases and genre transitions, the band became noted for their prolific discography, energetic live shows, and whimsical visual aesthetic. The band has changed its lineup and name several times, having previously been known as Orinoka Crash Suite, OCS, Orange County Sound, The Ohsees, The Oh Sees, Thee Oh Sees, and Oh Sees.


title: Osees

text: In late 2013, it was announced that the band would be entering a hiatus. A new studio album, however, entitled "Drop", was released in 2014, and Oh Sees subsequently toured as a three-piece, with Sic Alps bassist Tim Hellman and White Fence drummer Nick Murray replacing Dawson, Dammit!, and Shoun. In 2015, Dawson returned to the band, in a studio capacity, for its next studio album, "Mutilator Defeated At Last". Following its release, Dwyer and Hellman began touring with two drummers, Ryan Moutinho and Dan Rincon, replacing Murray. Touring extensively, this line-up recorded the band's seventeenth and eighteenth studio albums, "A Weird Exits" and "An Odd Entrances", with Moutinho departing in late 2016 to focus on his own projects.


title: Osees

text: With the arrival of new drummer Paul Quattrone, and an ever-increasing public profile, the band recorded its nineteenth album, "Orc", with co-producers Ty Segall, Eric Bauer and Enrique Tena. In late 2017, Dwyer reunited with Dawson for a primarily acoustic album, "Memory of a Cut Off Head", which returned to the band's lo-fi roots, and featured several former and current Oh Sees members.


title: Osees

text: After two studio albums featuring a heavy, progressive rock sound—"Smote Reverser" (2018) and "Face Stabber" (2019)—the band changed its name to Osees in July 2020, with the announcement of their twenty-third album, "Protean Threat". The group continued to release prolifically under the new name, putting out "Metamorphosed", alongside a remix album and an EP before the end of 2020. The band's twenty-sixth album, "A Foul Form", was released on August 12, 2022.


title: Osees

text: John Dwyer began releasing songs on compilation albums under the name Orinoka Crash Suite as early as 1997. Initially, OCS served as a solo project for Dwyer while he focused on his participation in other groups, including Pink and Brown, Zeigenbock Kopf, and Coachwhips.


title: Osees

text: The first album, simply titled "1", was released in 2003 by Tumult Records as the first full album under the OCS name. The first disc was based around acoustic songs, and was individually referred to as "34 Reasons Why Life Goes On Without You". The second disc was a series of "noise" tracks called "18 Reasons To Love Your Hater To Death." None of the songs on either disc have titles. The album's song credits are mostly attributed to John Dwyer, though three are credited to Jeff Rosenberg, who was the drummer under the pseudonym "Brown" in Pink and Brown. The album features several guest musicians, but no one who would continue on to the next album, entitled "2". The album was reissued on vinyl by No Coast Records for the first time in 2022.


title: Osees

text: "2" was released in 2004 by Narnack Records, and was made in a similar fashion to "1", but with a greater focus on Dwyer as a solo performer.


title: Osees

text: The band slowly transitioned from being Dwyer's side project into his primary group, as his other bands Coachwhips and Zeigenbock Kopf both disbanded during this period (2005 and 2006, respectively).


title: Osees

text: OCS became a two-piece with the addition of Patrick Mullins who played percussion and saw. The arrangements continued to be simple, though bolstered by the addition of Mullins. The project's third and fourth studio albums, "Songs About Death & Dying Vol. 3" and "" were released as a two-CD set in 2005. "3" was available both as part of this set, and as an individual vinyl release. "4" did not see a vinyl issue until 2008.


title: Osees

text: Brigid Dawson was previously a member of the duo Mix Tape with Meric Long of The Dodos. She had been working in a coffee shop in San Francisco, and would frequently see Dwyer visit the shop and put up flyers for his upcoming shows. The two became fast friends, and Dwyer eventually asked Dawson to join the band after seeing one of her shows. Her role includes duet/backing vocals, keyboards, and tambourine. Dawson will occasionally perform lead vocals (in the cases of "Invitation" on "Sucks Blood" and "What Are We Craving?" on "Castlemania").


title: Osees

text: As a trio, the band released "The Cool Death of Island Raiders" in 2006, their first release under the name The OhSees. The album was co-produced by TV on the Radio members Dave Sitek and Kyp Malone.


title: Osees

text: Petey Dammit! joined the group in 2007, as a bassist and occasionally second guitarist. Dammit was previously a member of the two-piece band Tres Ferocious. John Dwyer was familiar with the band's work, and asked him to join when he was looking to expand the lineup of The Ohsees. Dammit's bass playing uncharacteristically involves using an ordinary electric guitar that is fed through an electronic device that makes it sound like a bass guitar. His method of doing this is intentionally kept a secret. Dammit typically favors Fender Jazzmaster guitars for this task, but in "Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion", he is also seen using a blue Italia Mondial without this manipulation, for songs that were not recorded with a bass guitar.


title: Osees

text: The album "Sucks Blood" followed in 2007. It would be the final studio album to feature Patrick Mullins, but he would appear later in the live DVD/album "Thee Hounds Of Foggy Notion" that was released in 2008. Mullins moved to Louisville, Kentucky and in 2010 he released a solo album called "Don't Go To Sleep".


title: Osees

text: Jigmae Baer played for a year as the group's drummer after Mullins had left the band. He recorded with the band for their Tascam 388 recordings, as well as their sessions with Dave Sitek. His work can be heard on "Sucks Blood", "The Master's Bedroom is Worth Spending a Night In", and various 7" and 10"s releases during this period. Baer went on to play with Ty Segall in both his solo act and in The Perverts. Baer then founded the Royal Baths and currently is a founding member of LODRO.


title: Osees

text: Mike Shoun joined the band as the new drummer after Baer's departure. Shoun's arrival coincided with the band's change into a louder garage punk based sound.


title: Osees

text: With the new four-piece lineup established, the scope of the band's music and success started to increase. "The Master's Bedroom is Worth Spending a Night In" was released in 2008, under the name Thee Oh Sees. This album is also notable for being the first collaboration with Chris Woodhouse, a mix engineer and guest musician who would continue to appear on the albums that followed. The band released their album "Help" in 2009. This was their first album released on In the Red Records, the label for most of their main releases up until 2013. The album, "Dog Poison", was also released this year, an acoustic take on the newer, more upbeat sound of the band.


title: Osees

text: "Warm Slime" arrived in 2010, following strongly in the footsteps of "Help". The album's first side is dominated by the title track, with a running time of 13:30. The song's long format and repetitive structure foreshadowed the krautrock influence that would become a larger part of their sound in the new decade.


title: Osees

text: On April 28, 2011, Patrick Mullins rejoined the band for a one-off performance at the Cafe Du Nord in their hometown of San Francisco. The band played songs from the albums "4" through "The Master's Bedroom is Worth Spending a Night In". Most of these songs had not been included in the setlists for some time.


title: Osees

text: The recording of 2011's "Castlemania" was solely undertaken by John Dwyer and Brigid Dawson and a series of other notable musicians. Petey Dammit and Mike Shoun would record on the year's latter album "Carrion Crawler/The Dream" along with new member Lars Finberg (from The Intelligence). Finberg joined as a full-time second drummer and second guitar player, but continues to lead and tour with The Intelligence. Dawson and Dwyer approached 2012's "Putrifiers II" in a similar manner as the group recorded "Castlemania".


title: Osees

text: In 2011, the band's single "Tidal Wave" was featured in the "Breaking Bad" episode "Salud", where it plays over Gus Fring's poisoning of Don Eladio and his capos.


title: Osees

text: In 2013, "The Dream", from "Carrion Crawler/The Dream" was included in the soundtrack for the video game Grand Theft Auto V.


title: Osees

text: On April 16, 2013, The band released "Floating Coffin". The album was released on Castle Face Records, a label that John Dwyer co-owns with Brian Lee Hughes and Matt Jones. The album was the first since "The Master's Bedroom ... " to be self-released. Later that year, they released the "Moon Sick EP", a collection of four songs from the "Floating Coffin" sessions that were excluded from the album. The EP was released as a benefit for Healthy San Francisco, a healthcare organization that had aided Dwyer and his friends over the years.


title: Osees

text: On December 18, 2013 during a show at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall, Dwyer announced to the crowd "This will be the last Oh Sees show for a long while. So dig in."


title: Osees

text: In an interview with "SF Weekly", the band's tour manager Annie Southworth confirmed the news, noting that Dwyer was looking to take some time off as he made the move from San Francisco to Los Angeles. She added, "They need a break after 5 years straight, so yes ... hiatus time. Will be a little hard to continue with all the different locales so who knows what is going to happen ... Cross fingers, we all are that it's not completely over."


title: Osees

text: The statements led to rumors that the band was entering an indefinite hiatus, or breaking up. On December 20, 2013, the band cleared the rumors by posting on their official site that a new LP will be coming in early 2014, and "we will see where the live shows go from there." On February 12, it was announced that the album, entitled "Drop", would be released on April 19 through Castle Face Records. It was created by John Dwyer and Chris Woodhouse, similar to the creation of previous Thee Oh Sees albums like "Putrifiers II", "Dog Poison", and "Castlemania".


title: Osees

text: Brigid Dawson relocated to San Marin, CA, where she continues to paint and exhibit artwork. Mike Shoun & Petey Dammit have remained in the Bay Area. Dammit appeared as the bassist on Dylan Shearer's Empty Cellar Records/Castle Face release "garagearray", released on April 15, 2014. In 2014, Dammit joined former member Lars Finberg's band, The Intelligence.


title: Osees

text: Since the dispersal of the band members, the band's live performances have been as a trio, with drummer Nick Murray, and bassist Timothy Hellman. Brigid Dawson's roles as a vocalist and keyboardist have not been filled. John Dwyer explained the reason for the latter in an interview with Uncut magazine: "The future of the band doesn't hold much keyboard, I want to go more guitar. I'll still record with a keyboard but I'm burned out with it live. I've been getting trapped into synthesizer land, I'm just surrounded by drum machines and keyboards while all my rock and roll stuff is in another studio." Brooklyn Vegan noted that while the band is currently touring as a trio, this should not be considered a permanent, "official" lineup change.


title: Osees

text: In 2015, however, the new line-up of the band entered the studio to record its fourteenth studio album, "Mutilator Defeated At Last", with Brigid Dawson returning to the band as its backing vocalist. Following the album's release, drummers Ryan Moutinho and Dan Rincon joined both Dwyer and Hellman in the band's live line-up. In 2019, the album came at no.23 on "Happy Mag"'s "25 Best Psychedelic Rock Albums of The 2010s" with high praise of the albums "textured density." In February 2016, the band released a stand-alone single from the album's sessions, entitled "Fortress", and announced a live album, "Live in San Francisco", from its accompanying tour, which was released on July 1, 2016.


title: Osees

text: With the core line-up solidifying into the four-piece of Dwyer, Hellman, Moutinho and Rincon, the band toured extensively, releasing a new single, "Plastic Plant", alongside an announcement that they'd be releasing a new album entitled "A Weird Exits" on August 12 of that year. A second album recorded during the same sessions, "An Odd Entrances", was released on November 18, 2016. Two days prior to its release, Ryan Moutinho departed from the band, stating: "I'm not here to list reasons as they are personal and the list would be far too long. ... Thank you for coming to the shows and giving every ounce of energy to us. I promise I tried my very best to give it back in return. I don't see this as closing old doors but opening new ones." In January 2017, drummer Paul Quattrone (!!!, Modey Lemon) joined the band onstage for two benefit shows at the Teragram Ballroom, Los Angeles.


title: Osees

text: On June 7, 2017, Dwyer announced the name of the band has changed to Oh Sees and released a track entitled "The Static God" from their upcoming record "Orc", which was released on August 25, 2017.


title: Osees

text: Three days after "Orc"s release, Dwyer announced that the title of the band had yet again changed back to the original moniker of OCS, and released the track "Memory of a Cut Off Head" from the album of the same name, due out November 17, as the 100th record on Castle Face. The band made it clear that this was a one time name for this album only, and returned to the lineup of Dwyer and Dawson, as well as returning to their original hushed sound. On December 28, 2017, the band announced the return to the name Oh Sees along with a new EP, "Dead Medic", consisting of two long tracks from the "Orc" sessions, including a cover of "A Few Days of Reflection" by the Swedish Band Träd, Gräs, och Stenar


title: Osees

text: The band released a track entitled "Overthrown" on May 21, 2018, from their record "Smote Reverser", which was released on August 17, 2018. In addition, the band announced an expansion to their on-going tour.


title: Osees

text: The band released a 21-minute track titled "Henchlock" on June 25, 2019, from their record "Face Stabber", which was released on August 16, 2019.


title: Osees

text: On November 23, 2019, the band released "The 12" Synth" including two 20-minute tracks on the YouTube channel of Castleface Records, under the name of "Osees". The album was made available on Spotify after a few weeks, December 10, 2019.


title: Osees

text: The band released its first full-length studio album under the Osees name, "Protean Threat", on September 18, 2020. A week later, on September 26th, the band released a streamed live performance with Levitation. The full performance was later uploaded to the Levitation YouTube channel in 2021. A month later, the band released "Metamorphosed" on October 16th, which featured a few leftover songs from the production of "Face Stabber", as well as two longer tracks. The band closed off the year releasing "Panther Rotate", a "companion LP [to "Protean Threat"] of remixes, field recordings, and sonic experiments", as well as "Weirdo Hairdo", an EP featuring a cover of The Spiders' "Don't Blow Your Mind". On December 19th, Osees released another streamed live performance where they performed covers of Black Flag, Liket Lever, and Faust songs, as well as a good bunch of their own.


title: Osees

text: In a September 2012 interview with New York Music News, Petey Dammit explained the band's philosophy on recording:


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: Gitanas Nausėda (born 19 May 1964) is a Lithuanian economist, politician and banker who is serving as the ninth and incumbent President of Lithuania since 2019. He was previously director of monetary policy at the Bank of Lithuania from 1996 until 2000 and chief economist to the chairman of SEB bankas from 2008 until 2018. Nausėda ran as an independent in the 2019 presidential election, which he won with over 66% of the vote in the runoff.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: From 1982 to 1987 he studied in Vilnius University, Faculty of Industrial Economics and from 1987 to 1989 in the Faculty of Economics.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: From 1990 to 1992 he did a practice at the University of Mannheim in Germany under the DAAD scholarship.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: He defended his PhD thesis "Income Policy Under Inflation and Stagflation" in 1993. Since 2009 he is an associate professor at Vilnius University Business School.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: Having completed his studies, from 1992 to 1993 he worked for the Research Institute for Economics and Privatization.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: From 1993 to 1994 he worked for the Lithuanian Competition Council as a head of the Financial Markets Department.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: From 1994 to 2000 he worked at the Bank of Lithuania, initially in the department regulating the commercial banks and later as a director of the Monetary Policy Department.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: From 2008 to 2018 he was the financial analyst as well as chief adviser and later the chief economist for the SEB bankas president.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: On 17 September 2018, Nausėda announced his candidacy for the 2019 Lithuanian presidential election. He finished just 2,000 votes behind former Finance Minister Ingrida Šimonytė in the first round, and defeated her in the runoff with 66 percent of the vote.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: He was officially inaugurated on 12 July. Nausėda presented acting Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis's candidacy to continue his duties on 18 July. By the time he had spent a month in office, Nausėda was considered to be the most trusted politician in Lithuania according to polls conducted by the Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT).


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: In April 2020, President Nausėda and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had their nations' first presidential tête-à-tête in 10 years. Following the Lukashenko government's crackdown on protesters after the disputed 2020 Belarusian presidential elections (which were widely regarded as unfree and unfair) and the resulting protests, Belarusian opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fled to Lithuania. Nausėda's leadership during the crisis has been noted for being one that augmented Lithuania's role among European Union nations. On 12 August, he ordered that Lithuania open its borders to all Belarusians for humanitarian purposes. That day, he also presented a plan on the settlement of the crisis, being supported by Latvia and Poland, which consisted of three points that included a call for the creation of a national council from the Belarusian Government and civilian society. In an interview with "Sky News" on 13 August, he declared Lukashenko as "no longer the legitimate leader".


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: Nausėda has been critical of the safety of the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant in Belarus. In May 2020, during a conference call with Armenian Premier Nikol Pashinyan, he called on Armenia to share its experience with the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant to Belarus over concerns over the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: On 23 May 2021, in the immediate aftermath of the hijacking of Ryanair flight 4578, where two journalists outspoken against the Lukashenko regime in Belarus were arrested, Nausėda called for EU recognition of Belarusian airspace as “unsafe for civilian aviation” and the immediate release of the arrested journalist Roman Protasevich. By the evening of May 23 Nausėda has secured the support of both the leaders of Latvia and Estonia in recognising Belarusian airspace as unsafe to enter.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: Nausėda has made multiple efforts to engage in better relations with Poland, being seen as a personal ally of the Polish leadership. On 16 July, four days after his inauguration, he visited Warsaw to meet with President Andrzej Duda in his first foreign visit as president. During the visit, there were calls for him to establish a more personal relationship with the country. He also rejected any attempt by European Union leaders to sanction Poland for its actions in relation to the Supreme Court of Poland and the rest of the country's judiciary. On 22 November, Nausėda and Duda, as well as the First Lady of Poland Agata Kornhauser-Duda participated in the state funeral of commanders and participants in the 1863–1864 uprising against Tsarist rule in Vilnius. During his visit to Vilnius, Duda highlighted the Central European nations' unity importance for their independence. In January 2020, Nausėda joined Duda in pulling out of 5th World Holocaust Forum, who criticized the event for giving the speaking slot to Russian president Putin, who has himself criticized Poland's WWII history by engaging in a historical revisionist campaign.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: During a meeting in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in August, Nausėda urged her to maintain sanctions against Russia. In an interview with LRT on 14 August, he reiterated past positions that a potential meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be "pointless" due to the fact that Lithuania sees "the true danger" and "risks" of being on the border with Russia.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: On 24 February 2022, Nausėda has strongly condemned the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and called for heavy sanctions on Russia.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: In November 2019, he referred to the Steinmeier formula suggested by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a solution to the Russo-Ukrainian War as being "more profitable for Russia than Ukraine".


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: On 23 February 2022, a day before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Nausėda together with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda visited Zelensky in Kyiv to express solidarity and support. During the visit, Nausėda said: "In the face of Russian aggression, Ukraine will not be left alone... We will support Ukraine with all possible means." Following the invasion, Nausėda called for military, economic and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: In January 2022, Nausėda criticized the government's creation of a de facto embassy of Taiwan with the inclusion of "Taiwanese" in the name, an act interpreted by the People's Republic of China as a breach of the One-China policy and resulted in a degradation in political and economic relationships. The President clarified that while he does not object to the opening of the embassy, he was not consulted on the naming decision.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: During the 2020 parliamentary elections Ingrida Šimonytė, former opponent of Nausėda in the 2019 presidential election, was elected to the position of prime minister. He publicly broke with the government's decision to create a defacto embassy of Taiwan bearing the country's name in the title.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: Nausėda has welcomed many foreign leaders and dignitaries to Lithuania since taking office, including Latvian President Egils Levits, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Canadian Governor-General Julie Payette.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: Nausėda's father, Antanas Nausėda (1929-2022), was an engineer. His mother Stasė Nausėdienė (1932–2014) was a physics and mathematics teacher from the village of Lazdininkai. His sister Vilija (born 1959) is an economist. In 1990, he married Diana Nausėdienė. They have two daughters. In addition to his native Lithuanian, Gitanas Nausėda speaks English, German and Russian. Since 1997 he has been collecting antique books.


title: Gitanas Nausėda

text: Environmentalists have criticized Gitanas Nausėda for building a modern private household in Pavilniai Regional Park, nearby Pūčkoriai exposure—a unique geological object declared to be a nature monument in 1974. Then-advisor for SEB bankas, Nausėda replied by stating that he had acquired a legal permit for such a construction to take place here. The Directorate of the Pavilniai Regional Park tried to fight back against this ruling, but to no avail. "It's a shame that people till this day can't admit being wrong and that the court had acknowledged this as well. That time I showed good will and did not demand the court to ask money from them for a lawsuit that lasted for 2–3 years. But it seems people don't get that", Nausėda reacted. According to the director of the Directorate of the Pavilniai Regional Park Vida Petiukonienė, even though experts had confirmed that the permit to construct a modern house in the park is not in accordance with the law, the court had ordered to reconcile the project. "This is the reality of life, this is how things work in this world, we can only feel sorry. The situation we are in is one of those ridiculous instances, a mockery of the country, laws, and people who go to work in order to commit to these laws. In other words, us", Petiukonienė has commented.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) or Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) (), is an Iranian political-militant organization. It advocates overthrowing the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and installing its own government. Its revolutionary interpretation of Islam contrasts with the conservative Islam of the traditional clergy as well as the populist version developed by Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1970s. It is also Iran's largest and most active political opposition group.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The MEK was founded on 5 September 1965 by leftist Iranian students affiliated with the Freedom Movement of Iran to oppose the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The organization engaged in armed conflict with the Pahlavi dynasty in the 1970s and contributed to the overthrow of the Shah during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. It subsequently pursued the establishment of a democracy in Iran, particularly gaining support from Iran's middle class intelligentsia. After the fall of Pahlavi, the MEK refused to take part in the March 1979 Iranian Islamic Republic referendum, which led to Khomeini preventing Massoud Rajavi and other MEK members from running for office. By 1981, authorities had banned the MEK and begun a major crackdown on the group's members and supporters, driving the organization underground.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In June 1981, the MEK organized the 20 June 1981 Iranian protests against the Islamic Republic in support of president Abolhassan Banisadr, claiming that the Islamic Republic had carried out a secret coup d'état. Afterwards, the government arrested and executed numerous MEK members and sympathizers. As the Iran regime started to clamp down on civil and human rights, the MEK initiated attacks targeting the clerical leadership that lasted until 1982.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In 1983, the MEK started an alliance with Iraq following a meeting between Massoud Rajavi and Tariq Aziz. In 1986, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) requested France to expel the MEK from its base in Paris, so in response, it re-established its base in Iraq. The MEK then sided with Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war taking part in several operations against the Islamic Republic. It was involved in Operation Mersad, Operation Forty Stars, Operation Shining Sun and the suppression of the 1991 uprisings in Iraq. Following Operation Mersad, Iranian officials ordered the execution of thousands of political prisoners said to support the MEK.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In 2002, the MEK was a source for claims about the nuclear program of Iran. Following the occupation of Iraq by U.S.-led coalition forces in 2003, the MEK signed a ceasefire agreement with the U.S. and put down their arms in Camp Ashraf. The European Union, Canada, the United States, and Japan have previously listed the MEK as a terrorist organization. The MEK is designated as a terrorist organization by Iran and Iraq.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In June 2004, the U.S. designated MEK members in Camp Ashraf ‘protected persons’ under the Fourth Geneva Convention, relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War which expired in 2009 after the attainment of the full sovereignty of Iraq. Its critics have described the group as "resembling a cult", while its backers describe the group as proponents of "a free and democratic Iran" that could become the next government there.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The MEK was founded on 5 September 1965 by leftist Iranian students affiliated with the Freedom Movement of Iran to oppose the Shah Pahlavi. Mohammad Hanifnejad, Saeed Mohsen and Ali Asghar Badizadegan are mentioned as the founders of the MEK. The MEK was the first Iranian organization to systematically develop a modern revolutionary interpretation of Islam.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The MEK opposed the rule of the Shah, considering him corrupt and oppressive, and considered the mainstream Liberation Movement too moderate and ineffective. Although the MEK are often regarded as devotees of Ali Shariati, in fact, their pronouncements preceded Shariati's, and they continued to echo each other throughout the late 1960s and the early 1970s. Its members mainly belonged to the Iranian intelligentsia, particularly the salaried middle class, college students, teachers, civil servants, and other professionals. According to Ervand Abrahamian, the MEK's "modernist interpretation of Islam appealed to the educated youth, who, while still culturally attached to Islam, rejected its old-fashioned clerical interpretations". Unlike the clergy, it accepted Western concepts (especially in the social sciences).


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In its first five years, the group primarily engaged in ideological work. According to Ervand Abrahamian, their thinking aligned with what was a common tendency in Iran at the time – a kind of radical, political Islam based on a Marxist reading of history and politics. The group's main source of inspiration was the Islamic text Nahj al-Balagha, a collection of analyses and aphorisms attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib. Despite some describing a Marxist influence, the group never used the terms "socialist" or "communist" to describe themselves. During the 1970s, the MEK propagated radical Islam through some of Ali Shariati's works (as opposed to their own publications, which were banned in Iran at the time). The MEK (and Shariati) claimed that Islam should oppose feudalism and capitalism; should eradicate inhumane practices; should treat all as equal citizens, and should socialize the means of production. The MEK also adopted elements of Marxism in order to update and modernize their interpretation of radical Islam.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: According to Jamestown Foundation the MEK tried to kidnap the U.S. Ambassador to Iran Douglas MacArthur II in 1970. Some sources attribute the attempted kidnap to other groups.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: By August 1971, the MEK's Central Committee included Reza Rezai, Kazem Zolanvar, and Brahram Aram. Up until the death of the then leader of the MEK in June 1973, Reza Rezai, there was no doubt about the group's Islamic identity. During August–September 1971, SAVAK managed to strike a great blow to the MEK, arresting many members and executing the senior members, including its co-founders. SAVAK had severely shattered MEK's organizational structure, and the surviving leadership and key members of the organization were kept in prisons until three weeks before the revolution, when political prisoners were released.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: Some surviving members restructured the group by replacing the central cadre with a three-man central committee. Each of the three central committee members led a separate branch of the organization with their cells independently storing their own weapons and recruiting new members. Two of the original central committee members were replaced in 1972 and 1973, and the replacing members were in charge of leading the organization until the internal purge of 1975.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: By 1973, the members of the Marxist–Leninist MEK launched an "internal ideological struggle". Members who did not convert to Marxism were expelled or reported to SAVAK. This new group adopted a Marxist, more secular and extremist identity. They appropriated the MEK name, and in a book entitled "Manifesto on Ideological Issues", the central leadership declared "that after ten years of secret existence, four years of armed struggle, and two years of intense ideological rethinking, they had reached the conclusion that Marxism, not Islam, was the true revolutionary philosophy".


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: This led to two rival Mojahedin, each with its own publication, its own organization, and its own activities. The new group was known initially as the Mojahedin M.L. (Marxist–Leninist). A few months before the Iranian Revolution, the majority of the Marxist Mojahedin renamed themselves Peykar (Organization of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class) on 7 December 1978 (16 Azar, 1357). This name derived from the League of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class, which had been a left-wing group in Saint Petersburg, founded by Vladimir Lenin in the autumn of 1895. Later, during the Iranian revolution, Peykar merged with some Maoist groups. From 1973 to 1979, the Muslim MEK survived partly in the provinces but mainly in prisons, particularly Qasr Prison where Massoud Rajavi was held.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In August 1971, the Shah's security services arrested 69 members of the MEK, with additional arrests and executions following in 1972 that "practically shattered the organization". Further infighting within the organization followed, with a breakaway group highjacking the MEK name and identity. Other analysts support this, including director of research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Patrick Clawson, claiming that "Rajavi, upon release from prison during the revolution, had to rebuild the organization, which had been badly battered by the Peykar experience".


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The group conducted several assassinations of U.S. military personnel and civilians working in Iran during the 1970s. Between 1973 and 1975, the Marxist–Leninist MEK increased their armed operations in Iran. In 1973, they engaged in two street battles with Tehran police and bombed ten buildings including Plan Organization, Pan-American Airlines, Shell Oil Company, Hotel International, Radio City Cinema, and an export company owned by a Baha’i businessman. In February 1974, they attacked a police station in Isfahan and in April, they bombed a reception hall, Oman Bank, gates of the British embassy, and offices of Pan-American Oil company in protest of the Sultan of Oman's state visit. A communiqué by the organization declared that their actions had been to show solidarity with the people of Dhofar. On 19 April 1974, they attempted to bomb the SAVAK centre at Tehran University. On 25 May, they set off bombs at three multinational corporations.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: Lt. Col. Louis Lee Hawkins, a U.S. Army comptroller, was shot dead in front of his home in Tehran by two men on a motorcycle on 2 June 1973. A car carrying three American employees of Rockwell International was attacked by MEK in August 1976. William Cottrell, Donald Smith, and Robert Krongard were killed working on the Ibex system. Leading up to the Islamic Revolution, members of the MEK conducted attacks and assassinations against both Iranian and Western targets. In May 1972, an attack on Brig. Gen. Harold Price was attributed to the MEK.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The MEK was one of the supporters of the occupation of the American embassy in Tehran after the Iranian revolution. MEK described the eventual release of the American hostages a "surrender"


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: According to George Cave, CIA's former Chief of Station in Tehran, MEK hit squad members impersonated road workers and buried an improvised explosive device under the road that Brig. Gen. Harold Price regularly used. When he was spotted, the operative detonated the bomb, destroying the vehicle and disabling Price for the rest of his life. Cave states that it was the first instance of remotely detonating that kind of bomb.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: Vahid Afrakhteh, a founding member of Peykar, confessed to the killings of Americans, and later was executed. Bahram Aram and Vahid Afrakhteh both belonged to the (Marxist) rival splinter group Peykar that emerged in 1972, and not the (Muslim) MEK. Despite this, some sources have attributed these assassinations to the MEK.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In 2005, the Department of State also attributed the assassinations of Americans in Iran to Peykar. The Country Reports issued in April 2006 stated: "A Marxist element of the MEK murdered several of the Shah's US security advisers prior to the Islamic Revolution".


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: By early 1979, the MEK had organized themselves and recreated armed cells, especially in Tehran. The MEK (together with other guerilla organizations) helped overthrow the Pahlavi regime. "Le Monde" reported that "In the course of two decisive and dramatic days, the guerilla organizations, both Marxist and non-Marxist, had managed to bring down the Pahlavi monarchy". "Ayandegan", the independent mass circulation daily, wrote that it had been predominantly the Feda'iyan and the MEK who had defeated the Imperial Guards. In January 1979, Massoud Rajavi was released from prison and rebuilt the MEK together with other members that had been imprisoned with him at Qar, and "Kayhan", the mass circulation evening paper, said that the MEK, the Feda'iyan and other left-wing guerillas had played the decisive role in the final battles of 11 February.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The first person to speak at length on national television immediately after the revolution was the father of three members of MEK who had been killed, Khalilollah Rezai. One of the first persons to address Iran on Radio Tehran was a MEK spokesman who congratulated the country for the revolution and hailed "His highness Ayatollah Khomeini as a glorious mojahed". The MEK had managed to emerge from the underground onto the public arena, although it would soon enter into conflict with Khomeini. Asghar Ali described the MEK as "using [Islam] for serving the exploited masses". The author said that although the MEK lacked the prestige of Khomeini, they were "certainly fighting the poor and downtrodden, giving Islam a radical image".


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: After the Islamic Revolution, the MEK grew quickly, becoming "a major force in Iranian politics" according to Ervand Abrahamian. The MEK represented Islamic leftists who had fought the Shah's regime independently of Ayatollah Khomeini, and later MEK drew strong public support after the revolution and became a leading opposition to the new theocratic regime.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The group supported the revolution in its initial phases, however. It participated in the referendum held in March 1979, and its candidate for the head of the newly founded council of experts was Massoud Rajavi in the election of August 1979. However, he lost the election.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: It has also been suggested that the group supported the U.S. embassy takeover in Tehran in 1979. According to Ervand Abrahamian and Kenneth Katzman, the MEK "could not have supported the hostage taking because the regime used the hostage crises as excuse to eliminate its internal opponents".


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The MEK further launched an unsuccessful campaign supporting total abolition of Iran's standing military, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, in order to prevent a coup d'état against the system. They also claimed credit for infiltration against the Nojeh coup plot.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: Khomeini did not like the MEK's philosophy, which Steven O'Hern describes as "combined Marxist theories of social evolution and class struggle with a view of Shiite Islam that suggested Shiite clerics had misinterpreted Islam and had been collaborators with the ruling class", and after the fall of the Shah, Khomeini had little use for the MEK.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The MEK refused to participate in the December 1979 Iranian constitutional referendum organized by the Islamic Republican Party to ratify the Constitution drafted by the Assembly of Experts. The MEK was joined in its boycott by other groups that opposed the new constitution, including the People's Fedayeen and the Muslim People's Republican Party. Despite the opposition, the 3 December 1979 referendum vote approved the new constitution.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The MEK argued that the new constitution had "failed to set up proper councils, nationalize foreign holdings, guarantee equal treatment to all nationalities, give 'land to the tiller', place a ceiling on agricultural holdings and accept the concept of the classless tawhidi society". Once the constitution had been ratified, the MEK proposed Rajavi as their presidential candidate. In his campaign, Rajavi promised to rectify the constitution's shortcomings.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: As a result of the boycott, Khomeini subsequently refused to allow Massoud Rajavi and MEK members to run in the 1980 Iranian presidential election, and the MEK was also unable to win a single seat in the 1980 Iranian legislative election. Instead, Rajavi allied with Iran's new president, Abolhassan Banisadr, elected in January 1980, and the group began clashing with the ruling Islamic Republican Party while avoiding direct and open criticism of Khomeini. The MEK was in turn suppressed by Khomeini's revolutionary organizations and harassed by the Hezbollahi, who attacked MEK meeting places, bookstores, and kiosks of the Mojahedin.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: While Khomeini and the MEK had allied against the Shah, Khomeini "disliked the MEK's philosophy, which combined Marxist theories of social evolution and class struggle with a view of Shiite Islam that suggested Shiite clerics had misinterpreted Islam and had been collaborators with the ruling class", and by mid-1980, clerics close to Khomeini were openly referring to the MEK as ""monafeghin"", ""kafer"", and ""elteqatigari"". The MEK in turn accused Khomeini and the clerics of "monopolizing power", "hijacking the revolution", "trampling over democratic rights", and "plotting to set up a fascistic one-party dictatorship".


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In 1980-81, the MEK and other leftist and moderate groups rallied in favor of President Abolhassan Banisadr to resist a total takeover by the Islamic Republic Party. The Islamic Republic answered by "unleashing an unprecedented reign of terror", shooting demonstrators, including children. In less than six months, 2,665 persons, 90 per cent of whom were MEK members, were executed. By early 1981, Iranian authorities had closed down MEK offices, outlawed their newspapers, prohibited their demonstrations, and issued arrest warrants for the MEK leaders, forcing the organization go underground once again.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The Islamic Republic's Chief Prosecutor also banned MEK demonstrations, and in an open letter to Ayatollah Khomeini, the MEK warned that if all peaceful avenues were closed off they would have no choice but to return to "armed struggle". In a letter to President Bani-Sadr, the MEK requested the president as the "highest state authority, to protect the rights of citizens, especially their right to demonstrate peacefully". "We have ignored past provocations, but as good Muslims we have the right to resist and to take up arms if necessary, particularly if the monopolists deprive us of our rights to demonstrate," the MEK stated. According to Ervand Abrahamian, the ban on demonstrations met with protests not only from intellectuals well known in secular circles, but also from veterans of the anti-Shah struggles.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: On 20 June 1981, the MEK organized a peaceful demonstration in Tehran. Khomeini's Revolutionary Guards suppressed the demonstration, resulting in "50 deaths, 200 injured, and 1000 arrested". The MEK responded by declaring war against the Government of Islamic Republic of Iran, and initiating a series of bombings and assassinations targeting the clerical leadership.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: Many MEK sympathizers and middle-level organizers were detained and executed after June 1981. Others were sent to rehabilitation camps, while about eight to ten thousand were kept in prison for minor charges such as "possession of copies of clandestine the Mujahid newspaper and similar acts of defiance". In 1982 the MEK group in Paris claimed that Khomeini's "re-education campaign" involved ordering repenting MEK members to "join the firing squads in charge of executing their former comrades in arms". That same year, the Pasdaran assassinated MEK's field commander, his wife, Massoud Rajavi's wife, and six others. Between June 1981 and April 1982, approximately 3500 MEK members were killed.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: According to Professor Cheryl Bernard, the mass execution of political prisoners carried out by the Islamic Republic in 1981 caused the MEK to split into four groups: those that were arrested, imprisoned or executed, a group that went underground in Iran, another that left to Kurdistan and a final group that left to other countries abroad. By the end of 1981, the principal refuge for many exiled members of the MEK had become France. From 1982 to 1988, the lingering underground presence of the MEK in Iran nevertheless remained operational went on to perform an average of sixty operations per week, resulting in assassinations of important Khomeini deputies.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: By the middle of the year 1980, clerics close to Khomeini were openly referring to the MEK as ""monafeghin"", ""kafer"", and ""elteqatigari"". The MEK, instead accused Khomeini of "monopolizing power", "hijacking the revolution", "trampling over democratic right", and "plotting to set up a fascistic one-party dictatorship".


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In February 1980 concentrated attacks by "hezbollahi" pro-Khomeini militia began on the meeting places, bookstores and newsstands of Mojahedin and other leftists.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: On 22 June 1981, IRGC and "Hezbollahis" responded to anti-regime demonstrations against the dismissal of President Abolhassan Banisadr, to what came to be known as "reign of terror" in Iran. The Warden of Evin prison announced the firing squad executions of demonstrators, including teenage girls. According to Sandra Mackey, the MEK responded by targeting key Iranian official figures for assassination: they bombed the Prime Minister's office, attacked low-ranking civil servants and members of the Revolutionary Guards, along with ordinary citizens who supported the new government. The MEK was the first group carrying out suicide attacks in Iran.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: According to Ervand Abrahamian, the MEK attacked the regime for "disrupting rallies and meetings, banning newspapers and burning down bookstores, rigging elections and closing down Universities; kidnapping imprisoning, and torturing political activists; reviving SAVAK and using the tribunals to terrorize their opponents, and engineering the American hostage crises to impose on the nation the ‘medieval’ concept of the velayat-e faqih".


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: Although the MEK had fought against Iraq in September 1980, it called for peace and signed a peace agreement with Iraq in 1983, "calling the continuation of the war as illegitimate". According to Alireza Jafarzadeh, the MEK had managed to halt Iraqi air raids on Iran on various occasions.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In 1981, the MEK formed the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) with the stated goal of uniting the opposition to the Iranian government under one umbrella organization. The MEK says that in the past 25 years, the NCRI has evolved into a 540-member parliament-in-exile, with a specific platform that emphasizes free elections, gender equality and equal rights for ethnic and religious minorities. The MEK claims that it also advocates a free-market economy and supports peace in the Middle East. In 2002 the FBI reported that the NCRI has always been "an integral part" of the MEK and is its "political branch". MEK is today the main organization of the NCRI, although the NCRI previously hosted other organizations, such as the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The foundation of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the MEK's participation in it allowed Rajavi to assume the position of chairman of the resistance to the Islamic Republic. Because other opposition groups were banned from legal political process and forced underground, the MEK's coalition build among these movements allowed for the construction of a legitimate opposition to the Islamic Republic.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The organization gained a new life in exile, founding the National Council of Resistance of Iran and continuing to conduct violent attacks in Iran. According to Ronen Cohen, the MEK's "presence in Iraq was proof for Iraq that the MEK's diplomatic wing, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), as an authentic representative of the Iranian community diaspora, which opposed the present religious government in Iran and that it had nothing to do with Iraqs's unilateral hostility." According to Patrick Cockburn "Israeli commentators have confirmed the MEK-Israeli connection", although the MEK have denied any association with Israel.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The MEK came to be considered Iran's "largest and most active Iranian exile organization", and its publications were commonly circulated within the Iranian diaspora.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The MEK claims that over 100,000 of its members have been killed and 150,000 imprisoned by the regime, but there is no way to independently confirm these figures. Ambassador Lincoln Bloomfield writes that during this period there was growing resistance across Iran that concluded with vast pro-democracy demonstrations led by MEK leader Massoud Rajavi. Khomeini’s government had been “secured at gunpoint with brute force”, driving Iran’s “first and only freely elected president” Albolhassan Bani-Sadr into exile in what Ervand Abrahamian described as a "reign of terror" and Marvin Zonis called "a campaign of mass slaughter".


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In 1981, Massoud Rajavi issued a statement shortly after it went into exile. This statement, according to James Piazza, identified the MEK not as a rival for power but rather a vanguard of popular struggle:


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In 1982, the Islamic Republic cracked down MEK operations within Iran. This pre-emptive measure on the part of the regime provoked the MEK into escalating its paramilitary programs as a form of opposition.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In January 1983, then Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq Tariq Aziz and Massoud Rajavi signed a peace communique that co-outlined a peace plan "based on an agreement of mutual recognition of borders as defined by the 1975 Algiers Agreement". According to James Piazza, this peace initiative became the NCRI's first diplomatic act as a "true government in exile". During the meeting, Rajavi claimed that the Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, had been "the only person calling for the continuation of the [Iran-Iraq] war".


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: Eventually, the majority of the MEK leadership and members fled to France, where it operated until 1985. In June 1986, France, then seeking to improve relations with Iran, expelled the MEK and the organization relocated to Iraq. MEK representatives contend that their organization had little alternative to moving to Iraq considering its aim of toppling the Iranian clerical government.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: In 1986, after French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac struck a deal with Tehran for the release of French hostages held prisoners by the Hezbollah in Lebanon, the MEK was forced to leave France and relocated to Iraq. Investigative journalist Dominique Lorentz has related the 1986 capture of French hostages to an alleged blackmail of France by Tehran concerning the nuclear program.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: According to James Piazza, Khomeini intended the MEK to be exiled to an obscure location that would weaken their position. However, Iraq hastened to court the MEK "prior to its ousting". The MEK moved its base to Mehran. The Islamic Republic of Iran took an "extensive aerial bombing campaign to push the MEK from their position," and the MEK retaliated with a bombing spree.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: The Islamic Republic launched two military operations against the MEK in 1986-1987 named "Nasr" (one and two). This attack on the MEK "failed to eradicate the guerrilla bases along the Iran-Iraq Kurdish borders".


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: On 27 March 1988, the NLA launched its first military offensive against the Islamic Republic's armed forces. The NLA captured 600 square-kilometres of Islamic Republic territory and 508 soldiers from the Iranian 77th infantry division in Khuzestan Province. The operation was named "Shining Sun" (or "Operation Bright Sun"). "2,000 Islamic Republic soldiers were killed and $100 million worth of regime weaponry and equipment was captured and displayed for foreign journalists," Massoud Rajavi added.


title: People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran

text: On the night of Saturday 18 June 1988, Iraq launched the Operation Forty Stars with the help of the MEK. With 530 aircraft sorties and heavy use of nerve gas, they attacked to the Iranian forces in the area around Mehran, killing or wounding 3,500 and nearly destroying a Revolutionary Guard division. The forces captured the city and took positions in the heights near Mehran, coming close to wiping the whole Iranian Pasdaran division and taking most of its equipment.