On June 11, 2025, posts circulated across X and other social media platforms alleging that the California Democratic Party had purchased 200 pallets of bricks the previous month. The posts tied the supposed purchase to unsubstantiated claims that bricks were covertly delivered to the sites of protests in Los Angeles against immigration enforcement actions by the Trump administration. They further asserted that the party justified the purchase by stating the bricks were intended for "future infrastructure projects."
The earliest known version of the claim appears to have originated on the Facebook page of stand-up comedian Jonathan Gregory, whose bio describes him as a comedian and states, apparently in jest, that he is a "Digital Content Creator for the Trump Administration." Therefore, we have rated this claim as originated as satire.
Gregory's bylined post was styled like a news story and began as follows:
California Democratic Party Faces Scrutiny Over Brick Purchase Amidst LA Protests
By Jonathan Gregory
Los Angeles, CA — June 11 2025
A recent review of the California Democratic Party's May 2025 expense report has uncovered a significant and controversial expenditure: the purchase of 200 pallets of construction-grade bricks. Notably, this acquisition lacks any associated construction plans or public documentation, raising questions about its intended use. The absence of a clear purpose for such a substantial purchase has prompted calls for transparency and accountability from both political opponents and watchdog organizations.
The timing of this purchase coincides with widespread protests in Los Angeles, which erupted in early June following aggressive immigration enforcement actions by the Trump administration. These demonstrations have been marked by clashes between protesters and law enforcement, with reports indicating that some individuals have thrown bricks during the unrest. While there is no direct evidence linking the pallets purchased by the Democratic Party to the incidents in Los Angeles, the proximity of these events has intensified public scrutiny.
(Jonathan Gregory/Facebook)
Though the post mimicked the tone and format of breaking news reporting and included a @newsmax tag, Gregory has no affiliation with Newsmax, a right-leaning news and opinion website. Gregory frequently tags Newsmax in his posts, as we noted in a previous fact check of Gregory's content in May 2025, to give a false impression of authenticity. However, Gregory's posts are fictional takes on current events.
This post quickly gained traction, with others resharing the claim as if it were fact.
Checking the party's campaign finance reports
The California Democratic Party submitted multiple electronic campaign finance reports covering May 2025, including Form 460s and Form 497s, which are publicly available through the California Secretary of State's CAL-ACCESS database.
A review of these filings by Snopes found no expenditures consistent with the purchase of construction materials or bricks. The reported payments align with standard political activities such as event services, fundraising, consulting and administrative operations.
There is no record of any construction-grade supply purchase, nor any vendor or memo that would support the claim.
In a written response to Snopes, Robin Swanson, spokesperson for the California Democratic Party, denied the claim outright: "CADEM has not purchased nor is in possession of any bricks. Period."
Snopes also asked whether the party had ever stated the bricks were intended for "future infrastructure projects," as the viral claim alleged. "No," Swanson replied.
A key piece of purported visual evidence circulated alongside the claim was a video showing pallets of cinder blocks near a Home Depot at 6400 Alondra Blvd. in Paramount, California. A label on one of the stacks showed a date of May 6, 2025, and a quantity of 120:
However, the pallets appeared to be situated in a standard retail staging area adjacent to a parking lot typically used by contractors and customers. While protests did occur near that location on and around June 7, 2025, there is no verified connection between these materials and any political group or coordinated activity.
Snopes contacted The Home Depot's media relations team for confirmation regarding the nature and intended use of the pallets of cinder blocks. A spokesperson told Snopes via email: "I can confirm that these pallets of cinderblocks were excess freight (in other words, extra product) that had been delivered to the store long before the protest. Excess product is regularly stored behind the store."