GOP House candidate helps raise money for QAnon backer's Twitch channel
Zak Paine, aka RedPill78, has been banned from Twitter and Facebook after heavily promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Ohio congressional candidate J.R. Majewski solicited donations for the live video stream of a QAnon conspiracy theorist during a February appearance on the streamer’s show.
Majewski, a Republican, appeared on the Twitch channel of Zak Paine, who goes by the username Redpill78. The candidate spoke with Paine for over two and a half hours, promoting his campaign in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District. The seat is currently held by Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur.
Toward the end of the broadcast, Majewski made his solicitation.
“My website will be up and running with respect to being able to act as a clearinghouse for donations within the next, I would say seven days so patience is a virtue, I would rather see you tossing some money at the channel here so Redpill can keep being on,” said Majewski.
“Thank you very much, I appreciate that,” replied Paine.
The QAnon conspiracy theory falsely alleges that there is an international ring of child traffickers affiliated with a network of celebrities and politicians who engage in cannibalism. It is a belief held by many supporters of Donald Trump and has been promoted and praised by Republican members of Congress.
Known as a QAnon influencer, Paine has previously been banned from platforms like Twitter and Facebook. He and Majewski have said they are friends with each other and have hosted several livestreams together.
On Tuesday, the New York Times also reported that Paine has promoted Majewski’s candidacy on his streams, urging his viewers to donate money to the campaign.
Majewski first gained notoriety after painting a Trump logo on the lawn outside of his house during the 2020 election.
In an interview on Fox News, Majewski wore a shirt featuring the “Q” logo affiliated with the conspiracy theory. He has also posted images and posts on his Instagram account using QAnon-related hashtags.
In a video posted online on April 2, Majewski bragged that he had raised $25,000 to help people to attend the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally featuring Donald Trump that occurred ahead of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
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