62-679: Thomas Davis Klingenstein (born 1954) is an American hedge fund manager, a leading donor to the US Republican Party, and chairman of the board of trustees of the Claremont Institute , a conservative think tank , since 2010. He is the son of John Klingenstein and Patricia Davis Klingenstein (1929–2023). Thomas has three siblings, Nancy Klingenstein Simpkins, Andy Klingenstein, and Sally Klingenstein Martell. His grandfather, Joseph Klingenstein ,
124-454: 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. "You are all Goebbels, you are all Nazis like Joseph Goebbels", he shouted at the audience in a video he posted on Twitter. Posobiec
186-580: A passenger train derailment near Dupont, Washington , was linked to the Antifa anti-fascism movement. 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
248-569: A tweet that included triple parentheses , an antisemitic symbol. 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 ,
310-402: A "toxic work environment". As of August 2017, his security clearance was suspended and was under review. Posobiec describes himself as a "Republican political operative". 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
372-505: A Polish neo-fascist movement that bombed Jewish homes in the 1930s. 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
434-465: 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. 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 . In reality,
496-576: 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. In September 2024, Posobiec was hired by the Republican National Committee to train volunteer election monitors in Michigan and Wisconsin. At
558-465: A constitutional crisis and also in a revolutionary moment... We must embrace the spirit of the American Revolution to stop this communist revolution." In early January 2021, along with Trump and other advisors, Eastman unsuccessfully attempted to persuade then-vice president Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 presidential election results . He also spoke at Trump's rally on January 6, 2021, before
620-504: A documentary about Seth Rich, even though HuffPost published photographs of Posobiec and the Clarks working together. He left Rebel News after allegedly plagiarizing a video script from white supremacist Jason Kessler . 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. In September 2018, he presented
682-517: A founding board member of SACR, continuing into 2024. The Guardian described SACR as an "exclusive, men-only fraternal order which aims to replace the US government with an authoritarian 'aligned regime', and which experts say is rooted in extreme Christian nationalism and religious autocracy. In 2021, Claremont senior fellow Glenn Ellmers wrote a controversial essay in The American Mind , arguing that
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#1732844969256744-457: A racist", and called for a boycott of the Star Wars franchise. Disney denied the allegations. 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
806-503: A senior editor. He has worked as a contributor for Newsweek . 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
868-544: 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. 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". In June 2020, in Washington, D.C.'s Lincoln Park , Posobiec
930-410: Is an American alt-right political activist, television correspondent and presenter, conspiracy theorist , and former United States Navy intelligence officer . 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 . He has promoted fake news , including
992-578: Is an American conservative think tank based in Upland, California , founded in 1979 by four students of Harry V. Jaffa . It produces the Claremont Review of Books , The American Mind , and other publications. The institute was an early defender of Donald Trump . After Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election and Trump refused to concede, Claremont Institute senior fellow John Eastman aided Trump in his failed attempts to overturn
1054-678: Is executive editor. The publication has featured essays by Newt Gingrich , Todd Young , Marco Rubio , Jim Banks , and Tom Cotton . The fiscal year for the organization is from the beginning of July to the end of June of the following calendar year. Finances for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021 (the latest available), consist of: revenue of $ 9,466,224; expenses of $ 8,071,035; and donations of $ 8,392,413. 34°6′27.2″N 117°40′24.6″W / 34.107556°N 117.673500°W / 34.107556; -117.673500 Jack Posobiec Jack Michael Posobiec III ( / p ə ˈ s oʊ b ɪ k / pə- SOH -bik ; born December 14, 1984)
1116-589: 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 . 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
1178-537: The 2016 presidential election with passengers not charging the cockpit of the United Airlines aircraft hijacked by Al-Qaeda in 2001. The article went viral and received widespread coverage across the political spectrum. Rush Limbaugh devoted a day of his radio series to reading the entire essay. Anton would go on to serve under President Trump as spokesman for the National Security Council , holding
1240-536: 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
1302-460: The Claremont Colleges . Under Jaffa and Larry P. Arnn , the institute became a leading Straussian-influenced conservative think tank, publishing on topics such as statesmanship, Lincoln scholarship, and modern conservative issues. Arnn served as its president from 1985 until 2000, when he became the twelfth president of Hillsdale College . Thomas Klingenstein has been the chairman of
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#17328449692561364-533: 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. In August 2024, opinion journalist Michelle Goldberg criticized Posobiec for co-authoring
1426-456: The Republican nominee win the 2024 presidential election . The Claremont Institute publishes the Claremont Review of Books , edited by Charles R. Kesler , which features regular columns by Martha Bayles , Mark Helprin , Michael Anton, and Spencer Klavan. The institute also publishes The American Mind . Claremont Vice President of Education Matt Peterson serves as editor, and James Poulos
1488-576: 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 . Between September 2016 and March 2017, Posobiec described himself as having previously worked for CBS News in his Twitter profile. CBS News told
1550-598: 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
1612-457: The right such as Laura Ingraham , Ben Shapiro , Mark Levin , Mary Kissel , and Charles C. Johnson . The institute caused controversy by granting a fellowship in 2019 to the Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec . National Review columnist Mona Charen wrote that "Claremont stands out for beclowning itself with this embrace of the smarmy underside of American politics." In 2020, Mark Joseph Stern of Slate magazine called
1674-673: The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic , the institute received between $ 350,000 and $ 1 million in federally backed small-business loans from Chain Bridge Bank as part of the Paycheck Protection Program . The institute stated this would allow it to retain 29 jobs. According to a November 2021 Vice article, the actions of pro-Trump Claremont Institute leaders—senior fellows John Eastman , Brian Kennedy, Angelo Codevilla , and Michael Anton, as well as Ryan P. Williams (the institute's president), and Thomas D. Klingenstein (chairman of
1736-514: The 2024 campaign season. He said in 2017 that his work was "reality journalism—part investigative, part activist, part commentary", 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." 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." On June 16, 2017, Posobiec disrupted
1798-703: The 2024 election cycle. On 6 July 1986, Klingenstein married Nancy Deborah Perlman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Perlman of Tucson, Arizona, in Greenwich, Connecticut. They had two daughters together. Nancy died in 2018. Klingenstein is now married to Robin D. Weaver, a lawyer, and they live in New York. Claremont Institute Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other The Claremont Institute
1860-631: The Claremont Institute, as well as the institute's magazine American Mind and other publications, comprised the "substantial intellectual infrastructure that has buoyed the Trumpist right and its willingness to rupture moral codes and to discard traditional norms". An anonymous former fellow said Eastman's ideas are based on the doctrine of natural rights, which has been a key element of the institute's politics for many years. He said, "That's how Claremont goes from this quirky intellectual outfit to one of
1922-725: The January 6 attacks as an "electoral justice protest" and wrote about his desire to lead as a "warlord" of an "armed patronage network" following the collapse of the United States. Haywood founded an organisation, the Society for American Civic Renewal , to which Claremont has donated $ 26,248. Claremont's president Ryan Williams acknowledged that Claremont "acted as a fiscal sponsor to help the Society for American Civic Renewal (SACR) establish itself as an incorporated 501(c)(10)"; he also acknowledged being
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1984-489: The Michigan event, he described them as the "final line of defense against the encroaching Marxism." 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. The 88 stands for HH, or Heil Hitler . In October 2016, Posobiec posted
2046-620: 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 Canada-based website, as its Washington bureau chief, 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
2108-639: 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 with a double major in political science and broadcast journalism . After graduation, Posobiec worked for
2170-490: The U.S. Senate at a demonstration in support of net neutrality . 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". In November 2017, Posobiec encouraged his Twitter followers to target
2232-532: The Ukrainian government on ways to prevent Trump from implementing his foreign policy goals. 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
2294-450: The United States had been destroyed by internal enemies and that a "counter-revolution" was necessary to defeat the majority of the people who "can no longer be considered fellow citizens". According to Ellmers, "Most people living in the United States today—certainly more than half—are not Americans in any meaningful sense of the term." Williams, the institute's president, said its mission is to "save Western civilization", particularly from
2356-589: The attack on the Capitol. The details of Eastman's attempt, described in a book by journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa , made national headlines in September 2021. Shortly afterward, the American Political Science Association canceled panels involving Eastman and Claremont at its 2021 conference. In April 2022, Thomas B. Edsall of The New York Times wrote in a guest essay that
2418-638: The board of trustees since approximately 2010. Michael Pack was president from 2015 to 2017. Ryan P. Williams assumed the post in 2017. The Claremont Institute publishes The Claremont Review of Books , The American Mind , The American Story Podcast , and Claremont Books. A Washington, D.C., branch of the Claremont Institute, called the Center for the American Way of Life, opened in February 2021. Claremont Institute fellowships have gone to prominent figures on
2480-401: The board)—culminated in the January 6 attack on the Capitol . Williams has stated that the institute's mission "is to save western civilization". Vice asserted that Codevilla, who frequently denounced the "ruling class", coined the term "cold civil war" in 2017. On January 5, 2021, using the hashtag #HoldTheLine, Claremont president emeritus Brian Kennedy tweeted from Capitol Hill : "We are in
2542-649: The candidacy of Marine Le Pen of the National Front . 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 . 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
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2604-782: 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". Posobiec later said that he had never heard of Jeffrey Clark and had never made
2666-453: The conservative student organization Turning Point USA , and to join conservative news site Human Events as a senior editor. Posobiec was born and raised in Norristown, Pennsylvania , to a family of Polish descent. His parents were both Democrats. He attended Kennedy–Kenrick Catholic High School and went to college at Temple University . While at Temple, he became the chairman of
2728-543: The debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory claiming high-ranking Democratic Party officials were involved in a child sex ring . 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. He left OANN in May 2021 to begin hosting a show for
2790-474: The election results. The institute's publications have in recent years frequently published alt-right and far-right opinion pieces. The Claremont Institute was founded in 1979 by four students of Straussian political theorist Harry V. Jaffa , a professor emeritus at Claremont McKenna College and the Claremont Graduate University , although the institute has no affiliation with any of
2852-446: The evidence is publicly available; the assertion was fact-checked and found to be false. The post was also flagged as false information by the platform, and Posobiec issued an update on the post regretting "any confusion". 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 . From 2012 to 2016, Posobiec ran
2914-441: The institute "a racist fever swamp with deep connections to the conspiratorial alt-right ", citing Posobiec's fellowship and the publication of a 2020 essay by senior fellow John Eastman that questioned Kamala Harris 's eligibility for the vice presidency. In 2022, The American Mind published an editorial by Raw Egg Nationalist, an author affiliated with neo-Nazi publishing house Antelope Hill . The Claremont Institute
2976-410: The main intellectual architects of trying to overthrow the republic." Senior fellow Charles Kesler , who believes Eastman's advice was wrong, said the institute is split between "some who continue to believe that the election was stolen and some who have denied that from the beginning". The Claremont Institute has hosted Charles Haywood on their podcast. Haywood, a far-right extremist, has described
3038-529: The pizzeria and was asked to leave after attempting to broadcast a child's birthday party being held in a back room. 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". Posobiec denied his involvement to BuzzFeed News , but
3100-465: The position from 2017 to 2018. The institute became a significant player in the Trump administration, adding a Washington office and contributing ideas and personnel to the administration. In 2019, Trump awarded the Claremont Institute with a National Humanities Medal . In June 2020, former Claremont Institute president Michael Pack became head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media under Trump. During
3162-506: 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. 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
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#17328449692563224-537: 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. During the 2016 election, Posobiec was a special projects director of Citizens for Trump, a pro-Trump organization but not an official group. In March 2017, Posobiec resigned from his full-time civilian position at ONI, saying that his support for Trump led to
3286-610: The same phone number was used in his contact with the website and the text messages he reportedly sent. 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 . 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
3348-549: The threat he said is posed by the progressive movement . In 2023, the Claremont Institute hired Boise State University professor Scott Yenor as its inaugural senior director of state coalitions. Claremont is a member of the advisory board of Project 2025 , a collection of conservative and right-wing policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation to reshape the US federal government and consolidate executive power should
3410-438: The video to acknowledge it was a "precreation...of what could happen." 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
3472-410: 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 . On June 9, 2022,
3534-418: 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 and that Bernie Sanders had ordered his followers to "take down" Trump. In December 2017, Posobiec, along with Cernovich, The Gateway Pundit , and InfoWars , promoted a false theory that
3596-431: Was an early defender of Donald Trump . The Daily Beast stated Claremont "arguably has done more than any other group to build a philosophical case for Trump's brand of conservatism". In September 2016, the institute's Claremont Review of Books published Michael Anton 's "The Flight 93 Election" editorial. Written under a pseudonym, it compared the prospect of conservatives letting Trump lose to Hillary Clinton in
3658-503: Was an investment banker, and co-founded Wertheim & Co. , an investment firm. He was educated at Williams College . Klingenstein is a partner in Cohen Klingenstein, a Wall Street hedge fund investment firm that administers a portfolio worth more than US$ 2.3 billion, as of 2023. Cohen Klingenstein was founded in 1981, and is principally owned by George M. Cohen and Klingenstein. Klingenstein has donated more than $ 10 million in
3720-459: 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
3782-518: 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". On February 22, 2024, Posobiec, speaking at
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#17328449692563844-485: 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. 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. Following
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