- The Washington Times - Monday, November 6, 2023

The Nashville shooter whose rampage left six dead sought to kill “little crackers” with “white privileges,” according to excerpts from the perpetrator’s long-concealed journal reportedly obtained by a conservative media group.

Steven Crowder, host of the Louder with Crowder podcast, posted Monday three pages of what he said was the manifesto of Audrey Hale, the 28-year-old attacker, who was shot dead by Nashville police during the deadly March 27 attack on the Covenant School.

Excerpts from the expletive-laden manifesto, which have not been verified by The Washington Times, indicate that Hale, who was White, was motivated by racial hatred against White children.

The journal includes an entry dated Feb. 3 that said “wanna kill all you little crackers!!! Bunch of little f****** w/your white privileges,” according to Mr. Crowder’s posts on X and his website.

Hale, whom police said identified as transgender, had previously attended the Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville’s Green Hills neighborhood.

“Kill those kids!!! Those crackers going to fancy private schools with those fancy khakis & sports backpacks,” said the handwritten page, which included blasts at students with their “daddies [sic] mustangs & convertibles” and “mop yellow hair.”

The spiral journal’s entries conclude on March 27 with the message “DEATH DAY” and a drawing of a handgun.

“I’m a little nervous, but excited too. Been excited for the past 2 weeks,” the entry says. “There were several times I could have been caught especially in the summer of 2021.”

The entry ends: “I hope I have a high death count. Ready to die ha ha Aiden,” a reference to the Hale’s reported transgender name.

Hale fired 150 rounds during the rampage, killing three nine-year-old students and three staff members. Hale was gunned down by Nashville officers inside the school 14 minutes after the shooting began.

Mr. Crowder said the manifesto was obtained by the MugClub Network, a coalition of right-wing media figures that includes Alex Jones, the Hodge twins, Nick Di Paolo, Bryan Callen, and Mr. Gunsngear.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department told The Washington Times that the report of the manifesto is under review.

After posting the alleged manifesto pages, Mr. Crowder said Facebook removed the post, citing its community standards against “violence and incitement.”

Media organizations and conservative groups have sued to have the manifesto released, an effort resisted by the Nashville Police and the FBI. A group of Covenant School parents has also sought to keep the manifesto under wraps.

In May, Star News Digital Media, owner of the Tennessee Star, sued the FBI to obtain the release of the manifesto, arguing that the “FBI is illegally concealing the information in violation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA),” according to the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, which filed the motion.

The FBI told the company that the records were being withheld because “there is a pending or prospective law enforcement proceeding relevant to these responsive records, and the release of the information could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings,” the lawsuit said.

• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.

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