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Former President Donald Trump has officially endorsed a plan, created by a man who has self-identified with the Oath Keeper militia, that aims to have Trump supporters consolidate control of the Republican Party.

The plan, known as the precinct strategy, has been repeatedly promoted on Steve Bannons popular podcast. As ProPublica detailed last year, it has already inspired thousands of people to fill positions at the lowest rung of the party ladder. Though these positions are low-profile and often vacant, they hold critical powers: They help elect higher-ranking party officers, influence which candidates appear on the ballot, turn out voters on Election Day and even staff the polling precincts where people vote and the election boards that certify the results.

Just heard about an incredible effort underway that will strengthen the Republican Party, Trump said Sunday in a statement emailed to his supporters. If members of our Great movement start getting involved (that means YOU becoming a precinct committeeman for your voting precinct), we can take back our great Country from the ground up.

Trumps email named Dan Schultz, an Arizona lawyer and local party official who first developed the precinct strategy more than a decade ago. Schultz spent years trying to promote his plan and recruit precinct officers. In 2014, he posted a callout to an internal forum for the Oath Keepers militia group, according to hacked records obtained by ProPublica.

Why dont you all join me and the other Oath Keepers who are inside the Party already, Schultz wrote under a screen name. If we conservatives were to do that, wed OWN the Party.

Federal prosecutors in January charged the leader of the Oath Keepers and 10 of its other members with seditious conspiracy in last years attack on the U.S. Capitol. One of them pleaded guilty, as have several members of the group in related cases who are cooperating with the investigation. The groups leader, Stewart Rhodes, pleaded not guilty.

There is no indication that Schultz had any involvement in the Capitol riot.

Schultz told ProPublica he never became a formal member of the Oath Keepers organization. I have taken oaths to support and defend the Constitution as a West Point cadet, as a commissioned U.S. Army officer and as a practicing attorney, Schultz said in a text message. Those oaths do not have expiration dates, by my way of thinking, and I have kept my oaths. In that sense, I am an oath keeper.

According to experts on extremist groups, the Oath Keepers recruit military and law enforcement veterans using the idea that their oath to defend the Constitution never expired. The group then urges people to resist what they say are impending orders to take away Americans guns or create concentration camps.

I dont ever want to be pulling the trigger on an AR-15 in my neighborhood, Schultz said in a 2015 conference call with fellow organizers, referring to the semi-automatic rifle. Oath Keepers, I love them for instilling the oath. But what they need to do also, I think, is spread the message that hey, we can do stuff politically so we never get to the cartridge box.

In more recent interviews on right-wing podcasts and internet talk shows, Schultz has repeatedly described his precinct strategy as a last alternative to violence.

Its not going to be peaceful the next go-round, perhaps, Schultz said in a June interview with the pro-Trump personality David Clements. But it ought to be, and the way to ensure that it will be is weve got to get enough of these good decent Americans to take over one of the two major political parties.

It was not clear whether Trump or his aides were aware that Schultz has self-identified with the Oath Keepers. Trumps spokesperson, Liz Harrington, did not respond to requests for comment.

Schultz has spent months trying to get his idea in front of Trump. Steve Stern, a fellow movement organizer, told ProPublica that he met a former Trump administration official for lunch at Mar-a-Lago, the ex-presidents private club in Palm Beach, in December. While there, Stern said, he got a chance to briefly mention the project to Trump.

Then, last month, Schultz and Stern landed an interview on a talk show hosted by Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO who promotes conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Lindell said he would discuss the plan with Trump personally. Schultz and Stern followed up with a conference call with Harrington and Bannon, according to Stern. Harrington previously worked at Bannons War Room website.

I know the presidents very jacked up about it, Bannon said on his podcast, speaking with Schultz after Trump released the endorsement. Help MAGA, help the America First movement, right? Help the deplorables, help President Trump, help yourself, your country, community, your kids, grandkids, all of it. Put your shoulder to the wheel.

Bannon, who led Trumps 2016 campaign, originally lifted the precinct strategy to prominence in a podcast interview with Schultz last year. After the episode aired, thousands of people answered Bannons call to become precinct officers in pivotal swing states, according to data compiled by ProPublica from county records and interviews with local party officials.

As of last August, GOP leaders in 41 counties reported an unusual increase in sign-ups since Bannons first interview with Schultz, adding a total of more than 8,500 new precinct officers. The trend appears to have continued since then. New precinct officers started using their powers to remove or censure Republican leaders who contradicted Trumps election lies and to recruit people who believe the election was stolen into positions as poll watchers and poll workers.

Her Story Brought Down Alaskas Attorney General. A Year Later, She Feels Let Down.

Bannon received a last-minute pardon from Trump after the former adviser was charged with financial fraud. He has pleaded not guilty to contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack. Bannons spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

In addition to Bannon and Lindell, the precinct strategy has won support from pro-Trump figures such as former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who urged Trump to impose martial law, and lawyers Sidney Powell and Lin Wood, who led some of the lawsuits seeking to overturn the election results. Right-wing groups such as Turning Point Action, which organized buses to transport rallygoers on Jan. 6, also joined the effort to recruit precinct officers.

While Stern said hes thrilled about Trumps written statement endorsing the precinct strategy, he said he hopes to hear it from Trumps own lips at an upcoming rally. Stern said he plans to be there with tables to sign more people up.

Jeff Kao and Mollie Simon contributed reporting.

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Trump Just Endorsed an Oath Keeper's Plan to Seize Control of the Republican Party - ProPublica

Republicans have spent much of the last year trying to recruit competitive contenders for 2022 U.S. Senate races, but without much luck. There was, however, one more dream candidate the party hoped to convince: Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.

As Republican leaders saw it, the two-term governor would be the most competitive candidate to take on Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in the fall, and so they gave Ducey the hard sell. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell helped lead the lobbying effort, though even George W. Bush got involved, as the party desperately hoped to persuade the Arizonan.

It didnt work. The Arizona Republic reported this morning:

Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey will not run for the U.S. Senate this year, he told donors in a letter obtained by The Arizona Republic, finally putting to rest whether he held aspirations for elected office this cycle. Duceys announcement to some of his closest financial allies ends the long-running effort by national and local Republican leaders and deep-pocketed donors to recruit him for the race against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., whose reelection could decide which party controls the evenly divided chamber.

If the developments sound familiar, its not your imagination. A month ago, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan also announced he was rebuffing his partys overtures and would not launch a Republican Senate campaign. Before that, GOP leaders practically begged Gov. Chris Sununu to run in New Hampshire, and he also said no. Republicans also asked Gov. Phil Scott to run in Vermont, and he gave the same answer.

Now that Ducey has come to the same conclusion, the result is a rough tally for the National Republican Senatorial Committee: Four sitting governors were asked to run, and all four declined.

Remember, theres ample evidence to suggest this will be a very good year for GOP candidates up and down the ballot, so its not as if these governors rejected party overtures because they faced electoral headwinds.

But as we recently discussed, theres a problem Republicans have struggled to overcome: McConnell and his colleagues want to recruit the best possible candidates to run for Senate seats, but theyve also created a chamber that the best possible candidates dont want to be a part of. Sununu, in particular, very nearly launched a Senate campaign, right up until he talked to GOP senators about their governing plans at which point the New Hampshire governor quickly moved in the opposite direction.

It very likely doesn't help that the party's effective leader is a failed former president, from whom none of these governors want to take orders.

The result of these failed recruiting attempts will likely be a Republican Party stuck with several nominees in competitive races who are both far from the American mainstream and difficult to take seriously.

That doesnt necessarily mean theyll lose. It probably wouldnt be appropriate to name names, but the Senate already has some Republican members who are far from the American mainstream and difficult to take seriously, but they got elected anyway.

But GOP leaders hoped to improve the partys odds by recruiting governors whod be well positioned to succeed. That initiative hasnt worked.

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."

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Yet another GOP governor rejects Senate Republican overtures - MSNBC

It has been interesting to watch media and public commentators come to the realisation sometimes slowly that the siege of parliament was not simply an anti-vaccine mandate protest but something with more sinister elements.

While researchers and journalists have noted the toxicity of some of the politics on display, as well as the presence of extreme fringe activists and groups, it should have come as little surprise.

These politics have been developing for some time, heavily influenced by the rise of a particular form of conspiratorial populism out of Donald Trumps America, and by the networking and misinformation possibilities of social media.

Internationally, researchers noted a decisive shift in 2015-16 and the subsequent exponential growth of extremist and vitriolic content online.

This intensified with the arrival of conspiracy movement QAnon in 2017 and the appearance of a number of alt-tech platforms that were designed to spread mis- and disinformation, conspiracy theories (old and new), and ultranationalism and racist views.

While local manifestations developed slowly, there was evidence that some groups and activists were beginning to realise the potential. The Dominion Movement and Action Zealandia embraced these new politics white nationalism, distrust of perceived corrupt elites and media along with the relatively sophisticated use of social media to influence and recruit.

These anti-authority, conspiratorial views have been around in New Zealand for some time within the anti-1080, anti-5G and anti-UN movements.

But we began to see the formation of a loose political community around the 2020 general election. It was notable, for instance, that online material from the Advance NZ party had 30,000 followers and their anti-COVID material was viewed 200,000 times.

COVID gave new impetus to these movements, partly because the pandemic fed many of the now well-established tropes of those inclined to believe in conspiracies the role of China, government overreach, the influence of international organisations like the UN or WHO, or the malign influence of experts or institutions.

Read more: What are the rights of children at the parliament protest and who protects them?

COVID not only encouraged others to be convinced that conspiracies were at work, the lockdowns also meant more were online and more were likely to engage. QAnon proved to be a key influence.

The election saw Advance NZ (and the NZ Public Party), along with the New Conservatives, the Outdoor Party and Vision NZ all peddle versions of COVID scepticism, the distrust of elites or of ethnic and religious others.

Combined, they received 2.73% of the party vote and 3.01% of electorate votes. Not large, but related online activity was still troubling.

By mid-2021, when the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD, a UK-based research organisation) undertook a study for the Department of Internal Affairs of New Zealands extreme online activity, things had ramped up yet again.

The ISD looked at 300 local extremist accounts and 600,000 posts. In any given week, 192 extremist accounts were active, with 20,059 posts, 203,807 likes or up-votes and 38,033 reposts/retweets.

Read more: The NZ anti-vax movements exploitation of Holocaust imagery is part of a long and sorry history

When it came to far-right Facebook pages, there were 750 followers per 100,000 internet users in New Zealand, compared to 399 in Australia, 252 in Canada and 233 in the USA.

Those numbers should give us all pause for thought. The volumes, the relatively high density, the extensive use of QAnon and the mobilisation of a not insignificant part of the New Zealand community indicate the alt-right and its fellow travellers were now well and truly established here.

This is reinforced by the Department of Internal Affairs digital harm log. Not only are the numbers growing, but the level of hate and threats directed at individuals and institutions remains high.

In this context, its not surprising to see these ideologies surface at the occupation of parliament grounds, or the fractious and divided nature of those attending, and that their demands are so diverse and inchoate.

Nor should it come as a surprise that the protesters display a complete unwillingness to trust authorities such as the police or parliament.

For some time, the so-called sovereign citizens movement has been apparent in New Zealand, again heavily influenced by similar American politics. Laws and regulations are regarded as irrelevant and illegal, as are the institutions that create or enforce them.

Whats perhaps more surprising is that New Zealanders have generally not known more about these politics and the possibility they would produce the ugly scenes at parliament.

Read more: The occupation of NZs parliament grounds is a tactical challenge for police, but mass arrests are not an option

While there has been some excellent media coverage, there has been a sense of playing catch-up. The degree of extremism fuelling the protests and the various demands appeared to catch parliament and the police off guard.

Our security and intelligence agencies are devoting more resources to tracking these politics but they need to be more public about it. The Combined Threat Assessment Group and the SIS provide updates and risk assessments, but these often lack detailed information about local activists and actions. We need to be better informed.

Read more: What the 'freedom convoy' reveals about the ties among politics, police and the law

The police are enhancing existing systems to better record hate crimes and activities (Te Raranga), which should become an important source of information.

And the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet will be announcing some of the details of the new centre of excellence, He Whenua Taurika, that will provide evidence of local developments.

If many New Zealanders have been surprised and saddened about the extremist politics visible at the parliament protest, there is now little excuse for not understanding their background and momentum. The challenge now is to ensure further hate crimes or violence do not follow.

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The extremism visible at the parliament protest has been growing in NZ for years is enough being done? - The Conversation

The seizure by the U.S. Department of Justice of $3.6 billion worth of Bitcoin (BTC) lost during the 2016 hack of Bitfinexs cryptocurrency exchange has all the ingredients of a Hollywood film eye-popping sums, colorful protagonists and crypto cloak-and-dagger so much so that Netflix has already commissioned a docuseries.

But, who are the unsung heroes in this action-packed thriller? Federal investigators from multiple agencies including the new National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team have painstakingly followed the money trail to assemble the case. The Feds also seized the Colonial Pipeline ransoms paid in crypto, making headlines last year. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) seized $3.5 billion worth of crypto in 2021 in non-tax investigations, according to the recently released Chainalysis cryptocrime 2022 report.

The trends point to the diminishing ability of nefarious criminals and terrorists to use cryptocurrencies as safe havens to stash their ill-gotten gains, illicit profits, donations and funding away from law enforcement officials. For example, the Bitfinex hackers are reported to have moved a small portion of Bitcoin to darknet exchange Alphabay and from there to regular crypto exchanges. This is one of the leads that the Feds used to apprehend the defendants.

Related: How will DOJs new crypto enforcement team change the game for industry players, good and bad?

Regulators and law enforcement agencies in a select few countries have really upped the ante on blockchain forensics. Although initially lost at sea, some G-men and women have honed the playbook on the search and seizure of assets, prosecution in courts and disposal of seized digital currency after winning the case. Each of these specific steps demonstrates a deep understanding of this disruptive technology.

There are several considerations during the process of investigation, and all require an intimate knowledge of the blockchain space. The blockchains may be transparent but various techniques such as tumblers, mixers, chain hopping and structuring (doing multiple small transfers to avoid scrutiny) must be understood and analyzed. The suspects may be apprehended physically but law enforcement officials must also ensure that digital assets are not moved out of reach by the defendants or by their alleged accomplices. The seized crypto assets must be safely in custody during the pending case.

Related: Crypto in the crosshairs: US regulators eye the cryptocurrency sector

The financial cops certainly do not want the crypto assets stolen while the case is being prosecuted. Usually, confiscated crypto assets are auctioned and the proceeds go into designated government accounts. But, when there are innocent victims, a process for restitution is essential for there to be trust in the judicial system.

Blockchain analysis and forensics do not live alone on a deserted island. There are several layers of collaboration required to bring wrong-doers to justice. Firstly, the growing success of law enforcement in tracking crypto crimes is due to the tightening of Know Your Customer (KYC) norms of entities that handle fiat to crypto and crypto to fiat currency conversions. Then, there are other digital forensic technologies involved, for example, gathering data and evidence from seized mobile phones and computers.

Next, there are private sector partners that support crypto monitoring, enforcement actions and cases. There are now several companies that provide tools for blockchain intelligence such as identifying tainted wallets, assigning risk scores to wallet addresses, using analytics and artificial intelligence techniques to flag suspicious patterns and much more. With such tools and techniques, investigative agencies can be more effective. Armed with KYC information as per Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws, prosecutors and their colleagues in regulatory agencies involving securities, commodities, tax and currency matters pursue the inquiries in the real off-chain world.

Related: Lost Bitcoin may be a donation, but is it hindering adoption?

International collaboration is also critical. Criminal actors would like to keep their assets out of reach of the long arm of the law. Law enforcement agencies need to collaborate with partner agencies in other countries. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which helps harmonize rules and assists in the prosecution of money laundering and stems the funding of terrorism is an important inter-governmental policymaking body. It has made recommendations regarding virtual assets, for example, the case of the Travel Rule, but countries are still in different stages of implementing them. Such are the vagaries of sovereignty and statehood in a financial world in transition, the rules of engagement for which are still under development.

The recent success of the agencies in the U.S. and a few other countries may give the impression that law enforcement agencies everywhere are on top of blockchain forensics. In reality, specialist teams, armed with state-of-the-art blockchain analysis tools, are the exception. Many national agencies have yet to begin building capabilities in this area.

Related: FATF guidance on virtual assets: NFTs win, DeFi loses, rest remains unchanged

As of 2022, more than 50 countries have instituted either absolute or implicit bans on cryptocurrencies. Ironically, even countries that ban crypto or look at them askance will need to master blockchain analysis because digital assets easily cross borders. Watch for law enforcement agencies to hire more blockchain specialists and White Hat hackers.

The intricate dance involved in investigating the Bitfinex hack shows that they might even become BFFs. With financial crimes, the mantra for the legal authorities has always been to follow the money. The public nature of blockchain transactions actually makes it easier to track and trace criminal activity. Working with technologists who know what they are doing makes it even easier.

Crypto libertarians may not like the increased involvement of investigative agencies in the space but the writing on the wall is clear: Such guardrails are better for all involved, consumers and crypto companies alike. The industry cannot be worth trillions of dollars and not attract the watchful eye of regulators.

This article was co-authored by Kashyap Kompella and James Cooper.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Kashyap Kompella, CFA, a technology industry analyst, is CEO of RPA2AI, a global artificial intelligence advisery firm. Kashyap has a bachelors degree (honors) in electrical engineering, an MBA and masters in business laws. He is also a CFA Charter holder. Kashyap is the co-author of Practical Artificial Intelligence: An Enterprise Playbook.

James Cooper is professor of law at California Western School of Law in San Diego and research fellow at Singapore University of Social Sciences. He has advised governments in Asia, Latin America and North America for more than two and a half decades on legal reform and disruptive technologies. A former contractor for the U.S. Departments of Justice and State, he advises blockchain and other technology companies.

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Blockchain forensics is the trusted informant in crypto crime scene investigation - Cointelegraph

Seattle police are investigating after a shooting downtown on March 2, 2022, left one person dead. (Photo courtesy of SPD Blotter)

(Photo courtesy of SPD Blotter)

An investigation is underway after a shooting in downtown Seattle on Wednesday evening left one person dead.

Seattle police officers responded to a shooting in the 1500 block of Third Avenue just after 7 p.m. Wednesday. When they arrived, they found a male victim who appeared to be in his late teens or early 20s with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Officers began first aid, then transferred care to Seattle Fire Department medics. The victim was transferred to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition, where he later died from his injuries.

Homicide detectives were at the scene, along with detectives with SPDs Crime Scene Investigation Unit.

Anyone with information should call the Violent Crime Tip Line at 206-233-5000.

This comes days after another shooting on Third Avenue and Pine Street on Feb. 27. The victim in Sundays shooting died at the scene.

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Young man fatally shot on Third Avenue in Seattle, investigation underway - MyNorthwest