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On 14 June 2016, the unreliable web site Intellihub published an item claiming hacked Twitter messages belonging to Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson revealed a detailed plot called the Summer of Chaos which involved Attorney General Loretta Lynch: The item included purported screenshots of conversations between Mckesson and other activists: Similarly unreliable outlet DC Clothesline repeated the rumor on 6 July 2016, reiterating that U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch is coordinating with Democratic activists to so disrupt the upcoming Republican and Democratic National Conventions that martial law will be declared. The item included transcriptions of the circulating screenshots of conversations between Mckesson and fellow activist Johnetta Elzie: The transcript and messages contained an implausible level of detail for ongoing discussions (of which those involved would already be apprised), involving hard-to-swallow exposition ensuring those who read them weren't left wondering who the players involved or desired outcome of the plotting might be. Had Mckesson and his collaborators truly been engaged in complex, high-level planning with the assistance of the Obama administration, the messages would likely involve broad terms used among individuals already immersed in the plots. Referencing Lynch by name was unnecessary save to create the connection desired, and presumably a conspiracy of that level would occur on a far more secure channel of communication. The article concluded with credible but largely unrelated proofs arranged to appear as if they supported the claim: Intellihub referenced the hacking of Mckesson's accounts, which occurred on or around 10 June 2016. Subsequent reports explained that individuals posing as Mckesson gained control of his high-profile Twitter account: Within days of the hack, the purported screenshots began circulating on Twitter. They quickly gained traction among social media users and bloggers convinced that several years of protests and demonstrations were engineered by the government in an effort to destabilize society, implement martial law, and enable President Obama to cancel the 2016 election and seize a third term in the Oval Office. The screenshots primarily pertained to the busing of paid protesters in to disrupt conventions and Donald Trump rallies, and made no mention of shooting law enforcement agents or creating unrest at Black Lives Matter protests. After the shooting deaths of five Dallas police officers at a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest, the June 2016 claims about Mckesson, Lynch, and a planned Summer of Chaos became far more popular on Twitter and other social media platforms. Notably, the tragedy in question bore no resemblance whatsoever to the content of the purported messages; according to the original rumors, Mckesson was the lynchpin of plans to disrupt ... both conventions and not unleash violence on a protest he supported several thousand miles away from either later event. Imposition of martial law has been a consistent fear among Americans for decades, despite the minute chance it could occur in the United States. In September 1863, President Abraham Lincoln essentially imposed a Congressionally-authorized form of martial law via the suspension of habeas corpus (controversial even then). The Supreme Court heard an appeal for a writ of habeas corpus brought by condemned prisoner Lamdin P. Milligan in 1866, who argued his arrest, trial by military tribunal, conviction, and sentence to death by hanging were unconstitutional. The Court ruled in favor of Milligan, finding that imposition of martial law destroys every guarantee of the Constitution, and effectually renders the 'military independent of and superior to the civil power'; Justice David Davis said that in the opinion of the court, no circumstance warranted either the President or Congress [to seize] the legal right to impose military justice on civilians outside an actual war zone[.] . We contacted Mckesson to ask about the rumors and whether the messages were authentic. Mckesson confirmed earlier reports that his account was hacked in June 2016, adding that the messages shared were fabricated by parties unknown after the fact. Given the messages in no way hinted at disruptions to Black Lives Matter protests or violence against police officers prior to the tragedy in Dallas, reference to them as a harbinger of the shootings was moot. In a sense. the claims were similar to cold readings done by psychics, in that the claim's assertions were interpreted as hits when in fact the details were entirely off-base. Regardless of their accuracy, Mckesson stated that the messages were not authentic.
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