Pence drops plan to go to fundraiser hosted by QAnon backers
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence has canceled plans
to attend a Trump campaign fundraiser in Montana following revelations
that the event’s hosts had expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory.
President
Donald Trump’s reelection campaign told The Associated Press on
Saturday that Pence’s schedule had been changed, but the campaign did
not provide a reason or say whether the fundraiser might be held at a
later time. The change comes after the AP reported Wednesday that hosts Cayrn and Michael Borland in Bozeman, Montana, had shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts.
The baseless conspiracy theory alleges Trump is battling an entrenched bureaucracy and sex trafficking ring run by pedophiles.
Three
Republicans seeking election in Montana also had been scheduled to
attend the fundraiser: U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, who faces a November
challenge from Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock; U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, a
Republican running for governor; and state auditor Matt Rosendale, a
candidate for the U.S. House.
Pence, Daines and the other
Republican candidates are still scheduled to hold a campaign rally
Monday afternoon in Belgrade, just east of Bozeman. Pence will host a
rally earlier in the day in Wisconsin, an event that was added as a
substitute for the fundraiser, the Trump campaign said.
Daines
campaign spokesperson Julia Doyle said the first-term senator does not
know the Borlands nor “does he know what QAnon even is.”
She referred questions on whether the event would be rescheduled to the Trump campaign.
Gianforte also does not know the Borlands or what QAnon is, spokesman Travis Hall said.
The
Borlands have donated over $220,000 to Trump’s reelection bid, the bulk
of which was made in Caryn Borland’s name, and they were guests at the
national GOP convention last month.
The QAnon narrative has grown
to include other long-standing conspiracy theories, gaining traction
among some extreme Trump supporters. The movement is often likened to a
right-wing cult. Some followers have run for office, primarily in the
Republican Party, though some have been independent or run as
third-party candidates. Trump has refused to say QAnon is false.
Pence
has said it’s a conspiracy theory and last month told CBS, “I don’t
know anything about QAnon, and I dismiss it out of hand.””
The Borlands have shared multiple QAnon social media posts, as well as other discredited conspiracies.
Michael
Borland prominently featured several QAnon “Q” logos on his Facebook
page. Caryn Borland has retweeted or engaged with QAnon Twitter
accounts. In April, she responded to a pro-Trump Tweet from a QAnon
account by replying “Always” with a praying hands emoji.
The Borlands did not immediately return telephone messages Saturday seeking comment.