Eric Swalwell - Democrats accused of doctoring pro-Trump tweet shown during impeachment trial
How did images of tweets from Jennifer Lynn Lawrence — an unverified Twitter user — show up with blue check marks during Swalwell's remarks at this week's impeachment proceedings?
A Twitter user accused U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Democrats of manipulating images of her tweets shown during Swalwell's remarks this week at the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
What are the details?
Jennifer Lynn Lawrence — whom JustTheNews characterized as a Christian conservative activist and former Breitbart writer — told the outlet she's not a verified Twitter user, a status denoted by a blue check mark next to the user's name:
So she's wondering how blue check marks wound up next to her name in the images of her tweets flashed onscreen during Swalwell's address:
"I've never been verified on Twitter, so why did my Tweet used in the fact-free impeachment include a verification badge?" she asked. "I'm assuming Democrats faked it like they are faking the whole case. @RepSwalwell why did you add a verified badge to my tweet in your presentation?"
Just the News noted that Lawrence said in an interview on "The John Solomon Reports Podcast" that "if [Swalwell] entered that [tweet] into congressional testimony, it's a verified account, and ... it could be applicable in law. Secondly, he wanted to show that my Twitter account had more gravitas than it actually did. He wanted to show that the president was trying to use me to bring in the cavalry."
The outlet said Swalwell's office did not immediately return its Thursday call for comment.
No doubt you'll recall that Swalwell — a House Intelligence Committee member — came under fire just months ago for his dubious relationship with a Chinese spy.
Wait, there's more
In addition, Swalwell verbally misquoted Lawrence in his address, saying she told Trump "we are bringing the cavalry" — an expression of military force — on Jan. 6, the day of the Capitol riots.
Except on the yellow highlighted image of Jennifer Lynn Lawrence's tweet that Swalwell shared during the trial, the word she wrote is "Calvary" — with a capital "c" as well — which refers to the power of Jesus Christ.
It's worth it to note that there's no blue check mark next to Kremer's name, and she didn't capitalize "calvary."
But Swalwell was only too happy to capitalize on the moment as he repeated his misquoted phrase from Lawrence for emphasis: "We are bringing the cavalry. That was the consistent message. This was not just any old protest. President Trump was inciting something historic. The cavalry was coming."
Swalwell also noted that Lawrence tagged Kremer in her tweet, leading him to conclude that "this is all connected."
Here's the relevant portion of Swalwell's address:
A pastor speaks up
A Christian church pastor, Brian Gibson, was accompanying Lawrence and other activists on their trip to the nation's capital when she posted her tweet in question, Just the News said.
"I was sitting on the bus, and I saw Calvary come through," Gibson told the outlet. "I went back to them and specifically said, 'Hey, guys, you spelled Calvary wrong, right?' This is what I do for a living. I'm a preacher of the gospel. I'm a theology major, so that jumped off the page at me, and words matter, and I want them to be correct. And she said, 'No pastor, I meant it. We meant to write Calvary like that. Because we were standing up for God, preaching the gospel. We have you ministers here that are going to be praying and leading people to Christ. And so that's what that's what we mean.'"
Just the News also said Gibson is a religious freedom advocate who believes Swalwell didn't do anyone any favors by his misquotes.
"We've all learned a lesson in due diligence here, giving someone the benefit of the doubt," he added to the outlet. "And I think what we're seeing ... is a political witch hunt, where people have not crossed their t's, dotted their i's. And it's the wrong way for some of our highest elected officials in the land to behave themselves. So I'm praying for Jennifer, I'm praying for everybody that has been put in harm's way by this reckless behavior."
