Texas Shooter's 'White Power' Social Media Posts Revealed After Right-Wing Pundits Cast Doubt on White Supremacist Links
By: Alex Griffing (Mediaite)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By Alex GriffingMay 8th, 2023, 5:21 pm Twitter share button <?php // Post Body ?>
The gunman who killed eight people at an Allen, Texas shopping mall over the weekend posted to a social media account discovered by the New York Times , which included "language praising Hitler, with references to neo-Nazi websites like The Daily Stormer ."
The Times added that the account on the Russian social networking platform OK.RU was "rife with hate-filled rants against women and Black people."
The new reporting, which was backed up by NBC News and investigative journalism outlet Bellingcat, came just hours after several prominent right-wing figures cast doubt on reports that the shooter had Neo-Nazi links, given that he was Latino.
"BREAKING: @KenPaxtonTX tells me law enforcement gave him NO details in a briefing yesterday that the Allen, TX shooter was a 'white supremacist' or held 'neo-Nazi' views. Unlike the FBI & media, they were waiting for facts to come in before jumping to a political conclusion," wrote Glenn Beck on Monday.
Donald Trump Jr. replied to Beck and added "don't get ahead of yourself, maybe the Mexican national with cartel tats identifies as a white supremacist & therefore we must totally go along with that narrative! Though the same logic does not apply to the Trans Terrorist Nashville shooter who was clearly 'driven to it.'" Trump Jr. ended his tweet with several clown face emojis.
.@glennbeck, don't get ahead of yourself, maybe the Mexican national with cartel tats identifies as a white supremacist & therefore we must totally go along with that narrative! Though the same logic does not apply to the Trans Terrorist Nashville shooter who was clearly "driven… https://t.co/jCtmzJGaCk
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 8, 2023
Ann Coulter offered a similar take, sarcastically quipping, "MEDIA: Texas shooter is Mauricio Garcia, 2d generation immigrant … and white supremacist. So we could have been spared this horror if only someone had told the shooter: 'Mauricio, you're not white!'"
MEDIA: Texas shooter is Mauricio Garcia, 2d generation immigrant … and white supremacist.
So we could have been spared this horror if only someone had told the shooter: 'Mauricio, you're not white!' pic.twitter.com/5JKcXKnYpl
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) May 8, 2023
Right Side Broadcasting Brian Glenn , who is dating Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), made a similar argument while talking with Steve Bannon on Monday, noting the shooters' parents spoke Spanish.
Marjorie Taylor Greene's boyfriend Brian Glenn believes the skin color of the Allen mall shooter proves the shooter wasn't a white supremacist.
Glenn also suggested Twitter suppressed the story from trending because of his video. pic.twitter.com/I2SBXBDzgx
— PatriotTakes (@patriottakes) May 8, 2023
"And people now know that it wasn't a white neo-national supremacist. That's not the narrative," Glenn raged, while accusing the Wall Street Journal of first reporting on the shooter's ideology:
And I'll call out The Wall Street Journal . They were actually, from what I can understand, the first publication to come out and say, like a white supremacist before the video was even released, before anybody knew who this guy was or who it was, wasn't a guy. It was just a suspect. So shame on the Wall Street Journal.
However, those doubts were quickly rebutted as NBC News also went through the shooter's posts, reporting he regularly went on "rants against Jews, women and racial minorities posted on the account since September, as well as posts about struggling with mental health."
The shooters' posts also reference "content from white nationalists, including Nick Fuentes , an antisemitic white nationalist provocateur," added NBC News. Fuentes notoriously dined with former President Donald Trump last November with the anti-Semitic rapper Kanye West .
"He also posted photos of a flak vest emblazoned with patches, including one with the acronym for "Right Wing Death Squad," a popular meme among far-right extremist groups. Another post included a series of shirtless pictures with visible white power tattoos, including SS Lightning Bolts and a swastika," reported NBC News.
Bellingcat's Director of Training and Research Aric Toler took a deep dive into the social media account and reposted some of its contents, concluding the picture.
(I haven't checked if this is actually him in the picture, I assume he just posted it because he's a big swastika/SS fan, as he has them all over the rest of his profile)
— Aric Toler (@AricToler) May 8, 2023
Toler summed out the findings of his research, noting, "The Allen shooter was obviously a white supremacist / neo-Nazi. He was basically announcing that he was going to do a mass shooting for months beforehand, and planned his target weeks in advance."
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Filed Under: Donald Trump Jr.Mass shootingsNeo-NazisSteve BannonWall Street Journalwhite nationalism Previous PostNext Post Previous PostNext Post Alex Griffing - Senior Editor
Alex Griffing is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Send tips via email: alexanderg@mediaite.com. Follow him on Twitter: @alexgriffing
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In the end, it doesnt matter much whether he was a white supremacist or not.
What I find interesting is how quickly and easily "right wing pundits" devolve into conspiracy theories.
The lie and deflection works on those that wish to believe it.
The right wing is under full protection from The First Amendment and they have The Second Amendment to prove it.
I’m fully on board with waiting for the facts. No problem with that. Too often in these cases, various quarters rush to define “the narrative” - usually for political reasons.
But, unless you yourself are a white supremacist, I don’t know why you would concern yourself with downplaying the possibility that the shooter was one. Are we trying to protect the reputations of white supremacists?