Trump Retweets Pizzagate Conspiracist Who Once Allegedly Brought a ‘Rape Melania’ Sign to a Rally
President Donald Trump retweeted a missive from Jack Posobiec on Sunday night, an internet personality perhaps best known for allegedly bringing a sign that said “Rape Melania” to a protest and touting the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.
The tweet from Posobiec called out Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) for hypocrisy on the issue of family-based immigration, known to its critics as “chain migration”:
Posobiec’s tweet is a pretty blatant misrepresentation of Durbin’s comments: it links to a video in which Durbin uses the term “chain migration” — a term he recently asked the president to reconsider using — but does not show the senator calling for an end to the practice. Instead, the video shows Durbin reassuring his Republican colleagues that an extension of the DREAM Act would not allow for “what is known as chain migration.”
People who spend too much time on the internet will have the displeasure of knowing who Posobiec is, but for the uninitiated, here’s a brief explainer:
Once a volunteer for the Trump campaign, Posobiec gained fame amongst internet supporters of the now-president, particularly after he pushed the Pizzagate conspiracy, which alleged associates of Hillary Clinton ran a child sex-trafficking ring out of D.C.’s Comet Ping Pong.
After the absurd conspiracy theory got out of hand — it culminated with some nutcase opening fire in the establishment with an assault rifle — Posobiec retreated, denying ever having touted the theory.
Crack-pottery aside, Posobiec has also deployed some unconventional methods of protest: Buzzfeed reported last year that Posobiec attempted to smear an anti-Trump protest by joining the crowd with a sign reading “Rape Melania.”
And that wasn’t the last protest we saw from Posobiec: after it was revealed that New York’s Shakespeare in the Park was performing Julius Caesar with a Trump-like character in the lead role — including a brutal assassination scene — Posobiec showed up to one of the performances and shouted “You’re all Goebbels!” repeatedly at the crowd.
He was widely mocked online, as it sounded to many like the young internet activist was shouted “You’re all gerbils!”
[image via screengrab]
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