Old Gravy in studio guest Douglas Mackey, charged by the Biden DOJ in 2021 for 2016 memes joking about texting votes for Hillary Clinton, joins the Old Gravy Podcast to discuss his free speech case.

In 2016, Mackey, under the Twitter handle Ricky Vaughn, was a political influencer with a significant following, posting satirical content that went viral.

Mackey was arrested by the FBI in 2021, days after Biden’s inauguration, for a 2016 meme, accused of voter suppression under a 1870s Klu Klux Klan law (§ 241).

Convicted in 2023 despite no evidence anyone fell for the meme; faced seven months in pr but won a unanimous Second Circuit appeal on July 9, 2025, overturning the conviction.

Key Issues: Discusses DOJ overreach, media portrayal as an alt-right villain, and the political motivations behind targeting a Trump supporter.

Support: Backed by figures like Elon Musk and Joe Rogan; Meme Defense Fund raised over $500K to support his legal fight.

Personal Toll: Mackey shares the impact on his career, finances, and family, and his resolve to fight for free speech precedent over accepting a pardon.

Victory & Future: Plans to sue the DOJ/FBI for accountability; aims to protect online free speech for conservatives through his case’s landmark ruling.

Broader Context: Compares his case to J6 prosecutions and others under § 241, highlighting a pattern of silencing dissent.

Advice: Offers insights for podcasters and X users on avoiding censorship and navigating the “Mackey trap” in the era of AI and misinformation flags.

Call to Action: Support the Meme Defense Fund and follow

@DougMackeyCase for updates.

Sponsor: The Plaza Grande in Cherry Hill, NJ – luxury 55+ living with pools, activities, and a country club vibe. Visit plazagrandecherryhill.com.Host Note: Tom Azelby shares his journey into radio hosting on Philadelphia’s 1210 WPHT, filling in for Rich Zeoli and hosting the Saturday 8 AM show. Follow on Facebook (Tom Azelby) and X (@OldGravyPodcast

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Join Old Gravy and his guest, Cynical Publius. Cynical Publius is a retired US Army Colonel, who is now practices law in the area of Mergers & Acquisitions. Cynical Publius was deployed to Kuwait, Afghanistan & Iraq. The military experience, and his sharp legal mind provide for thoughtful insights onour Military & Politics.

Cynical Publius is an X Influencer. Cynical Publius, unlike many social media influencers, shares how monetization on platforms works for Influencers. He highlights the positive and the negatives of these compensation incentives and warns how they influence political narratives!

Cynical Publius lays out his take on the Jeffrey Epstein Case! He addresses some of the competing views inside the MAGA Movement. Cynical Publius does not look to gather favor with any side of the debate;he simply provides perspective!

Cynical Publius reviews Trumps Team and the handling of the Epstein Case. He provides insight on Attorney General Bondi, Deputy Director FBI Dan Bongino and even President Trump. A perspective some on both the right and left might not agree with!

Cynical Publius provides his view on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq through his own personal journey through these war zones. Cynical Publius own experience provides insight on Trumps War Doctrine, which takes into account the American Psyche for War in the modern age.

Cynical Publius wraps up the show with Old Gravy highlighting what political party has been on the right side of history! “Brings Receipts”

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Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the episode, give us a like and follow us for free.

The Old Gravy Podcast is also available on YouTube as a video podcast!

The Old Gravy Podcast is recorded, produced, and powered by Suite Recording. Learn more at SuiteRecording.com

• In today’s episode Old Gravy highlights the challenges and dangers for America as we come to the realization that we have helped build a China Frankenstein!

• Old Gravy Explores China communist history back to MAO. Communism can either be contained or eradicated. Today, America has done neither.

• American Politicians, Corporate Leaders and Wall Street rolled out the red carpet to China permitting them entry into World Trade Organization, while China continued to commit heinous crimes against its own population.

• China is building for WAR, Old Gravy will produce the data to back that up!

• China declared economic War against America for the past three decades.

• China today resides in our government and deep inside our society & institutions,

• Old Gravy explains who what and how allowed China to put America on its back!

• China has weaknesses, Old Gravy highlights how we might use them to regain our footing against this dangerous and deadly rival.

• Old Gravy is joined by his college roommate and longtime business partner George Allgair.

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Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the episode, give us a like and follow us for free.

The Old Gravy Podcast is also available on YouTube as a video podcast!

The Old Gravy Podcast is recorded, produced, and powered by Suite Recording. Learn more at SuiteRecording.com