America's titans of industry and political influence, in their own words.

Welcome back to the Billionaire’s Inbox, where we get a chance to hear from the other half, in its own words. Today we’re looking at how racist conspiracy theories have the potential to influence policy, as they’re read, shared, and internalized by a wildly influential class of political donors.




Joe Ricketts, the 77-year-old self-made billionaire, has since his retirement from AmeriTrade in the early 2000s poured tens of millions of dollars into state and federal elections, launching the Ending Spending Super PAC to promote fiscal responsibility in 2010 and, more recently, donating vast sums to both anti-Trump and pro-Trump Republican organizations during the 2016 elections.

“The Ricketts decided they could not sit back and watch Hillary Clinton become the next president of the United States,” Brian Baker, a Ricketts-associated political operative, told the Wall Street Journal at the time the family pledged their allegiance to the current president’s campaign. In the months after the election the Ricketts family saw its fortune increase a reported $700 million as AmeriTrade stocks jumped, partially in response to the anti-regulatory atmosphere promised by the current administration.



The family’s begrudging support of the current president eventually paid off: On February 1, Todd Ricketts was named the finance chair of the Trump Victory Committee, a joint fundraising committee for the RNC and Trump’s re-election campaign.

Contact the Special Projects Desk This post was produced by the Special Projects Desk of Gizmodo Media. Email us at tips@gizmodomedia.com, or contact us securely using SecureDrop.


As you might know from reading previous installments in our series, all this money spent on political causes has purchased a lot of influence over the years: Joe Ricketts pals around with Bruce Rauner, the former governor of Illinois; he’s made trips to Washington to take meetings with Mitch McConnell and dinners with Paul Ryan; he emails with Senator Ron Johnson about the “money discipline” required to keep Republican officials in check. And as he’s done most of these things outside of the public eye, he has maintained that his interest in federal policy is simply a matter of America’s economic health.



During the 2012 elections, Joe Ricketts spent an obscene amount of money trying to unseat Obama, who, he wrote in an email, was an “ideologue” and a “cheat.” He was also, concurrently, reading and ruminating on the sorts of chain emails that would foreshadow our current political apocalypse: hysterical birther memes, anti-Muslim screeds, frustrated takes on the “Multicultural and Diversity aspects of our culture.”

Joe Ricketts is far from the only elderly white guy with immense power to be duped into entertaining the idea that Obamacare was a Muslim inside job, or to send benign replies in response to racial slurs. But even if he never took any of these emails seriously, it does seem the endless scroll of racist comic-sans sent on by others influenced him enough to bring a fake video to a political strategist on at least one occasion.

When initially contacted by Splinter, Joe Ricketts chose not to comment on the emails that appear below. However, shortly after this story published, he posted a statement on his personal website, writing:


I deeply regret and apologize for some of the exchanges I had in my emails. Sometimes I received emails that I should have condemned. Other times I’ve said things that don’t reflect my value system. I strongly believe that bigoted ideas are wrong.

Ricketts is one node in the establishment that created the Republican Party in its current form: Obsessed with tax cuts for the rich and wary of the impending “welfare” state, savvy enough not to cop to racialized terror in public, but fearful of what it considers a hostile takeover of Christian culture. Any other elderly Nebraskan might take this all-caps xenophobia and half-truth, mix it in with their existing political ideas, and take it to the voting booth.

Guys like Joe Ricketts take their ideas somewhat further.



On Obama calling himself a Muslim:

From: L.K. To: Joe Ricketts


Date: March 22, 2012 Subject: FW: What Obama didn’t get to air on FOX Mr. Ricketts, Below is the video link (with the original preceding message) you were seeking, Regards,


~ L.

From: Joe Ricketts To: Todd Ricketts, Pete Ricketts, [Republican strategist] Fred Davis Date: March 23, 2012


FW: What Obama didn’t get to air on FOX Please scroll to look at these items. Obama calls himself a Muslim. I’ve never seen this before. thx, Joe

From: Fred Davis To: Todd Ricketts, Pete Ricketts, Joe Ricketts


Date: March 23, 2012 Subject: RE: FW: What Obama didn’t get to air on FOX Any clue on what grounds he has been able to keep Fox from running that?

From: Joe Ricketts


To: Fred Davis Date: March 24, 2012 Subject: RE: FW: What Obama didn’t get to air on FOX I don’t have any and I’m not even sure it is true. Joe


From: Fred Davis To: Joe Ricketts Date: March 24, 2012 Subject: Subject: RE: FW: What Obama didn’t get to air on FOX Agree. I’ll check it out.


F

From: Fred Davis To: Joe Ricketts Date: March 24, 2012


Subject: RE: FW: What Obama didn’t get to air on FOX The way that piece was edited and sort of hacked together, made me a tad suspect.

From: Joe Ricketts To: Fred Davis


Date: March 25, 2012 Subject: RE: FW: What Obama didn’t get to air on FOX Good, I just provided this stuff, for whatever it was worth, in case you were interested. Joe

On Muslims as the natural enemy:

From: S.V.

To: Joe Ricketts


Date: May 14, 2012 Subject: FW: Radical Islam Joe, I am sending you several articles on Islam that have some interesting observations. Enjoy. SV [An article called Radicalization of Islam; Western Response is attached.]


From: Joe Ricketts To: S.V. Date: May 15, 2012 Subject: RE: FW: Radical Islam


Please let me give you my thoughts and attitude. I am very conservative and selfish as I look at this as protecting my family. I consider the worst that can happen and develop my attitude. Due to the radical aspect of Islam we can NOT let Iran have the nuclear bomb. We must destroy this ability with whatever we have to do. Christians and Jews can have a mutual respect for each other to create a civil society. As you know, Islam cannot do that. Therefore we cannot ever let Islam become a large part of our society. Muslims are naturally my (our) enemy due to their deep antagonism and bias against non-Muslims. Due to the natural resource of gas (by fracking) that we have in North America we can eliminate the large purchases of oil from the mid-East countries over the next 10 years. (we discussed this in our last communication) Not needing that oil is an important World development that will happen over the next 10 years. In the meantime, and at that time, we must be constantly vigilant against the antagonism and aggression of Muslims against us.


I’m giving some consideration to having a book written with the title “Islam, Religion or Cult”. It would describe many things about Islam but most importantly describe and define where Islam crosses the line from religion to a cult. We must all recognize the Islam is a dangerous element in our society due to its radical aspects.

From: J.G.

To: Joe Ricketts and 11 others Date: October 10, 2011


Subject: Fw: AC-130 Night shift in Iraq turn sound up—some of you may have seen this but worth another view. Go USA—kick their raghead asses

From: Joe Ricketts To: J.G.


Date: October 10, 2011 Subject: RE: FW: AC-130 Night shift in Iraq amazing, thx

On walking back the anti-Muslim stuff:

From: Joe Ricketts To: E.


Date: April 24, 2013 Subject: FW: OEF video on Muslin school - Namasuba Hi, Yesterday I was quite hard on Muslims in our conversation so I wanted to send you this information. I have a private charity that I started and support, Opportunity Education Foundation (we have a web site). My brother is the Chief Administrator. Recently our group returned from Africa after having visited some of the schools we support.


Attached is information on a Muslim school I support in Uganda. Their Thank You letter is the attachment above and a video of their school and our visit is shown below. I particularly like helping Muslim schools to show them that we are not bad people. Cheers, Joe Ricketts

On the ideal percentage of Muslims in a society:

From: [Family friend] S.V. To: Joe Ricketts


Date: June 3, 2012 Subject: FW: Islam in a nutshell? Joe, This is very high on facts. It shows how Islam works and the plan for Sharia Law to become the law of the land. Thought you would be interested. Read it to the very end and send it on to your family. SV

[Note: This forwarded message has been excerpted; it is very, very long]


Islam in a nutshell This, not the Chinese or the Russians represent the greatest threat to the world and might be the fulfillment of the book of Revelation in the Holy Bible. Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond’s book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life. Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.


Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges. When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well. Here’s how it works: As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. [...]


From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves — along with threats for failure to comply. [...] After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim [....] It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.


Today’s 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world’s population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world’s population by the end of this century. Well, boys and girls, today we are letting the fox guard the henhouse. The wolves will be herding the sheep! Obama appoints two devout Muslims to Homeland Security posts. Doesn’t this make you feel safer already? Obama and Janet Napolitano appoint Arif Alikhan, a devout Muslim, as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development. DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano swore in Kareem Shora, a devout Muslim who was born in Damascus , Syria , as ADC National Executive Director as a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC).


NOTE: Has anyone ever heard a new government official being identified as a devout Catholic, a devout Jew or a devout Protestant...? Just wondering. Devout Muslims being appointed to critical Homeland Security positions? Doesn’t this make you feel safer already?? That should make the US ‘ homeland much safer, huh!! Was it not “Devout Muslim men” that flew planes into U.S. buildings 10 years ago?


Was it not a Devout Muslim who killed 13 at Fort Hood ? [ ... ] Therefore, after much study and deliberation. ... Perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. - - - They obviously cannot be both ‘good’ Muslims and good Americans. Call it what you wish, it’s still the truth. You had better believe it. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future. The religious war is bigger than we know or understand. Can a Muslim be a good soldier??? Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, opened fire at Ft. Hood and Killed 13. He is a good Muslim!!!


Footnote: The Muslims have said they will destroy us from within. SO FREEDOM IS NOT FREE. THE MARINES WANT THIS TO ROLL ALL OVER THE U.S. Please don’t delete this until you send it on.




From: Joe Ricketts To: [Administrative assistant] A.F. Date: June 3, 2012 Subject: RE: FW: Islam in a nutshell? A,


Please keep this for me for future reference/use. thx, joe

From: J.G. To: Joe Ricketts and many others Date: February 27, 2012 Subject: FW: STAR TREK


good one

From: Joe Ricketts To: J.G. Date: February 27, 2012


Subject: RE: FW: STAR TREK Good one. thx Hey - let us go fishing in August 2013 at T.K.’s place. What do you think? Joe

From: S.P. To: Joe Ricketts and many others


Date: September 10, 2011 Subject: RE: What The Fire Chief Said Received from my son’s father-in law. I missed this one the new[s] Cheers






From: Joe Ricketts


To: S.P. Date: September 10, 2011 Subject: RE: What the Fire Chief Said very good

From: R.R.


To: Joe Ricketts and one other Date: June 9, 2011 Subject: FWD: elect her for our new president


From: Joe Ricketts To: [Ending Spending President and Ricketts political consultant] Brian baker Date: June 9, 2011


Subject: FW: elect her for our new president hope this is true

On Obama’s past life as a drug mule and gay sex worker:

From: Joe Ricketts To: JG Date: April 22, 2011


Subject: FW: OBAMAS PAST—A Bedtime Story? Have any interest in this J?

Forwarded Message: Following recently published by an IRS agent hired by Trump. Trump is going to be a serious thorn in Obama’s future. Whether completely true; unknown , but his research raises lots of questions about Barry.


Trump is correct, Barry Soetoro, AKA Obama is hiding something in his past that is very bad... and it may not be his citizenship. (Trump would not say this if he did not know something and he has the money to get the dirt...) As an IRS tax examiner, one of many former federal jobs, I have seen many illegal aliens attempting to acquire a new identity in the U.S and/or criminals looking to acquire a new ID. Barry, AKA Obama, was lawfully adopted by a foreign national, Lolo Soetoro, and Barry’s name was legally changed to “Barry Soetoro”. (Barry’s own admission) Barry Soetoro was also made an official legal Indonesian citizen. (again Barry’s own admission) The adoption would be noted in Barry’s vital statistics record in Hawaii on his original birth certificate... OR Lolo Soetoro may have always been Barry’s legal birth farther. The public does not know for sure at this point who Barry’s father really was and Barry himself may not know. Barry was raised as a Muslim in Indonesia and attended a Catholic funded school that permitted all faiths to attend.


Barry’s mother dropped him as a dependent for some reason, maybe even when Barry was adopted by Lolo Soetoro. His mother’s passport records dropped Barry as a dependent indicating Barry was no longer a legal dependent of his mothers. (The passport records of his mother have been produced showing Barry was no longer a dependent when Barry was permanently residing in Indonesia.) Barry went to Hawaii to live with his alleged grand parents after Lolo Soetoro and Barry’s mother divorced. A “certificate of live birth” can have names changed on it including a child’s birth name, and birth parent’s names. Even a modified date of birth can be on a “certificate of live birth”. This occurs frequently for adopted children where the birth parent does not want the child to know who they are. The public has no idea who Barry’s real birth father is or who Barry’s real birth mother is. (Barry could have been adopted by his mother) The original birth certificate is the only legal vital statistics record of a person’s birth parents, birth location, birth date, etc… I can get a “certificate of live birth” for a dead person; I cannot get a birth certificate of a dead person without “Deceased” on it. (I’ve tried) There is no evidence Barry Soetoro ever lawfully changed his name to “Barrack Hussein Obama”. There is no proof Barry Soetoro was born with the name “Barrack Hussein Obama”. I’m willing to bet the name “Barrack Hussein Obama” is not present on the real birth certificate as Barry’s birth name or as Barry’s birth father. I have pictures of me with my mother and Jimmy Buffet… that doesn’t make him my father even if I start using the name Jimmy Buffet. The public knows Barry Soetoro finished high school in Hawaii as Barry Soetoro and attended Occidental as Barry Soetoro where he did drugs and flunked out of school. After dropping out of Occidental, Barry showed up in New York, homeless and on drugs. (Barry’s own admission) Barry then hooked up with a Pakistani to live with and traveled back to Indonesia on his new boyfriend’s dime to renew his Indonesian passport and traveled to Pakistan with him. Ask any law enforcement officer in a large city or detective and they will tell you homeless young men on drugs in large cities usually end up as male prostitutes. Barry ended up as a world traveler with a degree… (Not likely)


Barry Soetoro returned to New York from Pakistan and began using the fictitious name “Obama” for some reason. (again Barry Soetoro’s own admission) One could only suspect that a person addicted to drugs returning from Pakistan to New York, the main route for Afghan heroin into the U.S., maybe Barry had a reason to start using a new name. There are literally over 1 million open warrants on file in New York… maybe Barry is one of them?.... After spending some time in New York allegedly working under the name “Obama”, It appears Barry used the fictitious name “Barrack Hussein Obama” for the first time to file his federal taxes in Connecticut at a Post Office Box for the purpose of evading paying taxes in New York and /or to establish a new identity. (This is a felony with no statute of limitation.) When the IRS received Barry Soetoro’s federal tax filing, the IRS could not attach the name Barrack Hussein Obama to the SSI number provided or the address provided. So the IRS assigned the fictitious name “Barrack Hussein Obama” a tax ID number for a person from Connecticut (Where Barry unlawfully filed a federal tax form using a false name). Barry Soetoro began using the tax ID number as his SSI number when using the fictitious name Barrack Obama. This is why Barry Soetoro has a Connecticut SSI number. When I worked for the IRS, I saw this occur more than once and yes, it is a felony to knowingly file a fraudulent federal tax forms. Most of the politicians that cheat on their taxes claim it was an accident. That is how they get away with their tax cheat crimes. Using a fake name is no accident. It appears Barry fled New York to Chicago using his new identity to get a job . He likely ordered a fake diploma to bolster his new identity as “Obama”. Fake diplomas were very big in the 80s and diploma mills were even being used by federal workers to get promotions. There is evidence his alleged attendance at Columbia was faked (Barry never attended Columbia) and Barry lied his way into Harvard (he had no transcripts to get in)... Including telling the Saudi royal family he was fighting in Afghanistan with the Muslim Jihad against the Russians, so they would help him get into a law school. The Saudi’s apparently loved Barry’s story of Jihad in Pakistan/Afghanistan and paid for Barry to attend Harvard under the name “Obama”. The Saudi family has admitted to paying for Obama to attend Harvard and gave Harvard a gift of $20 million dollars. Harvard in turn made their special attendy President of the law review a person that never wrote a single law review.... I guess that is what $20 million buys at Harvard.


It is unlikely Barry was a Jihadist and was most likely a drug mule if anything, maybe even a CIA street hire to haul Afghan heroin back to New York, so the Afghans could buy U.S. made stinger missiles with U.S. dollars to shoot down Russian helicopters?... I hired people over seas to do work below my pay grade all the time, even foreign nationals... I think this is the story Barry told the Saudi’s, but he was most likely really just a drug mule/dealer and probably still wanted on an outstanding warrant in New York. Barry’s selective service registration is not normal either…http://www.debbieschlussel.com/4428/exclusive-did-next-commander-in-chief-falsify-selective-service-registration-never-actually-register-obamas-draft-registration-raises-serious-questions/ After I looked at Barry’s selective service filing I noticed it was most likely fraudulent too based on the name he used. Barry did not start using the name “Obama” until he returned from Pakistan (long after he flunked out of school in California) His selective service record (maintained in Chicago coincidentally) shows he registered at a Hawaiian post office as “Obama” in Sept 1980... Problem, Barry was getting high in California at Occidental in Sept 1980 (Barry’s own admission) and was not using the fictitious name “Obama” at that time. Barry began using the fictitious name “Obama” only after he returned from Pakistan. The selective service filing is fraudulent. NEW NOTE - On the the Selective Service Registration, Barry did not have the Connecticut Tax ID number he used on the Registration until after he began using the name “Obama” in New York. More evidence his Selective Service filing is fraudulent. Barry returned to Chicago and attend a semi-Christian radical black church with his first female love Michelle. Barry admits keeping in touch with Phil Boener, who traveled to New York from Occidental to be with Barry and was most likely Barry’s first love.


Barry still could not get a real job, because he was still a fraud, even with his Harvard degree in hand he could lie and take the Bar exam, but he could not work as a lawyer for a major law firm without a background investigation and he would never pass one. So, Michelle got Barry a job at her law firm. Barry never filed a case alone and never filed a motion. He wrote lots of memos according to the law firm where Barry worked. (I think they know Barry is a fraud and don’t want to be sued by previous clients) Barry rescinded his law licenses, so as not to be disbarred for fraud. The Bar knows Barry lied on his application. Michelle also had to turn over her law license for her involvement in corruption with the Chicago mayors office. With time on his hands Barry, a well spoken black man, was able to get elected to a state office, oddly because he looked for fraud in his opponents voter registrations and got his opponent disqualified from running. Barry a well versed liar was a natural in state politics. He used his political influence to get himself a position as a lecturer at Chicago’s law school. Barry embellished this position as a “professor of law” which everyone knows is completely false. Barry was not a professor or even a specialist at anything but lying. On a whim Barry ran for United States Senate for the State of Illinois. Politicians do this all the time to make a name for themselves even if they can’t win. At the time the Republican Ryan was a shoe in for the Senate seat, so no real Democrat contenders entered the race, but Barry did. On a fluke after the primary Ryan’s wife Jeri Ryan (Seven of nine from Star Trek) went public that her husband was making her have sex with other people while he watched. Ryan dropped out and Alan Keys moved from Maryland to run against Barry Soetoro. The election got all kinds of press because there was no blacks in the U.S. Senate and one of these black men was going to be a Senator. Alan Keys did his best to warn everyone Barry was not who he claimed to be, but the public saw him as a carpet bagger. Barry kept the lie going and presented himself as a clean black man that talked like a white man... Illinois elected Barry to U.S. Senate. The Democrats had already began scrubbing Barry’s back ground when Ryan dropped out. Phil, Barry’s boy friend from Occidental, was found working in California as a communications specialist (receptionist) for a dental hygienist school and given a diploma from Columbia and cover story. The rest of Barry’s drug friends were all given jobs or money by the Democrat machine to keep quiet.


Because Barry was such a news maker as the only Black in the Senate, and he could speak like a white man he was made key speaker for the Democrat convention. Barry then decided to run for President to keep the lie going. No one thought to question Barry’s back ground in the Democrt party... They helped cover up the ugly back ground. The only person jumping up and down warning Barry was not who he claimed to be was Alan Keys and he was discarded as just an angry loser. Now we have a complete fraud sitting in the Office of the President. Clearly the most corrupt, inexperienced, and ignorant President in the history of the United States who’s only quality is that he can lie with a straight face. He has paid untold millions to keep the cat in the bag.

On Europe’s terrible mistake:



From: D.P.

To: Joe Ricketts Date: March 16, 2011


Subject: FW: A SOBERING ARTICLE

From: Joe Ricketts To: D.P


Date: March 16, 2011 Subject: RE: A SOBERING ARTICLE Yes, very sobering

On diversity and multiculturalism:

From: C.K. To: Joe Ricketts


Date: February 11, 2011 Subject: FW: (no subject) Joe, I had not heard about this guy, but I like his approach. My only criticism would be, perhaps he needed more training in firearms. He should not have missed at that range. I’ll bet they still could have understood this guy, even if he had talked a little faster, and his voice had been a little higher. I guess I’m just not a nice person, but I am getting tired of this “Politically Correct” Bullshit. If we fought by their rules, they might respect us a little more. As it is, they think we are weak and without resolve.


C.

From: Joe Ricketts To: C.F. Date: February 13, 2011


Subject: RE: (no subject) I agree. I tired of Political Correct, Multicultural and Diversity aspects of our culture

From: R.R. To: Joe Ricketts and many others Date: April 11, 2011


Subject: FW: Yankee boy marries a southern girl

From: Joe Ricketts To: R.R. Date: April 4, 2011


Subject: RE: Yankee boy marries a southern girl great laugh

On the veracity of Obama’s jihadist healthcare agenda:

From: D.P To: Joe Ricketts Date: February 12, 2011


Subject: Fwd: Dhimmitude Joe, could this be true? Just want your opinion!

To: D.P From: Joe Ricketts


Date: February 12, 2011 Subject: RE: Dhimmitude I’m not sure D. but would guess that it is.

From: R.R. To: Joe Ricketts and many others


Date: November 3, 2010 Subject: FW: why Muslim terrorists are so quick to commit suicide

From: Joe Ricketts To: R.R.


Date: November 3, 2010 Subject: RE: FW: why Muslim terrorists are so quick to commit suicide cute, thx

On using Snopes:

From: J.T.

To: Joe Ricketts and many others


Date: September 13, 2010 Subject: Fw: Americans believe in religious freedom - Muslims don’t.

From: Joe Rickets


To: A number of others Date: September 13, 2010 Subject: Fw: Americans believe in religious freedom - Muslims don’t. FYI


From: Pete Ricketts To: Joe Ricketts Date: September 13, 2010 Subject: RE: FW: Americans believe in religious freedom - Muslims don’t. Dad,


I recommend you go to www.snopes.com and search on these stories before you pass them on. In this case, there is a dispute over what exactly happened and who was represented in this training session. Go the link above and search Rick Mathes Prison Ministry Islam. Pete

From: Joe Ricketts To: Pete Ricketts


Subject: RE: FW: Fw: Americans believe in religious freedom - Muslims don’t. Thanks Peter. However, I think Islam is a cult and not a religion. Christianity and Judaism are are based on love whereas Islam is based on “kill the infidel” a thing of evil.

From: Pete Ricketts To: Joe Ricketts


Subject: RE: FW: Fw: Americans believe in religious freedom - Muslims don’t. I am not sure that your statement is accurate with regards to Islam but I recommend reading the piece on snopes.

On the assault on Christianity from all sides:

From: S.P. To: Joe Ricketts and many others Date: August 24, 2010


Subject: This just broke today. Share quickly as YouTube may scrub it.

From: Joe Ricketts To: S.P WOW! I’m sending on


From: Joe Ricketts To: S.P. Subject: RE This just broke today. Share quickly as YouTube may scrub it. My impression is that the President is more sympatric to Muslims than Christians/Jews. We are a Christian country and I feel like this is just a continuation of the assault on Christianity in America. My feeling are that I don’t like it.


From: E.K. To: Joe Ricketts and many others Date: July 29, 2010 Subject: RE: NEW U.S. POSTAL STAMP



From: Joe Ricketts To: E.K. Subject: RE: NEW US POSTAL STAMP I agree with you e.


From: J.G. To: Joe Ricketts and many others Date: December 11, 2009 Subject: Why there are no Italian Muslims sand diggin’ raghead bastards


[a comedy video is included in the email]

From: Joe Ricketts To: J.G. Date: December 11, 2009


Subject: RE: Why there are no Italian Muslims This is cute; is there any sound?

On racism against white people:

From: H.H.

To: Joe Ricketts and many others Date: April 26, 2010


Subject: FW: Point of Order


From: Joe Ricketts


To: H.H. Subject: RE: POINT OF ORDER Thanks H. , I like this

Update: 2/4/2019, 9:11 p.m. EST: This post has been updated to include Joe Ricketts’ statement about these emails on his personal website.

Correction: 2/5/2019, 8:30 a.m. EST: A former version of this story incorrectly referred to Bruce Rauner as the governor of Illinois. He was replaced by J. B. Pritzker in 2019.