Flags lining highway 285 just past Centerville. Photo by Brooke Gilmore.
A Chaffee County Patriots’ Town Hall will occur at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 9 at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church – 118 S. Gunnison Ave, Buena Vista, Colorado 81211.
Attendees may bring “Distressed Flags” to the Town Hall, which will be collected for the Fall Flag Retirement Ceremony.
The Town Hall will have a presentation by Joe Oltmann and former law professor and prosecutor David Clements. Their “Greater Magistrates Tour” will discuss restoring trust in elections. Unlike previous Town Halls and their local speakers, the June 9 session may be a lightning rod by comparison.
Speaker’s Backgrounds
Oltmann and Clements both have been reported as having a history of violent rhetoric and accusations of spreading misinformation, specifically in relation to the 2020 election.
Last year Oltmann came under scrutiny for suggesting that Governor Jared Polis be hanged, later saying it was a joke, according to The Washington Post.
Oltmann is also a big name in defamation lawsuits. AVV previously reported on Oltmann’s unsubstantiated comments that the 2020 election was rigged in relation to the lawsuit involving Dr. Eric Coomer and Dominion Voting Systems.
These comments had local ramifications with Salida local Coomer being forced into hiding after receiving threats. In April 2023, AVV reported on Coomer’s continuing efforts to pursue defamation suits as well.
“While Dr. Coomer’s lawsuits go through the judicial process, he remains steadfast in his quest for justice and to get his cases before a jury. To date, various courts have denied motions to dismiss made by defendants Mike Lindell, OAN, the Trump Campaign, Rudy Giuliani, Sydney Powell, Joe Oltmann, Eric Metaxas, Salem Media, and many others. In no instance has a court sided with the defendants,” said Coomer’s lawyer Charlie Cain.
David Clements is a former business law professor at the University of New Mexico whose career at the school came to an end over disagreements involving COVID-19 policies, the 2020 election, and the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Clements was one of four key influencers tracked in a story by NPR as they investigated the spread of election misinformation throughout the nation.
Reuters investigators did a deep dive into Clements’ history. They wrote about his public doxing of a fellow university employee leading to threats against her life. Ultimately, she required a police escort for the remainder of the semester to keep her safe due to Clements’ actions.
Joe Oltmann has a history with Clements. According to Reuters, “Clements was jobless but not penniless [after his termination from the university], thanks to an early supporter; Joe Oltmann, a prominent right-wing podcaster and election denier. Calling Clements ‘a lightning rod of truth and courage,’ Oltmann launched an appeal on an online crowdfunding site in August 2021. His appeal has since raised more than $300,000 for Clements, the equivalent of three-and-a-half years of his university salary.”
Seeing as how the entire “stolen election” lie is just a tool that enables scammers to grift money from suckers, I have to wonder how much the “Patriots” are paying to host these two deep thinkers.
These harmful individuals should be barred from calling themselves patriots. They give the word a bad name and have done not one thing to deserve such an honor. Spreading lies and inciting acts against our country and violence on fellow citizens is not patriotism it is more like sedition.
Thank you, AVV for providing us with a highly informative context for the speakers’ remarks…