Yet again, a leftist has been caught perpetrating a hate hoax.
This time, the suspect is one Taral Patel, a Democratic candidate for Precinct 3 Commissioner in Fort Bend County, Texas. He is charged with creating a fake online persona and making racist comments that appeared to have come from supporters of his Republican opponent.
Not surprisingly, Patel worked for President Joe Biden at the White House in at least two capacities, and as well at the Department of Justice.
But justice is what awaits Patel. He is charged with a third-degree felony.
His is not quite a Jussie-Smollett level hoax, but, alas, he gave it the old college try.
The Hoax
Patel perpetrated the hoax, the 15-page arrest warrant alleges, in a Facebook post on September 18.
The son of Indian immigrants “who flocked to these shores like many before us in search of freedom and opportunity,” he wrote, “I have dedicated my life to giving back as an active volunteer, community member, and lifelong public servant.”
Patel said he is “guided by my faith, shared American values, and cultural heritage” to help fellow Fort Bend County residents. He bragged about his humanitarian impulses.
But then came an accusation that supporters of his opponent, incumbent Commissioner Andy Meyers, attacked him with racist epithets.
“As your Democratic candidate for County Commissioner, I am always open to criticism of my policy positions and stances on issues,” he wrote:
However, when my Republican opponents supporters’ [sic] decide to hurl #racist, #anti-immigrant, #Hinduphobic, or otherwise disgusting insults at my family, faith community, colleagues, and me — that crosses a line. Fort Bend County’s diversity has made us all stronger, and these hateful images (a small sample attached here) are from a place of deep and misguided fear — incited by people like former President Donald Trump and today’s extremist Republican party fear that immigrants are “taking their jobs” and setting out to hurt our own communities.
In fact, immigrants are “taking their jobs.” But forgetting that, after some eyewash about America’s being “a meaningful experiment in democracy and freedom,” he explained what another victim of “xenophobic attacks during the height of COVID” told him:
“The next time you hear or see someone making an anti-immigrant or racist comment, call them out. Stand up for your neighbors, your coworkers, and your children’s classmates. Stand up for Fort Bend, our nation’s most diverse County. In doing so, you’ll be standing up for a better future America, the land of the free and home of the brave.”
There followed a collage of putative Facebook posts that included the following from one “Antonio Scalywag”:
- “I am with Meyers ALL THE WAY … unlike Patel and his followers who worship Monkey and Elephant.”
- “Was he even born here? Probably communist.”
- “Trust me. Andy Meyers is a true Christian. Our first commandment orders us to denounce all false gods like the monkey and elephant.”
Concerned, Meyers contacted the Texas Rangers, who in turn assigned a detective to find out just who “Antonio Scalywag” was, the arrest warrant says.
Using subpoenaed material from Meta, Facebook’s parent, and other computer data, the Rangers found out that Patel was “Antonio Scalywag,” and, worse still, that he appropriated the photo of a Fort Bend businessman for “Scalywag’s” profile photo.
Thus did Patel “commit the offense of Online Impersonation, a third degree felony,” and without the businessman’s consent “and with the intent to harm, defraud, intimidate or threaten any person, did then and there use the persona [of the businessman] to create a web page using the name ‘Antonio Scalywag’” on Facebook and to “post or send one or more messages using the name ‘Antonio Scalywag.’”
Fort Bend County Republican Party Chairman Bobby Eberle released a statement reacting to Patel’s arrest, calling the situation “deeply concerning.”
“Whether Republican or Democrat, such tactics should be unequivocally condemned by all who value integrity and accountability in politics,” county GOP chieftain Bobby Eberle said. “This is not a partisan issue, and the good people of Fort Bend County should be able to trust that when allegations are made, they are sincere.”
Continued Eberle:
Fort Bend County residents deserve better leadership than someone who will create a fake account and post manufactured racist attacks — attempting to turn neighbor against neighbor — for political gain.
They also deserve someone who knows how to spell “scallywag.”
Who Is Taral Patel?
Patel is no small-timer in Democratic politics, his campaign website says.
Biden put him in the Office of the White House Liaison to “to work on matters related to housing, urban development, and disaster recovery and resilience.”
As well, he claims to have been a “key member” of the White House committee on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.
Amusingly, he also claims to have worked in the “public integrity section” of the Justice Department. He was also a governor’s “deputy finance director” and a staffer in the Texas House of Representatives with a focus on transportation, and, again amusingly, “government accountability and transparency.”
Despite that resumé, the arrest and probable felony conviction likely mean that Patel is untouchable as a candidate for some time into the future.
H/T: Fox News
