The Republican National Committee invited the far-right political activist known for helping spread the “pizzagate” conspiracy to an event on Sept. 4. He was asked to speak to GOP volunteers about how to monitor elections in Michigan.
During the 2016 presidential election, Jack Posobiec helped spread the false claim of a child trafficking ring involving prominent politicians being run out of a Washington, D.C., pizzeria.
According to the the New York Times, Posobiec criticized elections in the Democratic hub of Philadelphia at the RNC event.
He joked that officials in Venezuela learned how to conduct their elections, which are known for being corrupt, by visiting Philadelphia. The key to elections, he said, is that “it doesn’t matter who votes. It matters who counts the votes.”
He also said, “You need to think of yourself as the ground forces, as the army that’s going to be out there, the eyes and ears of the Trump campaign, of the Republican Party, that are there on the front line to say, ‘We are going to catch you and when we catch you, we’re going make a stink about it.’”
Posobiec stood by his comments in a statement that read, “I am proud to volunteer my time appearing at a poll watcher training for hard-working Americans who want to ensure the integrity of this election and that our election officials are held accountable to enforce the very laws that, when followed, inspire greater trust in our democratic institutions.”
A spokesman for Posobiec added that he has since called pizzagate a hoax. He also said that he generally seeks to express political humor and satire.
The RNC has not commented on what Posobiec said at the September event.
