'Fringe' sheriffs movement listening to god over law pledges to stop ‘stolen election’
The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association is ready to protest the 2024 election results, which they think could be "stolen."
Wired spoke to a radical group of lawmen who follow the law of God over the U.S. Constitution and pledge an oath to uphold it.
The reporter spoke to Dar Leaf of Barry County, Michigan, and Richard Mack, who is no longer a sheriff, about their participation in the group, which the Southern Poverty Law Center refers to as an anti-government organization with links to extremist groups.
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While at a Las Vegas convention for others like them, Mack pointed to Leaf as someone "doing more than anyone to uncover election interference."
The pro-Trump sheriff is refusing to accept the 2020 election results, even though his county was solidly in the GOP column. He tried to seize voting machines and continues to promote conspiracy theories.
Meanwhile, Leaf is also running militia training courses for "potential jurors, homeschoolers, ladies and gentlemen" to "get a standard AR-15 type military grade weapon" and "500 rounds of ammo." He also intends to patrol polling stations to ensure no "illegal" immigrants vote.
Mack maintains a relationship with convicted seditionist and Oath Keeper Elmer Stewart Rhodes. However, Mack emphasizes that the CSPOA is a nonviolent movement, but Wired said that speaking to subscribers on his webinar, he's "darker."
During an event in August, he said that the 2024 election would "probably" be stolen. He also said he believes Democrats could let Trump win to bring about a civil war.
“The only way I see Trump winning is if they decide they want Trump to be in, that those who cheated last time are actually going to make sure he gets in,” Mack said. “Why do they want Trump in? Because they want the civil war to begin, and the violence that will be happening across this country will be horrendous.”
"For years, sheriffs like Leaf, who believe they have unlimited power to interpret and enforce the laws of the land, have operated on the fringes," Wired reported.
So, as the election approaches, those same sheriffs feel empowered to ensure a GOP victory "at all costs," the report said.
Wired sifted through documents and conducted interviews and discovered the Constitutional sheriffs' movement believes that they will ultimately be the "last line of defense" in a battle over elections.
“Sheriffs are really beholden to nobody,” the report said, citing Will Pelfrey, who works as a professor of criminal justice and homeland security at Virginia Commonwealth University. “Once elected, a sheriff has tremendous power, and there have been sheriffs who have been convicted and still hold office. It's a bizarre thing."