Why influencer Jack Posobiec is traveling with Trump officials : NPR

Jack Posoviek, a far-right activist who claimed to have joined top US officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent, on a trip to Ukraine last week, allegedly last week that he joined top US officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent. . Posobiec is best known for promoting “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory I posted a selfie From an empty conference room featuring Ukrainians and US flags, he claimed he was present at a meeting with Ukrainian President Voldy Mie Zelensky.

Washington Post I reported it first Posobiec was invited to join Pete Hegseth’s Secretary of Travel and Defense in Europe. They are not allowed to publicly confirm with NPR that they were invited on a Hegseth trip but did not go, so they spoke about the background. Posobiec later told Politico He joined Bescent’s delegation as part of the press squad..

“[Hegseth] He sees messaging as a man he trusts. He’s a guy who can convey Trump’s message to Republicans,” said Michael Edison Hayden, a right-wing populism and extremism expert who has been monitoring Posoviek for many years. What this is what you should be is to armed service members. “You have to be like this guy.”

Neither the Secretary of Defense nor the Secretary of Treasury responded to requests for comment.

Posobiec’s inclusion in travel by Trump officials is part of a broader trend in the new administration that welcomes far-right media into its official environment.

“Pizza Gate“The conspiracy theory argued that Democratic politicians were engaged in systematic pedophile abuse. False rumors were like firing multiple shots inside a pizza restaurant in 2016, in Washington, DC. It broke into.

“if [Posobiec] Pizza, who was a recording artist, is his top-selling song and will be the number one thing on Spotify,” Hayden said. Long list Posobiek of false and destructive theory of plot was promoted.

Posobiec has a track record of making inflammatory statements, which he later describes as satire. rear Promoting Pizza Gate, Posobiec Later he argued that he always thought the theory was “silly.” At last year’s conservative political action conference, POSOBIEC told participants, “Welcome.” The end of democracy. We’re here to completely overthrow it. We didn’t get there all that much on January 6th, but we’ll try to get rid of it. NBC News His comments mocked the Biden administration.

Because they tend to pull stunts – including trying to embed them as anti-Trump protesters with the “rape melania” sign – Posobiec is characterized.”Troll“By some journalists, Hayden has challenged its characterization.

“Looking back, I think Jack Posoviek’s idea as a troll is like a misunderstanding,” Hayden said. “He provides a spin on Trump, particularly authoritarian politicians, including Trump. He also so publicly through social media that benefits authoritarians.”

Posoviek’s profile has been lifted after Trump began retweeting Posoviek’s posts in the deadly few days of 2017 unite rights A meeting in Charlottesville, Virginia.

At the time, “Jack [Posobiec] He was promoting spin on Twitter as he did. [saying]:Hey, how about all this violence in Chicago? ” Hayden said. The ratio of “black on black crime” has long been called by white supremacists and to distract attention from systematic racism. Officer, lost him Security Clearance Soon after that.

Today, Posobiec has 3 million followers on X.

Hayden’s research shows that while at the Southern Poverty Law Centre, Posbiec has an extensive history of support White nationalist and Neofascist Overseas movements. He amplified what Hayden describes as “ambiguous.” Neo Nazi Media and Website Following on to his massive social media. As an example, Hayden said, “I mean, the extreme right-hand part of the site was anti-Semitism, racist, misogynistic, violent. Without context, he tweeted it and he said I’ll tell you that you’re on that site.”

In particular, Posobiec participated in the far right. Anti-Semitism Memes Culture and Live streaming I’m joking myself HolocaustI have it It was previously denied Being anti-Semitism. When asked to comment, Posobiec told NPR via email that Hayden was a “hysterical madman,” calling his report a “pseudo-like babbling.”

Christopher Goldsmith, a US military veteran and founder of the task force, is the founder of Butler Institute, a nonprofit that trains veterans to counter extremism, and is particularly Promoting Posobiec’s “great alternative theory,” A false anti-Semitic theory of conspiracy in which Jews deliberately encourage non-white immigration in order to dilute the whiteness of a particular country. “The lies have led extremists to step into Walmart, synagogues, churches and cinemas to kill people,” Goldsmith said.

Posobiec has also been amplified False information about Russia campaign. However, it is unclear whether he is willing to be a supporter or a target for those efforts.

Posobiec’s presence on the trip has a message to our allies that “the US you know no longer knows that America that we have planned to come to negotiation tables and alliance meetings is no longer the case.” I’ll send it,” he said. A research institute to counter digital extremism.

Posobiec himself did not respond to specific requests for details about who invited him or what he had been on the trip.

NPR’s Tom Bowman contributed the report.