Beware the establishment grifters (or is it operatives?) hiding behind MAGA slogans

Today I stumbled across a political organization named Drain the Swamp PAC when I received an email blast soliciting money and announcing candidate endorsements and nominations. Now, generally I don’t click on these sorts of emails, but the topic was Arizona, and as a longtime resident of Tucson who unfortunately has firsthand understanding of the political landscape in the state that had “conservatives” prop up John McCain and his acolyte Martha McSally, I suspected the worst and had to find out—unsurprisingly, I was right on the money.

The email begins with this:

Drain The Swamp PAC is pleased to announce the following candidates who have been endorsed for the 2023 elections, and nominated for endorsement for the 2024 elections. These candidates are nominated through [a] grassroots referral process, and in consideration of the candidates [sic] current affiliations, recent past affiliations, and activities for their state and district. Drain The Swamp Committee reviews nominations on the basis of constituent support, professional background, character, policy stances, America First values, and support for President Donald J. Trump.

All sounds great, right? With a name like “Drain the Swamp” and outspoken “support” for President Trump, you’d probably assume that this group was, at least in some capacity, anti-Establishment and America first… and you’d be wrong.

In fact, a number of those names being considered for endorsements (as they’re on the “nominations” list), are RINOs, and even legitimate Democrats.

No, I’m not joking. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has a long history of being a Democrat and still is, which is something anyone could discover if all they did was run a cursory internet search; yet, he’s listed as a nominee. The same goes for Sheriff David Hathaway, the Democrat of Santa Cruz county who reportedly told far-left protestors at Arizona’s border wall he was “so glad” they were there.

Now, for the “RINO” aspect, you’ll need a little context and, with Representative Tom Emmer dominating the headlines given the Speaker events, see below:

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