FEC Has Questions For Suspected Author Of QAnon Posts

Zach Everson

Staff Writer

MARCH 29, 2022

The campaign for Ron Watkins, a Republican running for Congress in Arizona who’s suspected to have authored message-board posts that fueled the false QAnon conspiracy, originally failed to disclose 40% of the contributions it received in the final three months of 2021, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

In a campaign-finance report submitted in January 2022, Ron Watkins for Congress told the FEC it had received $30,600 in contributions over the last three months of 2021. Last week, the campaign amended its filing to disclose that it actually received $51,000 over that period.

On Monday, the FEC asked the campaign to explain why the contributions were omitted from the original report. A response is due by May 2.

“A discrepancy that large is very unusual,” said Brett Kappel, an attorney specializing in campaign finance at Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg. “It would always result in a letter from the FEC requesting an explanation for the under-reporting of such a large percentage of incoming contributions. That said, the FEC is more lenient toward first-time candidates.”

Spokespeople for the campaign did not respond to inquiries.

The campaign received a donation of $2,400 described as “t-shirts” from Jim Watkins, Ron’s father who owns and operates the 8chan and 8kun message boards from where the Qanon conspiracy spread. Other supporters of Watkins’ campaign listed their occupations as physician, accountant, self-employed geologist and mechanic for D.C. Metro. Apart from Jim Watkins, none of the campaign’s other donors are notable in the QAnon community, according to Travis View, the pseudonymous co-host of the “QAnon Anonymous” podcast, which reports on the conspiracy.

Only three of the 39 donors the campaign identified are from Arizona.

Watkins appeared to admit he was behind the vast Qanon conspiracy in HBO’s 2021 docuseries Q:Into The Storm. Forensic linguists also found evidence Watkins was posting as Q, the New York Times reported last month. Watkins has denied the claim.

Supporters of then-President Donald Trump flew a U.S. flag with a symbol from the group QAnon outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Getty Images

Welcome to the latest issue of Checks & Imbalances

Today we look at Florida Republicans' feud with Disney, more campaign contributions from Ginni Thomas and the latest in Donald Trump's legal issues.

Checks & Imbalances usually publishes on Mondays and Thursdays. Please support this work, if you can, by subscribing to Forbes. Any tips or suggestions? Email me at zeverson@forbes.com.  And you can follow me on Twitter at @z_everson. Thanks!

In Case You Missed It

"Texas Democrat Filemon Vela, Who Already Said He Would Not Seek Reelection, Will Resign Early From Congress"

"Pelosi Exercises Tesla Stock Options To Buy $2 Million In Shares"

DeSantis, ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Sponsor Lash Out At Disney For Vow To Strike Down Law: ‘That Crossed A Line’

"Florida Republicans slammed Disney Tuesday after the company promised to help strike down the Parental Rights in Education Act—referred to by critics as the 'Don’t Say Gay' law—after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the legislation," reports Alison Durkee:

DeSantis told reporters Tuesday Disney’s statement was "fundamentally dishonest" and "crossed a line," adding that Florida is not governed "based on the demands of California corporate executives." DeSantis pointed out Disney did not speak out against HB 1557 before the bill was passed—which they’ve been widely criticized for—saying Florida’s House Speaker told him "Disney never called him" when the bill was going through the legislature.

Florida state Rep. Joe Harding (R), who sponsored HB 1557, said in a statement Tuesday his campaign has returned Disney’s political donations due to the company’s opposition against the law, saying in a statement the company’s “rejection of common sense, parents-first principles gives me no other choice but to return their donations.”

Read more: "DeSantis, ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Sponsor Lash Out At Disney For Vow To Strike Down Law: ‘That Crossed A Line’"

Disney employee Tiffany Cooper holds a sign to protest the company's stance on LGBTQ issues in Glendale, Calif. on March 22. Associated Press

Continuing Irresolutions

Updates on Checks & Imbalances’ previous reporting

Last week, Checks & Imbalances reported that Ginni Thomas, the spouse of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has contributed at least $15,000 to Republican political committees, according to federal and state records.

Turns out that figure is at least $20,000.

Revising the search parameters on the FEC's website to include an abbreviation of the city in which Thomas lives and the work address listed on her website turned up 13 more contributions, totaling $4,600. The largest recipient of this batch was Ted Cruz’s 2016 presidential campaign, which received $1,600 from Thomas.

*****

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) announced he would resign from Congress on March 31, after a jury convicted him on Thursday of lying to the FBI about an illegal campaign donation from a foreign national. Fortenberry’s campaign reported spending $158,000 on legal fees last year. Fortenberry also launched a legal expense trust in August.

*****

“Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) said Tuesday he would not support President Joe Biden’s proposed ‘minimum tax on billionaires,’ which would impose a 20% minimum tax on households worth over $100 million and would target unrealized gains,” reports Zachary Snowdon Smith.

“Over the last five years, 50 billionaires and 17 spouses of billionaires have donated to Manchin’s campaign committee or leadership PAC,” none of whom reside in West Virginia, Michela Tindera reported in November.

Ooopsies

The No Labels Problem Solvers PAC had a problem with its February campaign filing, according to the FEC. The nonpartisan, centrist PAC failed to forward contributions earmarked for other committees within 10 days, as required by law.

Tracking Trump

"The New York Attorney General’s investigation into the Trump Organization’s potentially misleading business practices has “uncovered significant evidence” that the company’s financial statements relied on misrepresentations to secure economic benefits for more than a decade, the attorney general’s office said in a court filing on Tuesday," reports Anna Kaplan for Forbes:

James claimed the Trump Organization valued unsold units in the Trump Park Avenue building at more than six times their appraised value—at $292 million— on financial statements between 2010 and 2012, though an outside appraisal concluded the total market value of the units were worth $55 million. In another example, the company’s financial statements from 2012 to 2016 listed former President Donald Trump’s triplex apartment in Trump Tower in Manhattan as more than 30,000 square feet and “valued the apartment at up to $327 million based on those dimensions,” though the company’s 2017 statement “slashed the apartment’s value by two-thirds, sizing the residence at just under 11,000 square feet,” according to the filing.

Read more: "Trump Organization Misstated Asset Valuations For Over A Decade, New York Attorney General Says"

Former President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference at the Rosen Shingle Creek on February 26, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images); ANADOLU AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES

Forbes continues to update "Tracking Trump: A Rundown Of All The Lawsuits And Investigations Involving The Former President.” Among the latest developments: Trump sued Hilary Clinton and the DNC, alleging they “maliciously conspired to weave a false native” that he colluded with Russia in 2016.

"Trump And Two Sons Agree To Be Deposed In Lawsuit Alleging They Profited From Multilevel Marketing Scam" (Forbes)

"GSA approves sale of Trump’s D.C. hotel lease" (The Washington Post)

"Italian menswear retailer relocates from Trump International Hotel" (Washington Business Journal)

"U.S. military spent nearly $150,000 at Trump properties, documents show" (The Washington Post)

"Trump’s Truth Social App Plummets in Traffic, Sees 93% Drop in Signups Since Launch Week" (The Wrap)

"Trump's latest fundraising message invokes Martin Niemöller's famed poem about Hitler's rise and puts the former president in the place of the Nazis victims." (Twitter/Hunter Walker of the Uprising)

Older messages

How Main Street Can Benefit From The Metaverse | Meet The VC Firm Investing In Startups ‘At Incorporation’ | Inflation And Interest Rate Hikes

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Plus: Exclusive: Inside The Ukrainian Government's NFT Sale—And The 3 Young Entrepreneurs Who Helped Create It ADVERTISEMENT Forbes The metaverse is here, and it's bringing a lot of buzz. Big

FEC Has Questions For Suspected Author Of QAnon Posts

Older messages

How Main Street Can Benefit From The Metaverse | Meet The VC Firm Investing In Startups ‘At Incorporation’ | Inflation And Interest Rate Hikes

Where Young Women Earn More Than Men | Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Balancing Act | Get Ready For ‘Lunchflation’

8 Pairs of Jeans That'll Be The Staples Of Your Wardrobe

Leadership Slam Dunk | Mind The Pay Gap | The End Of Globalization

The bankruptcy threat to PE

You Might Also Like

☕ Great chains

Pete Hegseth's confirmation hearing.

Honourable Roulette

📬 No. 62 | What I learned about newsletters in 2024

⚡️ ‘Skeleton Crew’ Answers Its Biggest Mystery

I Tried All The New Eye-Shadow Sticks

How To Stop Worrying And Learn To Love Lynn's National IQ Estimates

☕ Olympic recycling

Ozempic has entered the chat

How a major bank cheated its customers out of $2 billion, according to a new federal lawsuit