Jack Posobiec

{{short description|American alt-right activist and conspiracy theorist (born 1984)}}

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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Jack Posobiec

| image = Jack Posobiec (53808241742) (cropped).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Posobiec in 2024

| birth_name = Jack Michael Posobiec III

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1984|12|14}}

| birth_place = Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| other_names =

| alma_mater = Temple University (BA)

| occupation = {{hlist|Political activist|news correspondent}}

| years_active =

| employer = {{Plainlist}}

{{endplainlist}}

| notable_works =

| party = Republican

}}

{{Conservatism US|activists}}

Jack Michael Posobiec III ({{IPAc-en|p|ə|ˈ|s|oʊ|b|ɪ|k}} {{respell|pə|SOH|bik}}; born December 14, 1984){{cite web |last1=Posobiec |first1=Jack |title=I ask for but one thing on my birthday tomorrow... |url=https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/809211981307715588 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112003542/https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/809211981307715588 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |website=Twitter |access-date=August 17, 2018}}{{Cite news |title=Jack Posobiec |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/jack-posobiec |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |language=en |archive-date=September 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926223108/https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/jack-posobiec |url-status=live }} is an American alt-right{{multiref|1={{cite journal |last1=Bhatt |first1=Chetan |title=White Extinction: Metaphysical Elements of Contemporary Western Fascism |journal=Theory, Culture & Society |publisher=SAGE |date=23 June 2020 |volume=38 |issue=1 |page=31 |doi=10.1177/0263276420925523 |doi-access=free |issn=0263-2764 |quote=The vast ecology of online white supremacist personalities, both ‘alt-right’ and ‘alt-lite’, include Mike Cernovich, Christopher Cantwell, Gavin MacInnes, Paul Joseph Watson, Jack Posobiec, Tara McCarthy, Colin Liddell, Brittany Pettibone, Lauren Southern, Andrew Anglin, Lana Lokteff, Ayla Stewart, Kyle Prescott, Faith Goldy, Jason Kessler, Kyle Chapman, Colton Merwin, ‘Vox Day’, and Mike Peinovich, among numerous others.}}|2={{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=Derek |title=From the Ruins: Neomasculinity, Media Franchising, and Struggles Over Industrial Reproduction of Culture |journal=Communication, Culture and Critique |date=1 March 2018 |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=85 |doi=10.1093/ccc/tcx013 |url=https://academic.oup.com/ccc/article-abstract/11/1/85/4953074 |access-date=2 March 2022 |publisher=Oxford University Press |issn=1753-9129 |quote=Meanwhile, in response to endorsement of a Brooklyn screening by NBC’s Carson Daly, alt-right author Jack Posobiec filed a complaint with the New York City Human Rights Commission, publicizing the citizen action on his blog (Posobiec, 2017). |archive-date=February 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217233304/https://academic.oup.com/ccc/article-abstract/11/1/85/4953074 |url-status=live }}|3={{cite journal|last1=Lewis|first1=Becca|last2=Marwik|first2=Alice|date=June 13, 2017|title=Megyn Kelly fiasco is one more instance of far right outmaneuvering media|url=https://www.cjr.org/tow_center/megyn-kelly-alex-jones.php|journal=Columbia Journalism Review|access-date=June 20, 2017|archive-date=June 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620195813/https://www.cjr.org/tow_center/megyn-kelly-alex-jones.php|url-status=live}}|4={{cite journal |last1=Loadenthal |first1=Michael |title=We Protect Us: Cyber Persistent Digital Antifascism and Dual Use Knowledge |journal=Studies in Conflict & Terrorism |date=19 June 2023 |page=5 |doi=10.1080/1057610X.2023.2222903 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371703158 |access-date=13 January 2024 |publisher=Routledge |language=en |issn=1057-610X |via=ResearchGate |quote=There are also book-length treatments authored by far-right agitator Andy Ngo, and alt-right conspiracy-theorist Jack Posobiec, which both rely on the sensationalism of violence as their focus. |archive-date=May 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510231748/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371703158_We_Protect_Us_Cyber_Persistent_Digital_Antifascism_and_Dual_Use_Knowledge |url-status=live }}|5={{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-retweets-alt-activist-pushed-pizzagate-conspiracy/story?id=49221083|title=Trump retweets alt-right activist who pushed 'Pizzagate' conspiracy|author=Karma Allen|date=August 15, 2017|publisher=ABC News|access-date=June 28, 2020|archive-date=October 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019142641/https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-retweets-alt-activist-pushed-pizzagate-conspiracy/story?id=49221083|url-status=live}}|6={{Cite news |title=Donald Trump retweeted an alt-right conspiracy theorist. Here's why. |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/15/politics/donald-trump-jack-posobiec/index.html |last=Cillizza |first=Chris |date=August 18, 2017 |work=CNN Politics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831175731/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/15/politics/donald-trump-jack-posobiec/index.html |archive-date=August 31, 2017 |url-status=live |access-date=November 17, 2021 }}}} political activist, television correspondent and presenter, conspiracy theorist,{{multiref |1={{cite journal |last1=Loadenthal |first1=Michael |title=We Protect Us: Cyber Persistent Digital Antifascism and Dual Use Knowledge |journal=Studies in Conflict & Terrorism |date=19 June 2023 |page=5 |doi=10.1080/1057610X.2023.2222903 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371703158 |access-date=13 January 2024 |publisher=Routledge |language=en |issn=1057-610X |via=ResearchGate |quote=There are also book-length treatments authored by far-right agitator Andy Ngo, and alt-right conspiracy-theorist Jack Posobiec, which both rely on the sensationalism of violence as their focus. |archive-date=May 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510231748/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371703158_We_Protect_Us_Cyber_Persistent_Digital_Antifascism_and_Dual_Use_Knowledge |url-status=live }} |2={{cite book |last1=Hawley |first1=George |title=The Alt-Right: What Everyone Needs to Know® |date=7 November 2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-090522-4 |page=195 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R9t1DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA195 |language=en |via=Google Books |quote=Aside from McInnes, The Rebel has employed several other figures whose views may be described as Alt-Right or Alt-Lite, including Lauren Southern, conspiracy theorist and pro-Trump political activist Jack Posobiec, and far-right Canadian political commentator Faith Goldy. |access-date=January 13, 2024 |archive-date=January 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113010751/https://books.google.com/books?id=R9t1DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA195 |url-status=live }} |3={{cite journal |last1=Bauer |first1=Mareike |last2=Heimstädt |first2=Maximilian |last3=Franzreb |first3=Carlos |last4=Schimmler |first4=Sonja |title=Clickbait or conspiracy? How Twitter users address the epistemic uncertainty of a controversial preprint |journal=Big Data & Society |date=July 2023 |volume=10 |issue=2 |doi=10.1177/20539517231180575 |publisher=Sage |language=en |issn=2053-9517 |quote=We classified the user as a conspiracy theorist, as they used words like ‘Deep State’ or retweeted content from well-known conspiracy theorists like Jack Posobiec.|doi-access=free }} |4={{cite magazine |last1=Bittle |first1=Jake |title=Ronald Reagan's Favorite Magazine Has Gone Full MAGA |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/164396/human-events-trump-ronald-reagan-magazine-maga |magazine=The New Republic |access-date=13 January 2024 |date=November 26, 2021 |archive-date=September 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927183142/https://newrepublic.com/article/164396/human-events-trump-ronald-reagan-magazine-maga |url-status=live }} |5={{cite web |last1=Rink |first1=Matthew |title=Shapiro calls on Mastriano to rescind invitation to alt-right operative Jack Posobiec |url=https://www.goerie.com/story/news/politics/elections/state/2022/10/12/jack-posobiec-doug-mastriano-alt-right-operative-rally-erie-pa/69552579007/ |website=Erie Times-News |access-date=13 January 2024 |date=October 11, 2012 |archive-date=January 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113010749/https://www.goerie.com/story/news/politics/elections/state/2022/10/12/jack-posobiec-doug-mastriano-alt-right-operative-rally-erie-pa/69552579007/ |url-status=live }} |6={{cite news |last1=Estepa |first1=Jessica |title=Trump's retweet storm: A Pizzagate conspiracy theorist, a train hitting CNN, and accusations of fascism |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/08/15/donald-trump-retweets-pizzagate-conspiracy-theorist-cnn-cartoon/567843001/ |work=USA Today |date=August 15, 2017 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029033748/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/08/15/donald-trump-retweets-pizzagate-conspiracy-theorist-cnn-cartoon/567843001/ |url-status=live }} |7={{cite news |last1=Oppenheim |first1=Maya |title=Donald Trump retweets far-right conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec who took 'rape Melania' sign to rally |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-jack-posobiec-pizzagate-rape-melania-sign-twitter-conspiracy-theory-far-right-a8159661.html |work=The Independent |publisher= |date=January 15, 2018 |access-date=January 29, 2020 |archive-date=January 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129231310/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-jack-posobiec-pizzagate-rape-melania-sign-twitter-conspiracy-theory-far-right-a8159661.html |url-status=live }} |8={{cite news |last1=Garcia |first1=Eric |title=Rand Paul Retweeted PizzaGate Conspiracy Theorist |url=https://www.rollcall.com/2018/07/18/rand-paul-retweeted-pizzagate-conspiracy-theorist/ |work=Roll Call |date=July 18, 2018 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029033749/https://www.rollcall.com/2018/07/18/rand-paul-retweeted-pizzagate-conspiracy-theorist/ |url-status=live }} |9={{cite news |title=Amid Criticism Over Charlottesville, Trump Retweets 'Pizzagate' Conspiracy Theorist |url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/trump-retweets-pizzagate-conspiracy-theorist-1.5443039 |work=Haaretz |date=August 15, 2017 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |archive-date=October 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010065341/https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/trump-retweets-pizzagate-conspiracy-theorist-1.5443039 |url-status=live }}}} and former United States Navy intelligence officer.{{Cite web |title=Right-wing activist retweeted by Trump is Navy intel officer |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/right-winger-jack-posobiec-retweeted-trump-navy-intel-officer-n793191 |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=NBC News |date=August 16, 2017 |language=en |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107055525/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/right-winger-jack-posobiec-retweeted-trump-navy-intel-officer-n793191 |url-status=live }}

Posobiec is known for his pro-Donald Trump comments on Twitter, and has used white supremacist and antisemitic symbols and talking points, including the white genocide conspiracy theory.{{refn|}} He has promoted fake news, including the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory claiming high-ranking Democratic Party officials were involved in a child sex ring.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/sunday-review/anti-semitism-american-jews.html|title=Anti-Semitism Is Rising. Why Aren't American Jews Speaking Up?|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 17, 2018|last=Weisman|first=Jonathan|access-date=May 24, 2018|archive-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510052816/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/sunday-review/anti-semitism-american-jews.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last1=Garamvolgyi |first1=Flora |last2=Borger |first2=Julian |date=2022-05-21 |title=Trump shares CPAC Hungary platform with notorious racist and antisemite |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/21/trump-shares-cpac-hungary-platform-racist-antisemite |access-date=2022-05-22 |website=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522013411/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/21/trump-shares-cpac-hungary-platform-racist-antisemite |url-status=live }} He was also a promoter of the Stop the Steal movement. From 2018 to 2021, Posobiec was employed by One America News Network (OANN), a far-right cable channel, as a political correspondent and on-air presenter.{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Jason |date=November 16, 2020 |title=OANN: what is the alternative far-right media outlet Trump is pushing? |language=en |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/16/oann-what-is-tv-network-trump-is-pushing |access-date=March 12, 2021 |archive-date=December 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228213837/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/16/oann-what-is-tv-network-trump-is-pushing |url-status=live }} He left OANN in May 2021 to begin hosting a show for the conservative student organization Turning Point USA, and to join conservative news site Human Events as a senior editor.

Early life and education

Posobiec was born and raised in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to a family of Polish descent.{{cite news|url=https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/how-this-game-of-thrones-blogger-made-his-way-into-the-white-house|title=How This 'Game of Thrones' Blogger Made His Way Into the White House|publisher=Vice.com|date=May 17, 2017|first=Mack|last=Lamoureux|access-date=June 12, 2017|archive-date=June 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614073955/https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/how-this-game-of-thrones-blogger-made-his-way-into-the-white-house|url-status=live}} His parents were both Democrats.{{cite journal |last=Valania |first=Jonathan |date=September 16, 2017 |title=How Jack Posobiec Became the King of Fake News |url=https://www.phillymag.com/news/2017/09/16/jack-posobiec-trump-fake-news/ |url-status=live |journal=Philadelphia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402201404/https://www.phillymag.com/news/2017/09/16/jack-posobiec-trump-fake-news/ |archive-date=April 2, 2018 |access-date=April 2, 2018}} He attended Kennedy–Kenrick Catholic High School and went to college at Temple University. While at Temple, he became the chairman of the Temple University College Republicans and started a chapter of Students for Academic Freedom, an organization run by the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He also participated in a summer internship for U.S. Senator Rick Santorum and volunteered for U.S. Representative Curt Weldon's unsuccessful reelection campaign in 2006. He graduated from Temple in 2006{{Cite web|url=https://temple-news.com/president-trump-retweets-far-right-temple-alumnus/|title=President Trump retweets far-right alumnus|last=Brennan|first=Kelly|date=August 15, 2017|website=The Temple News|language=en-US|access-date=January 25, 2020|archive-date=January 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125020127/https://temple-news.com/president-trump-retweets-far-right-temple-alumnus/|url-status=live}} with a double major in political science and broadcast journalism.

Career

After graduation, Posobiec worked for the United States Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, China. He played a minor role in the film The Forbidden Kingdom, which was released in 2008. He later worked for WPHT, a conservative talk radio station, and then for the campaign of Steve Johnson in the 2010 Pennsylvania lieutenant gubernatorial election. Posobiec served several years in the United States Navy Reserve from 2010 to 2017, reaching the rank of lieutenant junior grade. He was deployed for ten months at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base from September 2012, and worked at the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), where he later worked again as a civilian.{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/right-winger-jack-posobiec-retweeted-trump-navy-intel-officer-n793191 |title=Right-Winger Jack Posobiec, Retweeted by Trump, Is Navy Intel Officer |work=NBC News |date=August 16, 2017 |first=Courtney |last=Kube |access-date=November 2, 2017 |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107055525/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/right-winger-jack-posobiec-retweeted-trump-navy-intel-officer-n793191 |url-status=live }}

During the 2016 election, Posobiec was a special projects director of Citizens for Trump, a pro-Trump organization but not an official group.{{cite magazine|last=Robb|first=Amanda|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/anatomy-of-a-fake-news-scandal-125877/|title=Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=November 16, 2017|access-date=December 31, 2020|archive-date=February 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217064011/https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/anatomy-of-a-fake-news-scandal-125877/|url-status=live}} In March 2017, Posobiec resigned from his full-time civilian position at ONI, saying that his support for Trump led to a "toxic work environment". As of August 2017, his security clearance was suspended and was under review.{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/16/politics/jack-posobiec-navy-security-clearance/index.html |title=Security clearance under review for right-wing activist Trump retweeted |work=CNN |date=August 16, 2017 |first1=Eli |last1=Watkins |first2=Jim |last2=Sciutto |access-date=November 2, 2017 |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107033135/https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/16/politics/jack-posobiec-navy-security-clearance/index.html |url-status=live }}

=Political activities=

Posobiec describes himself as a "Republican political operative".{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/08/15/trump-retweets-right-wing-provocateur-known-for-pushing-false-conspiracy-theories/|title=Trump retweets right-wing provocateur known for pushing false conspiracy theories|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 15, 2017|first=Samantha|last=Schmidt|access-date=August 15, 2017|archive-date=August 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816012545/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/08/15/trump-retweets-right-wing-provocateur-known-for-pushing-false-conspiracy-theories/|url-status=live}} During the 2016 election, Posobiec was a special projects director of the political organization Citizens for Trump. Semafor found he was by far the most influential voice with dozens of Republican strategists going into the 2024 campaign season.{{cite news |title=The 2024 right-wing influencer primary heats up |url=https://www.semafor.com/article/03/17/2023/the-2024-right-wing-influencer-primary-heats-up |publisher=Semafor |date=March 17, 2023 |author1=David Weigel |author2=Shelby Talcott |access-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317231920/https://www.semafor.com/article/03/17/2023/the-2024-right-wing-influencer-primary-heats-up |url-status=live }}

He said in 2017 that his work was "reality journalism—part investigative, part activist, part commentary",{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-france-cyber-activist-idUSKBN187008|title=Commentator who amplified Macron hacks given White House press access|work=Reuters|date=May 12, 2017|access-date=December 31, 2019|archive-date=June 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629015954/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-france-cyber-activist-idUSKBN187008|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/10/us/politics/comey-fake-news-twitter-posobiec.html|title=A Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theorist, a False Tweet and a Runaway Story|first=Jeremy W.|last=Peters|date=June 10, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 17, 2019|archive-date=April 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423165217/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/10/us/politics/comey-fake-news-twitter-posobiec.html|url-status=live}} and that "I'm willing to break the fourth wall. I'm willing to walk into an anti-Trump march and start chanting anti-Clinton stuff—to make something happen, and then cover what happens."{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-far-right-american-nationalist-who-tweeted-macronleaks|title=The Far-Right American Nationalist Who Tweeted #MacronLeaks|magazine=The New Yorker|date=May 7, 2017|first=Andrew|last=Marantz|access-date=June 12, 2017|archive-date=June 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612074656/http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-far-right-american-nationalist-who-tweeted-macronleaks|url-status=live}} Will Sommer, then an editor at The Hill, said in 2017 that Posobiec "make[s] stuff up, relentlessly", and that "there's no one at that level."{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-jack-posobiec-pizzagate-rape-melania-sign-twitter-conspiracy-theory-far-right-a8159661.html | title = Donald Trump retweets far-right conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec who took 'rape Melania' sign to rally | first = Maya | last = Oppenheim | date = January 15, 2018 | work = The Independent | archive-date = January 29, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200129231310/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-jack-posobiec-pizzagate-rape-melania-sign-twitter-conspiracy-theory-far-right-a8159661.html | url-status = live }}

On June 16, 2017, Posobiec disrupted a Shakespeare in the Park production of Julius Caesar that depicted the title character as a Trump-like figure. Posobiec was prompted by Mike Cernovich, another alt-right conspiracy theorist, who had offered a $1,000 prize for anyone who interrupted a performance.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/06/17/pro-trump-protester-arrested-after-rushing-stage-at-controversial-julius-caesar-play-in-new-york/|title=Pro-Trump protester arrested after rushing stage at controversial 'Julius Caesar' production in New York|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=June 17, 2017|first=Amy B|last=Wang|access-date=June 21, 2017|archive-date=April 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430095157/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/06/17/pro-trump-protester-arrested-after-rushing-stage-at-controversial-julius-caesar-play-in-new-york/|url-status=live}} "You are all Goebbels, you are all Nazis like Joseph Goebbels", he shouted at the audience in a video he posted on Twitter. Posobiec was escorted from the event along with another protester, Laura Loomer, who was arrested for disorderly conduct after refusing to leave the stage.

Posobiec has supported other conservative political figures with similar tactics. He promoted e-mails and files leaked to 4chan of Emmanuel Macron shortly before the French presidential election in 2017. In a video shot for Rebel Media, he promoted the candidacy of Marine Le Pen of the National Front.{{cite news|last=Hayden|first=Michael Edison|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/01/29/jack-posobiec-central-spreading-russian-intelligence-led-macronleaks-hack|title=Jack Posobiec Central in Spreading Russian Intelligence-Led #MacronLeaks Hack|work=Southern Poverty Law Center|date=January 29, 2021|access-date=January 30, 2021|archive-date=February 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228014344/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/01/29/jack-posobiec-central-spreading-russian-intelligence-led-macronleaks-hack|url-status=live}} Posobiec celebrated the Macron leak at a party hosted by Milo Yiannopoulos. In October 2017, Posobiec and Cernovich formed a super PAC called #Rev18 and announced its support for Josh Mandel in the 2018 U.S. Senate election in Ohio.{{cite news|url=https://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/10/controversial_figures_launch_s.html|title=Backing Josh Mandel, controversial figures launch super PAC|newspaper=The Plain Dealer|date=October 2, 2017|first=Stephen|last=Koff|access-date=November 2, 2017|archive-date=November 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105003419/http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/10/controversial_figures_launch_s.html|url-status=live}} In July 2017, Posobiec handed out flyers thanking Democratic senators for "protecting our quality violent porn content", including "ritual Satanic porn videos". The flyers were distributed outside the U.S. Senate at a demonstration in support of net neutrality.{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/notorious-pizzagate-truther-plants-fake-net-neutrality-flyers-backing-satanic-porn|title=Alt-Right Claims Net Neutrality Promotes 'Satanic Porn' in Planted Flyers|first=Ben|last=Collins|date=July 12, 2017|website=The Daily Beast|access-date=August 5, 2017|archive-date=August 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815104127/http://www.thedailybeast.com/notorious-pizzagate-truther-plants-fake-net-neutrality-flyers-backing-satanic-porn|url-status=live}}

Posobiec organized a "Rally Against Political Violence" in Washington, D.C., on June 25, 2017, to condemn the shooting of Steve Scalise. Richard Spencer, another alt-right figure who organized a separate, competing rally at the same time, ridiculed Posobiec's event and called it "pathetic".{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/alt-right-boss-attacks-trumps-repulsive-and-creepy-fanboys|title=Alt-Right Boss Attacks Trump's 'Repulsive and Creepy' Fanboys|website=The Daily Beast|date=June 25, 2017|first=Gideon|last=Resnick|access-date=June 26, 2017|archive-date=June 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627060626/http://www.thedailybeast.com/alt-right-boss-attacks-trumps-repulsive-and-creepy-fanboys|url-status=live}} In November 2017, Posobiec encouraged his Twitter followers to target a woman at her workplace after she came forward with allegations that Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore had attempted to have sex with her when she was 14 years old.{{Cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/roy-moores-accusers-photo-and-workplace-were-spread-online-far-right-708607|title=Roy Moore's accuser's photo and workplace were spread on Twitter by a far-right conspiracist|date=November 10, 2017|work=Newsweek|access-date=November 12, 2017|language=en|archive-date=November 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112003153/http://www.newsweek.com/roy-moores-accusers-photo-and-workplace-were-spread-online-far-right-708607|url-status=live}}{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} In Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district special election in March 2018, Posobiec supported Democrat Conor Lamb over Republican Rick Saccone. Posobiec described Lamb as a "Pro-Trump Dem veteran".{{cite journal|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/pennsylvania-special-election-rick-saccone-trump-supporters|title="The G.O.P. Is Full of Morons": Even the Pro-Trump World Gave Up on Rick Saccone|journal=Vanity Fair|date=March 13, 2018|first=Tina|last=Nguyen|access-date=April 2, 2018|archive-date=March 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314064754/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/pennsylvania-special-election-rick-saccone-trump-supporters|url-status=live}}

In June 2020, in Washington, D.C.'s Lincoln Park, Posobiec was shoved and chased for several minutes by a dozen protesters at the Emancipation Memorial. The protesters called Posobiec, who was filming speakers, a Nazi and forced him from the park. Police arrived in a van and, after trying to quell the disturbance, helped Posobiec into the van before driving away. Posobiec tweeted later that he was "totally fine" but "filing an assault report with DC police".{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Clarence |last2=Natanson |first2=Hannah |date=June 26, 2020 |title=Arguments break out by statue of Abraham Lincoln in D.C. park |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/arguments-break-out-by-statue-of-abraham-lincoln-in-downtown-dc/2020/06/26/4f8b9e16-b7ef-11ea-aca5-ebb63d27e1ff_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627184442/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/arguments-break-out-by-statue-of-abraham-lincoln-in-downtown-dc/2020/06/26/4f8b9e16-b7ef-11ea-aca5-ebb63d27e1ff_story.html |archive-date=June 27, 2020 |access-date=June 26, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{cite web |author=Mann, Ted |date=June 26, 2020 |title=Lincoln Statue Still Stands in Washington, D.C., for Now |url=https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/protests-george-floyd-death-2020-06-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626122736/https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/protests-george-floyd-death-2020-06-26 |archive-date=June 26, 2020 |access-date=June 26, 2020 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}

On February 22, 2024, Posobiec, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, welcomed the "end of democracy," before adding that "we are here to overthrow it completely." Praising the January 6 United States Capitol attack, he then endeavored to "get rid of it and replace it with this right here”—holding his fist in the air. Clips of his remarks were widely shared on social media.{{cite web |last=Woodward |first=Alex |date=February 23, 2024 |title=Far-right influencer calls for 'end of democracy' at CPAC as Republicans downplay January 6: Jack Posobiec stated he wants to 'overthrow it completely' as panelists hit back at prosecutors for January 6 crimes |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/posobiec-democracy-cpac-january-6-b2501566.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223201729/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/posobiec-democracy-cpac-january-6-b2501566.html |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=February 23, 2024 |work=The Independent}}

In August 2024, opinion journalist Michelle Goldberg criticized Posobiec for co-authoring a book titled Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and How to Crush Them), which argues that leftists are not entitled to be considered human, and that democratic means for destroying the American political left are no longer viable.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/05/opinion/jd-vance-fascism-unhumans.html |title=JD Vance Just Blurbed a Book Arguing That Progressives Are Subhuman |date=August 5, 2024 |first=Michelle |last=Goldberg |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=August 6, 2024 |archive-date=August 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806040959/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/05/opinion/jd-vance-fascism-unhumans.html |url-status=live }}{{efn|"The old rules are over. The old order is over. Accusations are evidence. Activism means bigotry and hate. Criminals are allowed to roam free... For nearly 250 years, far-left uprisings have followed the same battle plans—from the first call for change to last innocent executed, from denial a revolution is even happening to declaration of the new order... We must stop what is coming... Our study of history has brought us to this conclusion: Democracy has never worked to protect innocents from the unhumans."{{cite book|title=Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and How to Crush Them)|first1=Jack|last1=Posobiec|first2=Joshua|last2=Lisec|date=July 9, 2024|publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1648210853 }}}}

In September 2024, Posobiec was hired by the Republican National Committee to train volunteer election monitors in Michigan and Wisconsin. At the Michigan event, he described them as the "final line of defense against the encroaching Marxism."{{Cite news |last=Berzon |first=Alexandra |date=September 26, 2024 |title=The R.N.C. Asked a Conspiracy Theorist to Train Poll Watchers. Here's What He Told Them. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/us/politics/republican-national-committee-2024-posobiec.html |access-date=October 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=October 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004213357/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/us/politics/republican-national-committee-2024-posobiec.html |url-status=live }}

In February 2025, Posobiec participated in Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's visit to Ukraine and said he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the visit. He was also invited to participate in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's overseas trip abroad to Germany, Belgium and Poland as a media representative.{{Cite news |last=Lamothe |first=Dan |date=14 February 2025 |title=Hegseth team invites far-right activist Jack Posobiec on overseas trip |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/02/13/pete-hegseth-jack-posobiec/ |access-date=14 February 2025 |work=The Washington Post}}

== Ties to far-right extremists ==

Posobiec's social media and political activities are linked to neo-Nazi and white supremacist movements. He has published multiple posts containing the white supremacist code "1488", or the Fourteen Words, and supports the use of the slogan.{{cite news |url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/florida-republican-wants-to-add-political-affiliation-to-hate-crime-list-9707608 |title=Florida State Rep. Wants Attacking "Political Affiliation" to Be Hate Crime |date=September 28, 2017 |newspaper=Miami New Times |access-date=September 3, 2018 |archive-date=August 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806145709/https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/florida-republican-wants-to-add-political-affiliation-to-hate-crime-list-9707608 |url-status=live }}{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/new-york-young-republicans-go-full-alt-right|title=New York Young Republicans Flirt With the Racist Right|first=Dean|last=Obeidallah|website=The Daily Beast|date=August 15, 2019|access-date=June 27, 2020|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108003026/https://www.thedailybeast.com/new-york-young-republicans-go-full-alt-right|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Hayden|first=Michael Edison|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/07/08/twitter-gave-free-rein-jack-posobiec-publish-antisemitic-hate-and-disinformation|title=Twitter Gave Free Rein for Jack Posobiec To Publish Antisemitic Hate and Disinformation|work=Southern Poverty Law Center|date=July 8, 2020|access-date=December 31, 2020|archive-date=February 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203204511/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/07/08/twitter-gave-free-rein-jack-posobiec-publish-antisemitic-hate-and-disinformation|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Hayden|first=Michael Edison|date=July 8, 2020|title=Jack Posobiec's Rise Tied to White Supremacist Movement|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/07/08/jack-posobiecs-rise-tied-white-supremacist-movement|access-date=March 2, 2021|website=Southern Poverty Law Center|language=en|archive-date=March 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314200826/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/07/08/jack-posobiecs-rise-tied-white-supremacist-movement|url-status=live}} The 88 stands for HH, or Heil Hitler.{{cite web |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/1488 |title=HATE SYMBOL 1488 |author= |date= |website=Anti-Defamation League |publisher= |access-date=2022-10-05 |archive-date=October 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002171331/https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/1488 |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |title=A Complete Dictionary of White Supremacist Slang and Symbols |last=Ruiz |first=Stephen |date=11 January 2017 |magazine=Complex |url=http://www.complex.com/life/2017/01/dictionary-of-white-supermacist-slang-symbols/ |access-date=2022-10-05 |archive-date=August 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813074033/https://www.complex.com/life/2017/01/dictionary-of-white-supermacist-slang-symbols/ |url-status=live }} In October 2016, Posobiec posted a tweet that included triple parentheses, an antisemitic symbol.{{cite journal|url=http://www.newsweek.com/white-supremacist-neo-nazi-accounts-active-twitter-after-purge-790286|title=White Supremacist, Neo-Nazi Accounts Still Active on Twitter After a So-Called Purge|journal=Newsweek|date=January 25, 2018|first=Michael Edison|last=Hayden|access-date=April 2, 2018|archive-date=April 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401184621/http://www.newsweek.com/white-supremacist-neo-nazi-accounts-active-twitter-after-purge-790286|url-status=live}} In response to a 2017 Anti-Defamation League report on the alt-right, which included Posobiec, he tweeted a selfie of his visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial in Poland: "The @ADL_National would be wise to remember what happened the last time people made lists of undesirables".

In April 2017, Posobiec promoted on Twitter an event staged by Obóz Narodowo-Radykalny (ONR), a Polish neo-fascist movement that bombed Jewish homes in the 1930s.{{Cite web |last=Hayden |first=Michael Edison |date=July 22, 2020 |title=OANN's Posobiec Met With Polish Neo-Fascists and Amplified Their Messages Online |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/07/22/oanns-posobiec-met-polish-neo-fascists-and-amplified-their-messages-online |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |language=en}} Posobiec later deleted his tweet promoting the event.

In August 2017, following the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to violent clashes between white nationalists and anti-protesters, Posobiec said that the rally had become "massive propaganda" for the left and that the mainstream media was "fanning the flames of this violence." He said that Trump should have disavowed Black Lives Matter. Posobiec later tweeted that he had consistently disavowed white nationalism and violence. He also tweeted that he was "done with trolling" and that it was "time to do the right thing." Posobiec has frequently tweeted about the white supremacist white genocide conspiracy theory.{{cite news |title=Pro-Trump Bloggers Are Trying To Disown The Alt-Right Brand After Charlottesville |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alt-right-charlottesville_us_59932926e4b04b193360992e |work=HuffPost |date=August 16, 2017 |access-date=September 3, 2018 |archive-date=September 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903072654/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alt-right-charlottesville_us_59932926e4b04b193360992e |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |title=Trump Retweets Alt-Right Leader Who Has Praised White Supremacist Richard Spencer |url=https://www.newsweek.com/trump-tweets-alt-right-leader-who-praised-white-supremacist-richard-spencer-650852 |magazine=Newsweek |date=August 15, 2017 |access-date=September 3, 2018 |archive-date=August 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815092442/https://www.newsweek.com/trump-tweets-alt-right-leader-who-praised-white-supremacist-richard-spencer-650852 |url-status=live }}

In November 2018, Posobiec participated in a march on Warsaw together with ONR, Canadian white nationalist Stefan Molyneux and other far-right groups.{{Cite web |last=Mulhall |first=Joe |date=2018-11-12 |title=Fascism On The March In Warsaw |url=https://hopenothate.org.uk/2018/11/12/fascism-march-warsaw/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Hope Not Hate |language=en-US}}

On June 9, 2022, the Southern Poverty Law Center listed Posobiec as an extremist, citing his links to hate groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, as well as his links to white nationalists, neo-Nazis, anti-government extremists, and the Polish far-right.{{Cite web |date=2022-06-09 |title=SPLC Publishes Extremist File for Jack Posobiec |url=https://www.splcenter.org/presscenter/splc-publishes-extremist-file-jack-posobiec |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708033715/https://www.splcenter.org/presscenter/splc-publishes-extremist-file-jack-posobiec |archive-date=July 8, 2022 |access-date=2022-07-08 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |language=en}}

=Media work=

Between September 2016 and March 2017, Posobiec described himself as having previously worked for CBS News in his Twitter profile. CBS News told the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2020 that he had never worked for them.

Between early April and May 2017, Posobiec was employed by Rebel News, a far-right{{refn|{{cite book |last1=Perry |first1=Barbara |last2=Scrivens |first2=Ryan |title=Right-Wing Extremism in Canada |date=August 19, 2019 |publisher=Springer International |isbn=978-3-030-25169-7 |page=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CDiqDwAAQBAJ |access-date=October 21, 2020 |language=en |via=Google Books |archive-date=May 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502080625/https://books.google.com/books?id=CDiqDwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |last1=Titley |first1=Gavan |title=The distribution of nationalist and racist discourse |journal=Journal of Multicultural Discourses |date=July 2, 2020 |volume=15 |issue=3 |page=7 |doi=10.1080/17447143.2020.1780245 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |s2cid=221521303 |url=https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/15483/1/GT-distribution-2020.pdf |access-date=August 20, 2022 |archive-date=February 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211173029/https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/15483/1/GT-distribution-2020.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |last1=Mirrlees |first1=Tanner |title=The Alt-right's Discourse on "Cultural Marxism": A Political Instrument of Intersectional Hate |journal=Atlantis: Critical Studies in Gender, Culture & Social Justice |date=August 3, 2018 |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=61 |url=https://journals.msvu.ca/index.php/atlantis/article/view/5403/pdf_55 |access-date=October 21, 2020 |publisher=Mount Saint Vincent University |language=en |issn=1715-0698 |archive-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201120536/https://journals.msvu.ca/index.php/atlantis/article/view/5403/pdf_55 |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |last1=Perry |first1=Barbara |last2=Mirrlees |first2=Tanner |last3=Scrivens |first3=Ryan |title=The Dangers of Porous Borders |journal=Journal of Hate Studies |date=February 27, 2019 |volume=14 |issue=1 |page=61 |doi=10.33972/jhs.124 |doi-access=free |url=https://jhs.press.gonzaga.edu/issue/1/file/5/ |access-date=October 21, 2020 |publisher=Gonzaga University |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809030259/https://jhs.press.gonzaga.edu/issue/1/file/5/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/06/world/europe/emmanuel-macron-hack-french-election-marine-le-pen.html|title=U.S. Far-Right Activists Promote Hacking Attack Against Macron|first=Mark|last=Scott|date=May 16, 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729070820/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/06/world/europe/emmanuel-macron-hack-french-election-marine-le-pen.html|archive-date=July 29, 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://globalnews.ca/news/3680438/a-fight-over-a-four-bedroom-house-the-rebel-media-meltdown-and-the-full-recording-at-the-centre-of-the-controversy/|title=A fight over a four-bedroom house: The Rebel Media meltdown and the full recording at the centre of the controversy|website=Global News|date=August 19, 2017|access-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903093316/http://globalnews.ca/news/3680438/a-fight-over-a-four-bedroom-house-the-rebel-media-meltdown-and-the-full-recording-at-the-centre-of-the-controversy/|archive-date=September 3, 2017|url-status=live|first=Sean|last=Craig}}{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/canadas-farright-rebel-media-site-down-after-service-cut-20170822-gy19tf.html|title=Canada's far-right Rebel Media site down after service cut|first=Alastair|last=Sharp|date=August 22, 2017|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=August 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819182512/https://www.smh.com.au/world/canadas-farright-rebel-media-site-down-after-service-cut-20170822-gy19tf.html|archive-date=August 19, 2018|url-status=live}}}} Canada-based website, as its Washington bureau chief,{{cite news |last=Lytvynenko |first=Jane |date=May 29, 2017 |title=Pro-Trump Media Figure And Conspiracy Theory Peddler Jack Posobiec Is Out At The Rebel |publisher=BuzzFeed News |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/jack-posobiec-out-at-the-rebel |url-status=live |access-date=June 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610172033/https://www.buzzfeed.com/janelytvynenko/jack-posobiec-out-at-the-rebel |archive-date=June 10, 2017}} and was granted press access to the White House in April 2017. According to Philadelphia magazine, Posobiec "seem[ed] to have been charged in the press briefing room with haranguing legitimate journalists and running out the clock on press conferences with inane softball questions and Dear Leader obsequiousness" during his short time in the White House press pool.

In May 2017, Posobiec hired neo-Nazi brothers Jeffrey and Edward Clark to help create a documentary about the murder of Seth Rich for Rebel News. Jeffrey Clark was arrested by the FBI on gun charges after saying that the Jewish victims of the October 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting "deserved exactly what happened to them and so much worse".{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-who-threatened-dry-run-things-come-was-not-referring-n936321|title=The FBI said he called the Pittsburgh shooting 'a dry run.' But he was talking about a different attack.|last=Zadrozny|first=Brandy |author-link=Brandy Zadrozny|date=November 14, 2018|website=NBC News|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531074252/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-who-threatened-dry-run-things-come-was-not-referring-n936321|archive-date=May 31, 2020|access-date=January 25, 2020}} Posobiec later said that he had never heard of Jeffrey Clark and had never made a documentary about Seth Rich, even though HuffPost published photographs of Posobiec and the Clarks working together.{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jeffrey-clark-dc-neo-nazi-arrested_us_5beb99ffe4b0caeec2bf24e5|website=The Huffington Post|title=DC Neo-Nazi Who Said Pittsburgh Victims 'Deserved' It Arrested; Has Deep Ties To 'Alt-Right'|date=November 14, 2018|access-date=June 13, 2019|archive-date=November 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114235930/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jeffrey-clark-dc-neo-nazi-arrested_us_5beb99ffe4b0caeec2bf24e5|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/clark-brothers-accused-of-planning-race-war-followed-alt-right-figures-richard-spencer-jack-posobiec|title=Clark Brothers Accused of Planning Race War Followed Alt-Right Heroes|website=The Daily Beast|date=November 14, 2018|first=Kelly|last=Weill|access-date=June 13, 2019|archive-date=May 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510234152/https://www.thedailybeast.com/clark-brothers-accused-of-planning-race-war-followed-alt-right-figures-richard-spencer-jack-posobiec|url-status=live}} He left Rebel News after allegedly plagiarizing a video script from white supremacist Jason Kessler.{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=Graeme |date=2017-07-07 |title=Rebel Media Admits To Plagiarism By Former Correspondent |url=https://www.canadaland.com/rebel-media-admits-posobiec-plagiarism/ |access-date=2022-05-23 |website=Canadaland |language=en-US |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524160724/https://www.canadaland.com/rebel-media-admits-posobiec-plagiarism/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Sainato |first=Michael |date=2017-08-17 |title=Trump Retweets Conspiracy Theorist Who Lost Security Clearance Because of Twitter |url=https://observer.com/2017/08/donald-trump-jack-posobiec-alt-right/ |access-date=2022-10-06 |website=The New York Observer |language=en-US |archive-date=January 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104021835/https://observer.com/2017/08/donald-trump-jack-posobiec-alt-right/ |url-status=live }}

From 2018 to 2021, One America News Network (OANN), a far-right TV network known for promoting conspiracy theories, employed Posobiec as a political correspondent and on-air presenter.{{Cite news|last=Baragona|first=Justin|date=May 20, 2021|title=Notorious Pizzagater Jack Posobiec Leaves OAN for Conservative Youth Group Turning Point USA|work=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/notorious-pizzagater-jack-posobiec-leaves-oan-for-conservative-youth-group-turning-point-usa|access-date=June 10, 2021|archive-date=May 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520171541/https://www.thedailybeast.com/notorious-pizzagater-jack-posobiec-leaves-oan-for-conservative-youth-group-turning-point-usa|url-status=live}} In September 2018, he presented the pro-Hitler online poster known as Microchip on the network without indicating that person's affiliations, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC said the two men had worked together in spreading disinformation for several years, including the false claims propagated in Pizzagate". Microchip also praised Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi group responsible for multiple murders.{{cite news|last=Hayden|first=Michael Edison|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/07/23/jack-posobiec-interviewed-pro-hitler-disinformation-poster-one-america-news-network|title=Jack Posobiec Interviewed a Pro-Hitler Disinformation Poster on One America News Network|work=Southern Poverty Law Center|date=July 23, 2020|access-date=December 30, 2020|archive-date=February 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219213355/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/07/23/jack-posobiec-interviewed-pro-hitler-disinformation-poster-one-america-news-network|url-status=live|quote=Microchip posted statements to Gab prior to being interviewed on OANN that celebrated Hitler, and alluded to terrorism and murder. “I wish [Atomwaffen Division] had survived. They did great work in scaring the living shit out of everyone,” the person behind the Microchip Gab account wrote on July 24, 2018, across two posts. “We need more hatred and fear. Everyone needs to stop being such f—— p——.” Atomwaffen Division is a terroristic neo-Nazi group responsible for at least five murders in the U.S. since 2017.}}

Posobiec left OANN in May 2021 to begin hosting a show for the conservative student organization Turning Point USA, and to join Human Events as a senior editor. He has worked as a contributor for Newsweek.{{Cite web |last=Hayden |first=Michael Edison |date=November 4, 2022 |title=Newsweek Embraces the Anti-Democracy Hard Right |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2022/11/04/newsweek-embraces-anti-democracy-hard-right |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106005834/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2022/11/04/newsweek-embraces-anti-democracy-hard-right |archive-date=November 6, 2022 |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Baragona |first=Justin |date=November 4, 2022 |title=How Newsweek Has Gone Down the Far-Right Rabbit Hole |url=https://www.yahoo.com/video/newsweek-gone-down-far-rabbit-160259365.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302051741/https://www.yahoo.com/video/newsweek-gone-down-far-rabbit-160259365.html |archive-date=March 2, 2024 |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=Yahoo! News |publisher=The Daily Beast}}

=Conspiracy theories, falsehoods, and unsubstantiated claims=

Posobiec has promoted many falsehoods, leading to Philadelphia calling him the "King of Fake News" in 2017. He was one of the most prominent promoters on social media of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which falsely claimed that high-ranking officials were involved in a child-sex ring centered at a Washington, D.C., pizzeria. He live-streamed an investigation of the pizzeria and was asked to leave after attempting to broadcast a child's birthday party being held in a back room.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/pizzagate-from-rumor-to-hashtag-to-gunfire-in-dc/2016/12/06/4c7def50-bbd4-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html|title=Pizzagate: From rumor, to hashtag, to gunfire in D.C.|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=December 6, 2016|first1=Marc|last1=Fisher|first2=John Woodrow|last2=Cox|first3=Peter|last3=Hermann3|access-date=June 17, 2017|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220201405/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/pizzagate-from-rumor-to-hashtag-to-gunfire-in-dc/2016/12/06/4c7def50-bbd4-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html|url-status=live}} Posobiec later said he had always thought the Pizzagate theory was "stupid" and had filmed his visit to debunk it.

Posobiec attempted to discredit anti-Trump protesters in November 2016 by planting a sign at a protest reading "Rape Melania".{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/15/how-one-deplorable-sign-at-an-anti-trump-protest-foreshadows-the-fight-over-fake-news/|title=How one deplorable sign at an anti-Trump protest foreshadows the fight over fake news|first=Callum|last=Borchers|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=August 30, 2017|archive-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830103829/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/15/how-one-deplorable-sign-at-an-anti-trump-protest-foreshadows-the-fight-over-fake-news/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/education/resources/backgrounders/from-alt-right-to-alt-lite-naming-the-hate|title=From Alt Right to Alt Lite: Naming the Hate|website=Anti-Defamation League|access-date=August 30, 2017|archive-date=October 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024230932/https://www.adl.org/education/resources/backgrounders/from-alt-right-to-alt-lite-naming-the-hate|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/15/trump-retweets-alt-right-provocateur-after-condemning-white-supremacists|title=Trump's erratic early morning Twitter retweets include one calling him fascist|first1=Amanda|last1=Holpuch|first2=Kevin|last2=Rawlinson|date=August 15, 2017|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=August 30, 2017|archive-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830031838/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/15/trump-retweets-alt-right-provocateur-after-condemning-white-supremacists|url-status=live}} Posobiec denied his involvement to BuzzFeed News, but the same phone number was used in his contact with the website and the text messages he reportedly sent.{{cite news|last=Bernstein|first=Joseph|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/inside-the-alt-rights-campaign-to-smear-trump-protesters-as|title=Inside The Alt-Right's Campaign To Smear Trump Protesters As Anarchists|work=BuzzFeed News|date=January 11, 2017|access-date=December 31, 2020|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308125916/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/inside-the-alt-rights-campaign-to-smear-trump-protesters-as|url-status=live}} He said he had been questioned about it by the Secret Service. Posobiec organized the DeploraBall, an event held on January 19, 2017, to celebrate Trump's inauguration.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/clarendon-ballroom-gets-threats-after-refusing-to-host-trump-deploraball/2016/12/15/d2c956e6-3d30-4a1b-b6bc-0a4ae744325f_story.html|title=Clarendon Ballroom gets harassing calls after declining to host Trump backers' 'DeploraBall'|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=December 15, 2016|first=Rachel|last=Weiner|access-date=June 20, 2017|archive-date=August 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811060726/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/clarendon-ballroom-gets-threats-after-refusing-to-host-trump-deploraball/2016/12/15/d2c956e6-3d30-4a1b-b6bc-0a4ae744325f_story.html|url-status=live}}

In December 2016, Posobiec claimed without evidence that Disney had re-written scenes in the Star Wars movie Rogue One to add "Anti Trump scenes calling him a racist", and called for a boycott of the Star Wars franchise. Disney denied the allegations.{{cite journal|url=http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a51399/now-trump-supporters-are-boycotting-star-wars/|title=Now Trump Supporters Are Boycotting Star Wars Based on No Evidence|journal=Esquire|date=December 8, 2016|first=Sammy|last=Nickalls|access-date=June 20, 2017|archive-date=August 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821132953/http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a51399/now-trump-supporters-are-boycotting-star-wars/|url-status=live}}

Posobiec falsely said that former FBI director James Comey, at a United States Senate hearing on May 17, 2017, "said under oath that Trump did not ask him to halt any investigation". The claim was later repeated by conservative personalities and media outlets, including Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and the InfoWars website. Posobiec promoted the discredited conspiracy theory that Seth Rich had leaked e-mails from the Democratic National Committee to WikiLeaks. Posobiec promoted a hoax that CNN had published and then deleted an article defending Bill Maher's use of a racial slur.{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/cnn-article-bill-maher/|title=Did CNN Delete an Article Defending Bill Maher's Use of a Racial Slur?|website=Snopes.com|date=June 5, 2017|first=Dan|last=Evon|access-date=August 15, 2017|archive-date=November 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120041738/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/cnn-article-bill-maher/|url-status=live}}

In June 2017, shortly after Republican congressman Steve Scalise was shot and injured during a baseball practice, along with four others, Posobiec tweeted that it was a terrorist attack and blamed comments from liberal anti-Trump individuals. Later, he falsely tweeted that former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch had called for "blood in the streets" the previous March{{cite news|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/presidential/tracing-right-wing-alt-reality-on-twitter-20170619.html|title=Tracing right-wing alt-reality on Twitter|publisher=Philly.com|date=June 18, 2017|last=Whelan|first=Aubrey|access-date=June 20, 2017|archive-date=June 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619105909/http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/presidential/tracing-right-wing-alt-reality-on-twitter-20170619.html|url-status=live}} and that Bernie Sanders had ordered his followers to "take down" Trump.{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-trump-supporter-links-congressional-1497472393-htmlstory.html|title=How fake news starts: Trump supporters tie Bernie Sanders to Alexandria shooting using a fake quote|work=Los Angeles Times|date=June 14, 2017|first=Colleen|last=Shalby|access-date=June 20, 2017|archive-date=June 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619235134/http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-trump-supporter-links-congressional-1497472393-htmlstory.html|url-status=live}}

In December 2017, Posobiec, along with Cernovich, The Gateway Pundit, and InfoWars, promoted a false theory that a passenger train derailment near Dupont, Washington, was linked to the Antifa anti-fascism movement.{{cite journal|url=http://www.newsweek.com/antifa-falsely-linked-amtrak-train-derailment-right-wing-conspiracy-peddlers-751893|title=Antifa' Falsely Linked to Amtrak Train Derailment by Right-Wing Conspiracy Peddlers|journal=Newsweek|date=December 18, 2017|first=Michael Edison|last=Hayden|access-date=April 2, 2018|archive-date=April 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401214604/http://www.newsweek.com/antifa-falsely-linked-amtrak-train-derailment-right-wing-conspiracy-peddlers-751893|url-status=live}}

In October 2019, after Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a White House national security official and decorated Iraq war veteran, testified in Congress about President Trump requesting that the Ukrainian President investigate his political rival Joe Biden, Posobiec falsely claimed that Vindman had been advising the Ukrainian government on ways to prevent Trump from implementing his foreign policy goals.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/business/media/fox-news-alexander-vindman.html|title=After Vindman's Testimony Went Public, Right-Wing Conspiracies Fired Up|last1=Grynbaum|first1=Michael M.|date=October 29, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 30, 2019|last2=Alba|first2=Davey|author-link2=Davey Alba|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029234937/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/business/media/fox-news-alexander-vindman.html|url-status=live}}

In June 2020, during the protests against racism and police brutality in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, Posobiec falsely claimed that there were pipe bombs planted at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and that "federal assets [were] in pursuit". There were no pipe bombs nor was there any evidence that any "federal assets" investigated. The claim was, however picked up by The Gateway Pundit and retweeted by over 29,000 users on Twitter.{{Cite news|last=Sommer|first=Will|date=June 3, 2020|title=Infamous Pizzagater Jack Posobiec Pushed Hoax About Pipe Bombs Being Planted at Korean War Memorial|language=en|work=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/infamous-pizzagater-jack-posobiec-pushed-hoax-about-pipe-bombs-being-planted-at-korean-war-memorial|url-status=live|access-date=June 4, 2020|archive-date=June 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604010329/https://www.thedailybeast.com/infamous-pizzagater-jack-posobiec-pushed-hoax-about-pipe-bombs-being-planted-at-korean-war-memorial}}

In April 2021, the SPLC reported that between November 2019 and August 2020, Posobiec had tweeted 28 links to SouthFront, a website linked to Russian intelligence. In return, SouthFront promoted Posobiec as well, and cited his tweets in their posts.{{Cite web |last=Hayden |first=Michael Edison |date=April 28, 2021 |title=Jack Posobiec Links to Russian Intelligence-Backed Website |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/04/28/jack-posobiec-links-russian-intelligence-backed-website |access-date=2022-11-24 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |language=en |archive-date=November 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124230953/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/04/28/jack-posobiec-links-russian-intelligence-backed-website |url-status=live }}

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Posobiec promoted the Ukraine bioweapons conspiracy theory and downplayed the Bucha massacre.

In February 2023, Posobiec tweeted a deepfake video depicting President Joe Biden announcing a military draft in response to a purported national security crisis. Posobiec tweeted false Biden quotes from the fake video, before calling it "a sneak preview of things to come". He later appeared in the video to acknowledge it was a "precreation...of what could happen."{{cite news |last1=Ibrahim |first1=Nur |title=Did Biden Call for a Military National Draft? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/biden-military-national-draft/ |publisher=Snopes |date=February 28, 2023 |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302050355/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/biden-military-national-draft/ |url-status=live }}

In May 2024, after Donald Trump was convicted on all 34 charges of falsifying records in his hush money trial, Posobiec called on supporters to "[t]ake the path of the hunter, and with one singular voice, we are going to make them the prey." Additionally, he argued:

What happened to Donald Trump yesterday wasn't just a miscarriage of justice. It wasn't just a Stalinist show trial. It was an act of war. The unhumans want you dead. They want your way of life dead. They want to see your children lobotomized and converted to their mindless, lawless, and godless ways.{{cite news|first=Media Matters|last=Staff|title=Jack Posobiec endorses "reciprocity" after Trump's 34 guilty verdicts: 'Get the message across by any means necessary'|url=https://www.mediamatters.org/jack-posobiec/jack-posobiec-endorses-reciprocity-after-trumps-34-guilty-verdicts-get-message-across|publisher=Media Matters for America|date=May 31, 2024|access-date=August 17, 2024|archive-date=August 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817230336/https://www.mediamatters.org/jack-posobiec/jack-posobiec-endorses-reciprocity-after-trumps-34-guilty-verdicts-get-message-across|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Posobiec|first=Jack|title=HUMAN EVENTS: 30 MAY – MAGA REMEMBERS|url=https://twitter.com/RealAmVoice/status/1796600770239901722|publisher=Real America's Voice|date=May 31, 2024|access-date=August 17, 2024|archive-date=August 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817042348/https://twitter.com/RealAmVoice/status/1796600770239901722|url-status=live}}

Posobiec has been linked as the person behind End Wokeness, a Twitter account which promoted the Springfield pet-eating hoax in September 2024.{{Cite web |last=D’Angelo |first=Alec |date=2024-09-11 |title=The Origins of Trump's Ohio Pets Conspiracy |url=https://newlinesmag.com/spotlight/the-origins-of-trumps-ohio-pets-conspiracy/ |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=New Lines Magazine |language=en |archive-date=September 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915012149/https://newlinesmag.com/spotlight/the-origins-of-trumps-ohio-pets-conspiracy/ |url-status=live }}

In October 2024, Posobiec posted a meme on his Instagram profile claiming that the January 6 House Select Committee had destroyed all the evidence it compiled against Donald Trump.{{cite web |last1=Posobiec |first1=Jack |date=October 14, 2024 |title=Instagram Post by Posobiec |url=https://www.instagram.com/jackmposobiec/p/DBFoOvqNzKL/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://perma-archives.org/warc/20241014151010/https://www.instagram.com/jackmposobiec/p/DBFoOvqNzKL/ |archive-date=October 14, 2024 |access-date=October 16, 2024 }} In reality, the evidence is publicly available;{{cite web |date=December 22, 2022 |title=Select January 6th Committee Final Report and Supporting Materials Collection |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/collection/january-6th-committee-final-report?path=/GPO/January%206th%20Committee%20Final%20Report%20and%20Supporting%20Materials%20Collection |publisher=Select January 6th Committee |access-date=October 16, 2024 |archive-date=October 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241010202501/https://www.govinfo.gov/collection/january-6th-committee-final-report?path=%2FGPO%2FJanuary%206th%20Committee%20Final%20Report%20and%20Supporting%20Materials%20Collection |url-status=live }} the assertion was fact-checked and found to be false.{{cite web |last1=Saranac Hale |first1=Spencer |date=October 15, 2024 |title=Meme Rehashes Old, False Claim That J6 Committee Destroyed Evidence |url=https://www.factcheck.org/2024/10/meme-rehashes-old-false-claim-that-j6-committee-destroyed-evidence/ |publisher=FactCheck.org |access-date=October 16, 2024 |archive-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241112142454/https://www.factcheck.org/2024/10/meme-rehashes-old-false-claim-that-j6-committee-destroyed-evidence/ |url-status=live }} In the same month, Posobiec boosted a false sexual assault claim against Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz that originated from Russian propaganda network Storm-1516.{{Cite magazine |last=Gilbert |first=David |date=2024-10-21 |title=Russian Propaganda Unit Appears to Be Behind Spread of False Tim Walz Sexual Abuse Claims |url=https://www.wired.com/story/russian-propaganda-unit-storm-1516-false-tim-walz-sexual-abuse-claims/ |access-date=2024-10-21 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028 |archive-date=October 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241024074943/https://www.wired.com/story/russian-propaganda-unit-storm-1516-false-tim-walz-sexual-abuse-claims/ |url-status=live }}

Personal life

From 2012 to 2016, Posobiec ran a blog and podcast about Game of Thrones called AngryGoTFan. In November 2017, Posobiec married a social media influencer born in Belarus.{{cite web |last1=Kestenbaum |first1=Sam |title=Jack Posobiec Is Going On His Honeymoon--In Israel |url=https://forward.com/fast-forward/387066/jack-posobiec-is-going-on-his-honeymoon-in-israel/ |website=Forward |access-date=26 February 2024 |date=7 November 2017 |archive-date=February 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226171235/https://forward.com/fast-forward/387066/jack-posobiec-is-going-on-his-honeymoon-in-israel/ |url-status=live }} He told BuzzFeed News that he met his wife in 2015.{{cite news|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/katienotopoulos/jack-posobiec-bumble|title=Bumble Just Kicked Off A Pro-Trump Media Personality As Part Of Its "Stance Against Hate"|work=BuzzFeed News|date=January 24, 2018|first=Katie|last=Notopoulos|access-date=April 2, 2018|archive-date=April 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402111150/https://www.buzzfeed.com/katienotopoulos/jack-posobiec-bumble|url-status=live}} He is Catholic.{{Cite web |last=Arnold |first=Tyler |title=Faith inspires many at CPAC, including numerous Catholic speakers |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256911/faith-inspires-many-at-cpac-including-numerous-catholic-speakers |access-date=2024-03-07 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en |archive-date=March 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240307212330/https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256911/faith-inspires-many-at-cpac-including-numerous-catholic-speakers |url-status=live }}

Published works

  • Citizens for Trump: The Inside Story of the People's Movement to Take Back America (2017) {{ISBN|9781546936534}}{{cite book |last=Posobiec |first=Jack |author-link=Jack Posobiec |date=2017 |title=Citizens for Trump: the inside story of the people's movement to take back America |location=United States |publisher=CreateSpace |isbn=9781546936534}}
  • 4D Warfare: A Doctrine for a New Generation of Politics (Castalia House, 2018) {{ISBN|9789527065655}}{{cite book |last=Posobiec |first=Jack |author-link=Jack Posobiec |date=2018 |title=4D warfare: a doctrine for a new generation of politics |location= Kouvola, Finland |publisher=Castalia House |isbn=9789527065655}}
  • The Antifa: Stories from Inside the Black Bloc (Calamo Press, 2021) {{ISBN|9780999705971}}{{cite book |last=Posobiec |first=Jack |author-link=Jack Posobiec |date= June 2021|title=The Antifa: stories from inside the black bloc |location=La Vergne |publisher=Calamo Press |isbn=9780999705971}}
  • Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and How to Crush Them) with Joshua Lisec, and foreword by Stephen K. Bannon. (War Room Books, 2024) {{ISBN|9781648210853}}

Notes

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References

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