It’s the “vast right-wing conspiracy” all over again, only this time in Oakland. Embattled Mayor Sheng Thao is now claiming that last week’s FBI raid on her residence was caused by mysterious right-wing forces, according to the Washington Examiner’s Zachary Faria — because, as we all know, the FBI is suddenly a bastion of the… far right.
Wait, what?
What if I told you there was a nefarious, convoluted right-wing plot to steal power from Democrats that implicates a president?
And what if I told you the power being stolen was from the mayor of Oakland, California, and that the president was Joe Biden?
This is the incredible conspiracy theory being put forth by Democratic Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, whose house was raided by the FBI last week. She has not yet been charged with a crime, and it is not clear what the raid may be about, but it also comes on the heels of recall organizers turning in signatures for a recall election to boot Thao from office as crime continues to grow worse in Oakland.
We may very well guess this mysterious right-wing cabal also puts forth those recall efforts. This must be a very influential group, indeed, to master this kind of intrigue in Oakland, a jurisdiction that is so blue that it is crossing over into indigo.
Previously on RedState: FBI Raids Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s Residence—Authorities Mum on Reason Why
Here’s the onion:
Thao complained about the FBI not giving her a heads-up that she was being raided. (Where is the “courtesy”?) She declared, “There are a lot of radical right-wing forces who know they will never win an election in Oakland fair and square.” She also implied that the FBI was part of that group, asking why the FBI thought that “the day following the qualification of a recall election, funded by some of the richest people in the Bay Area, seemed like the right day to execute a warrant.”
There’s a lot of crazy to unpack here, but the first interesting layer is her expectation that, whatever the FBI’s reason for raiding her residence was, they should have given her a “heads-up.” Why? So she could move, hide, or destroy evidence? The whole point of these kinds of raids, setting political motivations aside for the moment, is to discover evidence that law enforcement has reason to believe is in said residence. Giving her a “heads-up” sort of defeats the whole purpose.
As for winning an election in Oakland, rather than worrying about vast, mysterious right-wing cabals, which honestly, in Oakland, is well to the left of nuts, maybe Mayor Thao would do better to look at her performance and the performance of liberal Democrat mayors before her, who have turned Oakland into one of the worst cities in the nation.
I would remind you that Oakland is up against some pretty stiff competition as far as being the worst-run city in the country.
See Related: America’s Worst-Run City Should Come As No Surprise
The recall effort against Mayor Thao will be roundly interesting to watch. So will whatever results from this FBI raid — if anything, as the FBI is anything but a bastion of the right anymore. One would wonder if even federal conspiracy charges would sink her in indigo Oakland, but you never know when the voters in a progressive city may have a sudden rush of brains to the head; Oakland and, indeed, most of the Bay Area could use such a turn-around.
If there really are “radical right-wing forces” seeking to unseat Mayor Thao, and should they be successful in turning Oakland even a bluish shade of purple, that would doubtless be an improvement. Maybe they could take their show on the road – starting with San Francisco, right across the bay.
