This Week in Misinformation: Never-Vaxxers Struggle With Trump Endorsement, Jonestown Echoes, Anthrax Hoax, Trump and Members of Congress in J6C Sights, Double-Double Grab Bag
30 December 2021
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Former President Donald Trump went out of his way to tell his followers that COVID vaccines are safe and prevent serious illness, but misinformation-driven vaccine opposition now runs deeper for many than devotion to him.
At first, Trump simply answered in the affirmative when his “History Tour” event co-host Bill O’Reilly asked if he, too, had received the booster (CNN, 43.70). The crowd of supporters in Dallas promptly booed the pair (Newsweek, 39.37).
Conservative media personality Candace Owens interviewed Trump shortly after the Dallas appearance, giving him every opportunity to walk back his statement that the vaccines are good (@hottub_twin via Twitter). Trump instead went the other direction, doubling down and telling her that people who take the shot largely avoid going to the hospital (The Hill, 44.81). Owens later posted a video of herself explaining that Trump is of an older generation, believes what mainstream media says about the vaccine, and doesn’t research on the Internet (@RonFilipkowski via Twitter).
Vaccine opposition groups (Reuters, 48.81) and QAnon communities who portray Trump as a hero battling the Deep State—including all who suggest that vaccines are the way to end the pandemic—could scarcely believe their ears (Newsweek, 39.37). Some tried rationalizing Trump’s comments by saying it was part of his master plan (@hottub_twin via Twitter), while others indicated they just don’t take Trump at his word on this issue (@PokerPolitics via Twitter). Many expressed extreme disappointment; for example, Alex Jones went so far as to threaten Trump for betraying the anti-vaccine faithful (@RonFilipkowski via Twitter).
Also in Dallas (what is it about Dallas?), the Q splinter cult led by Michael Protzman strayed into Jonestown-level dangerous territory, and a QAnon conference got a lot of people sick with what probably is not anthrax.
Concerned family members of a woman in the Protzman cult say she was proud to have concocted, drank, and shared with others in the group a cocktail including terrible things like chlorine dioxide (Dallas Observer, - ). There really isn’t much else to say about this, other than please everyone remember there are children in this group and that jokes about mass death are in poor taste.
The (separate) Dallas QAnon conference, organized by Clay Clark and Mike Flynn on 10 December, has since caused roughly a dozen unvaccinated speakers to come down with something (@get_innocuous via Twitter)—though what it is ain’t exactly clear. Those who fell ill had shared tight quarters in a backstage green room, and one of them told podcast listeners that there was a “99.9% chance” an anthrax attack via fog machine was to blame (VICE, 41.42). Another speaker with rashes and other symptoms was tested for anthrax, however, and it came back negative (@rothschildmd via Twitter).
Over on the January 6th front, the House Select Committee raised the possibility of referring Trump himself for crimes related to the Capitol attack.
The New York Times (44.72) and other outlets have reported that the Committee is actively considering investigating the former president himself, specifically for the crime of obstructing Congress with his mob. Republican committee member Adam Kinzinger confirmed that the panel was looking at whether anyone, including Trump, had committed a crime in the leadup to or during the Capitol attack (Insider, 43.32). Possibly related: the Committee might hire on new staff to analyze social media posts and examine the role foreign adversaries played in sowing divisions among Americans over the 2020 election (New York Times, 44.72).
The Committee continued its pursuit of Trump administration documents, though Trump is now challenging its ability to do so at the Supreme Court (Politico, 43.41). Meanwhile, the panel and the Biden White House struck an agreement to shield extraneous executive branch documents (Associated Press, 49.34), which Trump tried to play up as a major change in approach; Committee co-chair Liz Cheney corrected the record (@RepLizCheney via Twitter).
The Committee has also turned its attention to the actions of sitting members of Congress, starting with a request to meet with Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania (NPR, 46.21). Perry said he won’t (@RepScottPerry via Twitter). (Former Texas governor Rick Perry, no relation, is believed by the Committee to be the author of the “agressive strategy” text read aloud in session two weeks ago, in case you were wondering.) Next up was Jim Jordan, who the Committee also asked to do a voluntary deposition (CNN, 43.70). Jordan has said he has “real concerns” (The Hill, 44.81), as I’m sure we all would.
A double-double grab bag this edition: Trump’s voter fraud claims were invented by months before the election; the election big lie carries dangers past (Daily Beast, Washington Post, Reuters), present (Brennan Center), and future (NPR), and Trump’s fixation on it may be alienating his supporters; Cyber Ninjas are broke and so find it hard to retain a lawyer; promoters of the Arizona audit are turning on one another; Ali Alexander predicts Trump will be subpoenaed; Steve Bannon vs. Mike Lindell on losing cases with Trump-Appointed judges; radioactive “anti-5G” necklaces; Google continues to profit from climate denialism; Twitter permanently suspends vaccine conspiracy proponent Robert Malone; TikTok suspends Project Veritas’ James O’Keefe; Wall Street Journal on Facebook’s leak-busting tactics; Posobiec waxes conspiratorial on the Ghislaine Maxwell guilty verdict, then is called out for it by Q personality Jordan Sather; probably-Q Ron Watkins predicts Maxwell’s death will soon be faked; a weird staged “cat” video goes viral; Capitol defender Fanone resigns commission and joins CNN, while his attacker asks a judge to allow him to use a dating app; QAnon “Surfer Dad” writes letter, hopeless and sorry for killing of his children; and for some reason a lot of phony shoplifting stuff on the Internet.
That, and a lot more, below. This is This Week in Misinformation.
-- Kevin