Climate Denial Crock of the Week

Tampa Bay Times:

Hours after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, several of his allies in Congress and the media baselessly claimed anti-fascist provocateurs were to blame for the violence.

Some suggested, without evidence, that the crowd backing Trump’s efforts to overturn the election was infiltrated by antifa. Antifa stands for “anti-fascist,” and it is not a group but a broad coalition of activists.

Others focused on specific protesters who forced their way inside the Capitol and were shown in photographs, such as a bare-chested man who wore face paint and a horned fur cap.

“These are NOT Trump supporters,” said one Jan. 6 Facebook post. “Antifa THUGS.” The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

But the mysterious man in horns is not antifa-aligned. The man, Jake Angeli, supports Trump and is a well-known supporter of the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory. He goes by the moniker, “Q Shaman,” and he told the Arizona Republic he uses his unique outfit to stand out.

Poynter reported that in December, Angeli launched an online crowdfunding campaign to fund his participation in pro-Trump events.

Reuters:

Media outlets like AZ Central and Mashable have identified the man as Jake Angeli ( here , here ). According to AZ Central, he has been a “fixture at Arizona right-wing political rallies over the past year.” In an interview with the news outlet in May 2020 visible here , Angeli spoke in favor of President Donald Trump and his policies. In another video visible here , Angeli can be seen praising Trump and Q (in reference to QAnon).

Now new statement from Trump: