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You are here: Home / Archives for Conspiracy Theories

Elise Stefanik Alludes to Conspiracy Theory

May 14, 2022 at 8:20 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), chair of the House GOP conference, “appeared to allude to a bizarre and baseless claim popular in some conservative circles when she tweeted that Democrats and the ‘usual pedo grifters’ are ‘out of touch’ with Americans,” the Washington Post reports.

“The claim that ‘pedos’ — short for ‘pedophiles’ — infiltrate the ranks of government is central to QAnon, the collection of right-wing debunked claims that former president Donald Trump was secretly leading a war against an elite cabal of pedophiles who control Washington, Hollywood and the world.”

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories, House of Representatives

QAnon Joins Vigilantes at the Southern Border

May 10, 2022 at 7:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Mr. Frank, a QAnon influencer whose Facebook page in recent months has shown him pictured with such conservative celebrities as Donald J. Trump Jr., Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell, has fashioned his team into a new style of border enforcers, motivated not so much by halting immigration as by guarding the country from other perceived threats — in this case, an unfounded conspiracy theory that migrant children are being funneled into pedophilia rings.”

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories, Immigration

GOP Candidate Shared QAnon Material

May 9, 2022 at 11:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“J.R. Majewski, the Air Force veteran who won the GOP primary for Ohio’s new 9th Congressional District, was a January 6 rally participant and has repeatedly shared pro-QAnon material — including a video showing him painting his lawn to say Trump 2020 with ‘Q’ replacing the zeros,” CNN reports.

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories

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Roger Stone Says ‘Satanic Portal’ Is Over the White House

April 28, 2022 at 1:53 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Roger Stone claimed to have photographic proof that a “satanic portal” has opened over the White House.

Said Stone: “We who believe, we can close the portal, but we can only close it through prayer. Massive prayer, millions of Christians praying to close the portal.”

He added: “It’s like a swirling cauldron… It’s very, very clear. It doesn’t move, day or night. It’s harder to see during the day, but you see it at night. And I’m absolutely convinced about the inherent evil of what’s going on in the White House, what’s going on in the country.”

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories

Worse Than QAnon?

April 28, 2022 at 12:19 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

When Pennsylvania lieutenant governor candidate Teddy Daniels (R) was asked about his attendance at an event that promoted QAnon, he told the Philadelphia Inquirer: “At least I’m not a communist.”

Filed Under: 2022 Campaign, Conspiracy Theories

Pennsylvania Republicans Promote QAnon

April 27, 2022 at 4:50 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“When candidates for public office indulge in conspiracy theories like QAnon, it’s often with a wink and a nod,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“But just weeks before Pennsylvania’s May 17 primary election, such ideas are being promoted in plain sight. And high-profile Republican candidates for statewide office are treating talk of a ‘global satanic blood cult’ like regular campaigning.”

Filed Under: 2022 Campaign, Conspiracy Theories Tagged With: PA-Gov

QAnon Candidates On the Ballot in 26 States

April 12, 2022 at 9:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Dozens of politicians running for state or federal office are aligning themselves with the right-wing, conspiracy-rich, sometimes-violent movement known as QAnon. They’re drawing tens of millions of dollars in donations as the movement’s popularity stays strong among voters,” Grid reports.

“And despite the movement’s penchant for lies and violence, key Republicans — from influential megadonors to prominent elected officials — are welcoming the QAnon movement into the party.”

Filed Under: 2022 Campaign, Conspiracy Theories

Texts Show Ginni Thomas Embraced Conspiracy Theories

March 26, 2022 at 4:11 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “A hard-line conservative activist, Ms. Thomas had long been viewed with suspicion by the Republican establishment. Yet her influence had risen during the Trump administration, especially after Mr. Meadows, who like Ms. Thomas has roots in the Tea Party movement, became chief of staff. Now, an examination of her texts, woven together with recent revelations of the depth of her efforts to overturn the election, shows how firmly she was embedded in the conspiratorial fringe of right-wing politics, even as that fringe was drawing ever closer to the center of Republican power.”

“The disclosures add urgency to questions about how Ms. Thomas may have leveraged her marriage to Justice Thomas, who would be ruling on elections cases throughout the battle over the 2020 vote and beyond.”

New York Magazine: QAnon’s takeover of the GOP is virtually complete.

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories

GOP Senators Appeal to the QAnon Vote

March 24, 2022 at 8:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The online world of adherents to the QAnon conspiracy theory sprang into action almost as soon as Sen. Josh Hawley tweeted his alarm: that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the Biden administration’s Supreme Court nominee, had handed down sentences below the minimum recommended in federal guidelines for possessing images of child sexual abuse,” the New York Times reports.

“The line of attack has set off a new debate over the Republican Party’s stance toward QAnon.”

David Leonhardt: “Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing has turned into a case study of how disconnected from reality large parts of the Republican ecosystem have become.”

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories, Republicans

False Claims of Biowarfare In Ukraine Grip QAnon

March 11, 2022 at 2:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Pro-Russian channels and QAnon conspiracy theorists think Moscow is launching airstrikes on Ukraine to destroy bioweapon manufacturing labs in order to prevent the American infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci from creating a sequel to the COVID-19 virus,” Foreign Policy reports.

“This theory hangs on the entirely discredited idea that the coronavirus was designed as a bioweapon, perhaps by the U.S. government itself. And yet, the theory is being shared thousands of times, faster than regulated social media networks can yank the conspiracy theory down. On unregulated platforms, such as Telegram and 8chan, the conspiracy theory has become incredibly popular, racking up hundreds of thousands of hits each day.”

“The theory is now being actively contributed to, and promoted, by one Russian embassy, an official Russian state propaganda outlet, and media channels in Serbia and China.”

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories

Belief In QAnon Has Strengthened

February 24, 2022 at 12:06 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new study finds the QAnon conspiracy movement continues to thrive and has even strengthened more than a year after Donald Trump left the White House, The Guardian reports.

“Some 22% of Americans believe that a ‘storm’ is coming, 18% think violence might be necessary to save the country and 16% hold that the government, media and financial worlds are controlled by Satan-worshipping pedophiles.”

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories

QAnon Unmasked

February 20, 2022 at 12:50 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “As the stream of messages, most signed only Q, grew into a sprawling conspiracy theory, the mystery surrounding their authorship became a central fascination for its followers — who was the anonymous Q?”

“Now two teams of forensic linguists say their analysis of the Q texts shows that Paul Furber, one of the first online commentators to call attention to the earliest messages, actually played the lead role in writing them.”

“Sleuths hunting for the writer behind Q have increasingly overlooked Mr. Furber and focused their speculation on another QAnon booster: Ron Watkins, who operated a website where the Q messages began appearing in 2018 and is now running for Congress in Arizona. And the scientists say they found evidence to back up those suspicions as well. Mr. Watkins appears to have taken over from Mr. Furber at the beginning of 2018. Both deny writing as Q.”

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories

Racist Conspiracy Theory Edges Into French Mainstream

February 16, 2022 at 7:40 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Until a couple of years ago, the ‘great replacement’ — a racist conspiracy theory that white Christian populations are being intentionally replaced by nonwhite immigrants — was so toxic in France that even Marine Le Pen, the longtime leader of the country’s far right, pointedly refused to use it,” the New York Times reports.

“But in a presidential race that has widened the boundaries of political acceptability in France, Valérie Pécresse, the candidate of the mainstream center-right party in the coming election, used the phrase over the weekend in a speech punctuated with coded attacks against immigrants and Muslims.”

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories, Foreign Elections

QAnon Leader’s Campaign on Life Support

February 1, 2022 at 11:57 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“When Ron Watkins (R) announced he was running for Congress in Arizona in the middle of  October, he was full of hope and bravado,” Vice News reports.

Said Watkins: “I am going to raise at least a million dollars, and I’m going to win so that the people have a real voice in Washington, D.C.”

“Three months later, however, Watkins’ campaign appears dead in the water after his first campaign finance report reveals the former administrator of 8kun, the fringe message board where QAnon flourished, has raised just over $30,000 in donations.”

Filed Under: 2022 Campaign, Conspiracy Theories

Ted Cruz Is Fundraising Off 1/6 Conspiracy Theory

January 28, 2022 at 1:30 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

David Corn: “A few days ago, Cruz sent out a fundraising email embracing the right-wing crackpot notion that the insurrectionist January 6 attack on the US Capitol was orchestrated by the FBI or another government agency.”

“Hardcore Trumpists, most notably Fox host Tucker Carlson, have pushed the fact-free idea that the Deep State engineered the assault on Congress to discredit Trump and his political movement. And Cruz has rushed to the front of the loony train.”

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy Theorists Move to Newsletters and Podcasts

January 27, 2022 at 10:34 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Prominent figures known for spreading misinformation… have flocked to Substack, podcasting platforms and a growing number of right-wing social media networks over the past year after getting kicked off or restricted on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.”

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories, Media Buzz

QAnon Followers Say Trump Used ‘Body Double’ at Rally

January 17, 2022 at 9:37 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

QAnon followers claim Donald Trump was not at his rally in Arizona on Saturday, but that the person they saw was actually a “body doubly” or even John F. Kennedy in disguise, Newsweek reports.

Vice News: “Having spent the last two-and-a-half months holed up in Dallas awaiting the reappearance of John F. Kennedy and his son, a group of two dozen or so QAnon followers, led by an antisemitic guru called Michael Protzman, made the 1,000 mile trip to hear Trump speaking at his first major rally of 2022.”

“Ahead of the rally, Protzman, or Negative48 as he’s known to his followers, predicted the event would feature some major revelations. While most QAnon followers criticized Trump for talking about returning in 2024 rather than trying to overturn the 2020 election result, Protzman told his followers that something huge happened in the desert on Saturday night.”

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories

Tech CEO Said Covid Vaccine Is a ‘Plot by the Jews’

January 5, 2022 at 10:48 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The founder of a Utah technology firm resigned his position after sending an email to a number of tech CEOs and Utah business and political leaders, claiming the Covid-19 vaccine is part of a plot by “the Jews” to exterminate people, KUPX reports.

Filed Under: Conspiracy Theories, Race

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goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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