"Handcuffs, Freezers and the New Normal"

This isn’t about partisanship. This is about whether our democracy survives another election cycle under a man who sees the Constitution as nothing more than an inconvenience.

Let me tell you something that should shake every American to their core: when a sitting United States Senator is handcuffed in broad daylight, during a live press conference, for doing his job; holding power to account, you are no longer living in a democracy as you know it. What happened to Senator Alex Padilla wasn’t a breakdown in protocol. It wasn’t a miscommunication with security. It was a message. And trust me, I’ve received that message before, loud and chillingly clear.

Padilla’s so-called “disruption” at a Kristi Noem press conference wasn’t even disruption at all. It was democracy in action. But under Trump’s regime; yes, regime, because we’re not dealing with a presidency anymore, that kind of dissent is a crime. The handcuffing of Padilla wasn’t about enforcing order. It was about making an example. It was about fear, humiliation, and control. It was about reminding everyone watching; especially the political opposition, that if they step out of line, they too can be dragged away, bound at the wrists, their voice silenced and dignity stripped in front of the cameras.

And don’t think for a second this is an isolated incident. I’ve lived through the darker version of that same stunt. I’ve seen what happens when you challenge Trump from the inside. I was his right-hand man, his fixer, his confidant; and the second I told the truth, the second I wouldn’t lie for him anymore, the full weight of his vengeful government came crashing down on me.

When they remanded me back to prison in July 2020 for refusing to sign an illegal gag order, they didn’t just cuff me; they tried to break me. Before I was sent back to solitary at Otisville, they locked me in a frigid holding cell for three hours. A concrete freezer. No blanket, no jacket, no explanation. Just the ice-cold air of retaliation. I wasn’t just a prisoner; I was a warning. A human caution sign for anyone else thinking of standing up to Donald Trump.

You think Padilla’s cuffs were just about optics? No. They’re about power. They're about domination. About instilling the kind of fear that makes people hesitate before speaking the truth. That makes journalists pull punches, lawmakers second-guess protests, and everyday Americans wonder, “Could I be next?”

You cannot separate what happened to me from what’s happening now to Padilla, or to countless others being targeted by this administration. They may use different tools, but it’s the same authoritarian playbook: dehumanize the opposition, create a spectacle out of dissent, and criminalize anyone who resists.

The Republicans calling for Padilla to be censured aren’t defending law and order. They’re defending Trump’s growing appetite for authoritarianism. And don’t be fooled by the suits and the Senate chambers; they are executing a strategy of political warfare, not governance. When they back the handcuffing of a senator, when they remain silent as journalists are fired under pressure, or as troops are deployed on U.S. soil to crush peaceful protest; they are telling you, “This is the new normal. Get in line, or pay the price.”

This isn’t about partisanship. This is about whether our democracy survives another election cycle under a man who sees the Constitution as nothing more than an inconvenience. Trump isn’t trying to win on policy or vision; he’s trying to rule by fear. And he's winning battles not because he's right, but because too many people are too scared to fight back.

When I sat freezing in that cell, abandoned by the very system I once defended, I understood exactly what was happening. It wasn’t justice. It was revenge. It was about silencing the man who knew too much and talked too loud. And now they’re pulling the same trick with elected officials like Padilla. They’ll do it to anyone they need to shut up.

But here’s the truth: fear only works if we let it. Silence is complicity. And if we don’t stand up now; for Padilla, for the Constitution, for ourselves, for me, we’re handing the keys to the country over to a man who has proven, again and again, that he will burn it all down just to watch himself rise from the ashes.

So no, I won’t stop shouting. I won’t stop warning you. Because what happened to me was the beginning. What’s happening to Padilla is the middle. And if we don’t stop this, the end comes next; and it doesn’t look like freedom.

THIS IS A CRITICAL PERSONAL APPEAL
JOIN ME. STAND WITH THIS COMMUNITY. WE CANNOT DO THIS ALONE.

If you’re reading this, you’re already part of the resistance. You believe in truth. In justice. In dragging the roaches of corruption into the light. But let me be brutally honest: I can’t do this without you.

This isn't just another newsletter; it's a war cry. A movement. A battering ram aimed at the liars, the grifters, and the authoritarian wannabes hijacking our democracy. And we need to grow this platform into a voice so loud, so relentless, that they can’t spin it, silence it, or shut it down.

I’m calling on you; not passively asking, but urgently demanding, to fuel this fight. We are the last line of defense between democracy and dictatorship.

And yes; as a small token of my appreciation, the first 240 Founding Members will receive a signed, numbered, limited Substack edition of my New York Times bestseller, Revenge: How Donald Trump Weaponized the U.S. Department of Justice Against His Critics. It’s not just a collector’s item. It’s a declaration of where you stood when history came calling.

But this isn’t about a book.
This is about defiance.
About refusing to be gaslit.
About locking arms and shouting back at the madness.

Here’s how you can raise your voice:

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You want to make a difference? This is your moment.
Rise up. Speak out. Show up.
Because if we don’t fight for truth; no one will.
And if we do it together? They’ll never drown us out.

Let’s be impossible to ignore.
Let’s be un-fucking-breakable.
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