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- Vice President Mike Pence will attend a fundraiser in Montana next week hosted by a couple who have posted far-right QAnon conspiracy theory memes and retweeted conspiracy posts, according to a new Associated Press report.
- Pence and other powerful Republicans including Kimberly Guilfoyle, GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, and RNC finance chairman Todd Ricketts, are slated to head to the fundraiser hosted by Michael and Caryn Borland, a couple who have donated $220,000 to Trump’s re-election.
- After reviewing the couple’s social media profiles, AP found that Michael shared several bold QAnon logos on his Facebook page, as well as the conspiracy’s slogan: “Where We Go One We Go All.”
- On Twitter, Caryn had retweeted or engaged with QAnon conspiracy tweets, while on June 25 Michael shared a post that called Black Lives Matter protesters “terrorists,” and threatened to shoot protesters himself.
- QAnon conspiracies — none of which are based on evidence — involve unfounded claims Trump is on a secret mission to dismantle a network of child abusers, involving satanic pedophiles, cannibals, Hollywood stars, "deep state" agents, and top Democrats.
- Pence’s campaign and the White House did not respond immediately to Business Insider’s request for comment, and also declined to comment to AP.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Next week, Vice President Mike Pence is slated to attend a fundraiser hosted by a couple who have posted far-right QAnon conspiracy theory memes and retweeted conspiracy posts, including a threat to shoot Black Lives Matter protesters, according to a new Associated Press report.
On September 14, Pence and other powerful Republicans including Donald Trump Jr's partner and fundraiser Kimberly Guilfoyle, GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, and Republican National Committee finance chairman Todd Ricketts, will head along to the fundraiser in Bozeman, Montana, hosted by Michael and Caryn Borland.
After reviewing the Borland's social media profiles, AP found that Michael had shared several bold QAnon logos on his Facebook page, as well as the conspiracy's slogan: "Where We Go One We Go All."
On Twitter, Caryn had retweeted or engaged with a number of QAnon conspiracy tweets, while Michael — whose Twitter picture is of the Q and the conspiracy slogan — shared a post that called Black Lives Matter protesters "terrorists," as well as threatening to shoot protesters himself on June 25.
The Borlands have donated $220,000 to Trump's re-election campaign.
QAnon conspiracies — none of which are based on evidence — involve unproven claims Trump is on a secret mission to dismantle a network of child abusers involving satanic pedophiles and cannibals, Hollywood stars, "deep state" agents, and top Democrats.
Last year, Yahoo News obtained documents that revealed the FBI identified it as a domestic-terrorism threat.
In July, Pence told CBS that he didn't know anything about QAnon, and he "dismiss[ed] it out of hand."
Pence's campaign and the White House did not respond immediately to Business Insider's request for comment, and also declined to comment to the AP.
According to the AP report, the fundraiser is a sign showing how the conspiracy theory is becoming more prominent in the Republican party.
In late August, President Donald Trump publicly praised QAnon supporters during a White House press briefing, Business Insider previously reported.
"I don't know much about the movement other than I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate," he said. "But I don't know much about the movement. I have heard that it is gaining in popularity."
He added that he had heard "these are people that love our country."
Cindy Otis, a former CIA analyst and disinformation expert, previously told Business Insider Trump's comments could "fuel and embolden" members and boost interest for people who had looked into the conspiracy theories but hadn't yet fully subscribed to the views.
Trump has also used his Twitter account to amplify QAnon posts more than 216 times since November 2017, Business Insider previously reported.
Read the full AP story here »
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