With all that’s going on in the news, you could be forgiven for missing the scuttled interview that President Ashleigh Grantham gave to NPR’s Myrtle Campos-Cockle this morning. In an exclusive, NPR says it has confirmed that Grantham toured the RevTech outfit at the Treetops Trailer Community in the last few weeks.

The first part of their conversation is about what you’d expect — Grantham reiterates his intent to increase U.S. funding for Israeli attacks on Gaza and makes the case that he’s the rightful president under the 25th Amendment.

But the real fireworks come at the end of the interview. Grantham becomes unsettled when Campos-Cockle confronts him with evidence that he’s met with Carron Nielsberg and Pastor Kathy Donaldson at Treetops on at least one recent occasion. It’s unclear when the meeting took place, but it’s at least been since RevTech set up shop in Turner Falls; I heard from my own sources who spotted a presidential detail at Treetops in mid-October, but that’s not unusual these days, what with Rudy Ruiz making frequent visits to the trailer community. I’m kicking myself for not following up.

Give it a listen — I’ve posted a transcript below, but it’s worth noting Grantham’s change in tone as he transforms from generically creepy grandpa (“Ms. Myrtle,” ugh) to fully flustered consternation (and perhaps constipation):

MYRTLE CAMPOS-COCKLE: You’ve made it clear both in your campaign and in legal documents that you consider the man who currently claims to be Rudy Ruiz is instead — and I quote — a “billionaire-backed false prophet.” 

PRES. ASHLEIGH GRANTHAM JR: I have said that, and I believe it. I wish it was otherwise. I would’ve followed the Rudy I knew to heaven and back, but my Bible says only one man rose from the grave and that man’s name was — and is — Jesus Christ, amen.

CAMPOS-COCKLE: Well, we’ve got the false prophet part pretty clear, so let’s talk about the “billionaire” part of that statement. Public records show that tech industry leader Carron Nielsberg, who says he’s behind Ruiz’s — let’s call it his ‘reappearance’ — donated a significant amount to the 2020 Ruiz/Grantham campaign. What’s your relationship with Carron Nielsberg today, in light of all that’s happened in the last few weeks?

GRANTHAM: Carron’s a real bright kid, and a credit to the old maxim that the Lord works in mysterious ways. But brightness doesn’t mean there isn’t a darkness underneath, and I surely can’t say what has motivated the boy to make these preposterous claims about resurrection, or revival, or whatever they’re calling it. I don’t know if he’s the mislead or the misleader. I pray for him. It’s all I can do.

CAMPOS-COCKLE: You haven’t met with Nielsberg recently?

GRANTHAM: Sorry honey, could you repeat the question?

CAMPOS-COCKLE: You have not met with Carron Nielsberg, or anyone at his biotech company RevTech, since July 4th of this year?

GRANTHAM: < inaudible muttering >

CAMPOS-COCKLE: Mr. President?

GRANTHAM: I don’t see what relevance your question has here, Ms. Myrtle. My very talented staff meets with constituents all the time. I really couldn’t say.

CAMPOS-COCKLE: < shuffling papers, a pause > This isn’t a photograph of you and your chief of staff touring the RevTech facilities in the Treetops Trailer Community in Texas with Carron Nielsberg and Ruiz White House Chaplain Pastor Kathy Donaldson?

< muffled scuffling, footsteps, possibly Grantham muttering “We’re done here” before his microphone cuts out >

CAMPOS-COCKLE: It seems the president has ended our conversation. We’ll be back in a moment.

NPR has since released a handful of the photos Campos-Cockle pulled out during the interview, which show Grantham — the diminutive white-haired guy standing off to the right of what appears to be a security detail — on a sunny day at Treetops. According to Campos-Cockle’s report, Nielsberg confirmed that he and Donaldson met with Grantham in Turner Falls. (Nielsberg hasn’t returned any of my text messages about the meetup as of this afternoon.)

What’s strange to me is that there’s no real reason for Grantham to deny the meet — it makes some sense that he’d want to see the RevTech operation for himself, and he’s had a friendly relationship with Pastor Donaldson ever since she took up the mantle as White House chaplain in 2020. He’s thrown shade at Nielsberg in campaign materials, but why not admit to visiting Treetops, say he was on some kind of fact-finding trip, and give a standard nothing-to-see-here comment?

It sure looks like the Grantham Administration has something to hide about its ongoing relationship with Carron Nielsberg and RevTech.

What Else I’m Reading Right Now:

• “RSF video investigation into the death of Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah in Lebanon: the journalists’ vehicle was explicitly targeted” (Reporters Without Borders)
• “Federal judge orders immigration agents to stop removing Texas’ concertina wire on the border” (Texas Tribune)
• “The Texas horror movies that we love” (Evil MoPac)
• “Texas officials offer $2K to report poaching of threatened prehistoric-like reptile” (Fox News)

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