>>> THE FBI OFFICE IN PHOENIX
SENT OUT A MEMO TO ITS AGENTS
LAST YEAR SPECIFICALLY
REFERENCING QANON AND WARNING
ABOUT CONSPIRACY DRIVEN DOMESTIC
EXTREMISTS.
SINCE THEN IT’S ONLY GROWN IN
POPULARITY.
THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE MEMBERS OF
QANON GROUPS ON FACEBOOK,
THEY’RE ON THE CUSP OF GETTING
REPRESENTATION IN UNITED STATES
CONGRESS.
MEDIA MATTERS REPORTS AT LEAST
14 CANDIDATES MADE IT OUT OF
PRIMARIES INTO THE BALLOT IN
NOVEMBER OR ONTO PRIMARY
RUNOFFS, AND THEY INCLUDE MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE WHO WON
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE WHO WON
LAST NIGHT EARNING A
CONGRATULATORY TWEET FROM
PRESIDENT TRUMP HIMSELF.
MY COLLEAGUE, A REPORTER FOR NBC
NEWS WHO DWELLS IN THIS STUFF SO
THAT WE DON’T HAVE TO, BUT I
HAVE TO SAY YOU AND I HAVE BEEN
TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR A COUPLE
OF YEARS AND I SORT OF TAKE SOME
SATISFACTION IN THE FACT YOU AND
BEN COLLINS LIVE IN THIS STUFF
SO THE REST OF US DON’T HAVE TO
WORRY ABOUT IT, BUT YOU LET IT
OUT.
IT’S NOT IN YOUR SWAMPY WORLD IN
WHICH YOU WORK, IT IS
MAINSTREAM.
IT’S NOT IN THE DARK CORNERS OF
THE INTERNET.
THERE WERE 14 PEOPLE WHO ARE
RUNNING FOR CONGRESS, MANY OF
WHOM MAY WIN.
>> YEAH.
QANON IS NO LONGER A PART OF THE
FRINGE.
IT IS A MAINSTREAM POLITICAL
MOVEMENT.
IT’S TERRIFYING, AND, YOU KNOW,
WHAT’S BEEN REALLY INTERESTING
IS THAT THIS WEEK WE HAD AN
INVESTIGATION WHERE WE GOT SOME
LEAKED DOCUMENTS FROM FACEBOOK,
AND FACEBOOK HAD AN INTERNAL
INVESTIGATION WHERE THEY WERE
LOOKING INTO QANON FROM THE
PLATFORM.
AND FROM THAT LEAKED
INVESTIGATION, THE PRELIMINARY
RESULTS WE SAW A SCALE THAT EVEN
FRIGHTENED ME.
AND THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THE LOW
GUESS OF IT ACCORDING TO THIS
INVESTIGATION IS THOUSANDS OF
QANON GROUPS WITH MILLIONS, AT
LEAST 3 MILLION -- THAT’S THE
LOWEST ESTIMATE.
AT LEAST 3 MILLION MEMBERS AND
FOLLOWERS.
NOW, THAT’S TERRIFYING.
I BELONG TO A HUNDRED OF THESE
GROUPS PERSONALLY, AND I SEE THE
CONSPIRACIES AND THE VIOLENT
RHETORIC THESE PEOPLE TRAFFIC
IN, AND IT IS TERRIFYING TO ME
THAT SOMEONE WHO EVEN GIVES THAT
A MOMENT OF CONSIDERATION IS
GOING TO BE IN THE HALLS OF
CONGRESS.
>> SO, LOOK, SO THIS WOMAN WHO
WON HER NOMINATION LAST NIGHT --
DON’T TELL HER THERE’S A MUSLIM
WHO’S HOSTING MSNBC RIGHT NOW --
BUT THAT KIND OF TROPE IS OLD.
THEY’VE GOT SOME CRAZY FAR-OUT
DANGEROUS EXTREMIST VIEWS.
>> WELL, YEAH.
THE WHOLE NOTION OF QANON, THE
CONSPIRACY THEORY IS BASED UPON
THIS IDEA THAT EVERYONE IN THE
HOLLYWOOD ELITE, YOU KNOW, FROM
TOM HANKS TO LITERALLY ANYONE,
TO ANYONE WHO’S EATEN A SLICE OF
PIZZA TO ALL THE DEMOCRATIC
LAWMAKERS FROM HILLARY CLINTON
AND JOHN PODESTA AND NANCY
PELOSI ARE ALL TRAFFICKING
CHILDREN AND IN SOME CASES
EATING CHILDREN.
THIS IS OBVIOUSLY INSANITY, THIS
IDEA THAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR
MINDS IS THAT ONE DAY BECAUSE OF
A SECRET WAR THAT DONALD TRUMP
IS WAGING AGAINST THESE CHILD
EATERS AND PEDOPHILES THAT ALL
OF THESE PEOPLE THAT THEY HATE,
ALL OF THEIR POLITICAL ENEMIES
WILL BE MARCHED INTO GUANTANAMO
BAY AND EXECUTED THAT INCLUDES
PROBABLY YOU AND ME IN THE
MEDIA, ALI.
THIS IS NOT JUST A MAGA IDEA,
NOT JUST A PRO-TRUMP PHILOSOPHY.
THIS IS DANGEROUS A VIOLENT
CONSPIRACY THEORY WHICH HAS AS
WE KNOW LED TO REAL WORLD
VIOLENCE INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE
MURDER.
>> HAS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAD
ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT THIS, THAT
MAYBE THEY DON’T WANT THESE
PEOPLE RUNNING UNDER THEIR
BANNER?
>> THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW
REPUBLICANS THAT HAVE COME OUT
AND SAID QANON IS CRAZY, IT
SHOULDN’T HAVE ANYPLACE IN OUR
PARTY.
AND THEN WHEN THAT HAPPENS LIKE
TODAY OUR CONGRESSIONAL NOMINEE
OUT OF GEORGIA, SHE IMMEDIATELY
JUMPED ON THIS AND SAID HOW DARE
YOU ATTACK ME.
ANY REPUBLICAN WHO ATTACKS ME IS
A RHINO.
AND WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW
HERE, TOO, IS A LOT OF THE QANON
BASE -- A LOT OF THE QANON
BELIEVERS ARE ALSO EVANGELICAL
CHRISTIANS SO IT IS A MUSINISTIC
WORLD VIEW AND CONSPIRACY.
SO A LOT OF THESE GROUPS OVERLAP
AND WHAT WE’VE SEEN OUT OF
GREENE IS A VERY CONSERVATIVE
CHRISTIAN.
SO THAT EQUALS THE REPUBLICAN
BASE.
SO WHILE, YOU KNOW, THE
REPUBLICAN ESTABLISHMENT MIGHT
NOT EVER COME OUT AND SAY OH,
YEAH QANON SOUNDS PRETTY LEGIT,
MAYBE WE SHOULD LISTEN TO IT.
IF THEY GO AGAINST QANON OR COME
OUT AND OUTRIGHT DENY IT OR
REBUKE IT, WHAT THAT DOES IS
ALIENATES A CORE PORTION OF
THEIR BASE.
THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE
CONSISTENTLY COMING TO TRUMP
RALLIES AND SMALLER GOP RALLIES
FOR STATE LAWMAKERS AND FOR, YOU
KNOW, U.S. POLITICIANS ON THE
STATE LEVEL.
SO WE DON’T EXPECT TO SEE
ANYTHING ABOUT IT SOON FROM
THEM.
>> BRANDY, THIS IS JUST WHILE,
HONESTLY.
I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO YOU TELL