Leading far-right conspiracy theorists who have spread false information about voter integrity, a stolen election and the COVID-19 pandemic converged on Las Vegas at the Ahern Hotel for the “For God & Country Patriot Double Down” event this past weekend. According to Newsweek, the event was organized by John Sabal, known by his Telegram moniker QAnon John, and featured a bevy of GOP politicians as “special guests.”
For those who don’t know, QAnon is a wide-ranging conspiracy theory that started in 2017 when an anonymous user claiming to have access to classified information put a series of posts on the 4chan message board, signing the messages as “Q.” The user theorized that Hillary Clinton would soon be arrested and that a violent uprising would occur nationwide after the public realized that Democratic leaders and various Hollywood celebrities were actually satanic vampires sucking the lifeblood out of babies.
Among the esteemed speakers at the Patriot Double Down was none other than Cowboys for Trump leader Couy Griffin. At the conference Griffin spoke of how he felt betrayed by former President Trump. “For four years, we cried ‘Lock her up, lock her up, lock her up. We know she’s [Hilary Clinton] a criminal.’ At the end of your term, the only ones who were locked up were men like me.”
It appears that Griffin finally understands what a pawn he’s been. A Congressional committee is still investigating the events leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, including voting to hold former Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt for defying a subpoena from the committee. Trump recently filed a lawsuit to block the release of documents related to the Jan. 6 insurrection. President Biden Biden has said he would not block the release to the committee, because the Jan. 6 attack was such an unprecedented event that executive privilege should not factor in.
Griffin is still facing federal charges for his role in the Jan. 6 coup. A state investigation into Griffin’s alleged use of campaign donations to pay for child support is ongoing, as is the state civil case requiring him to register his C4T group and disclose donors.
