“Disturbing pattern”: The most unhinged right-wing conspiracy theories of 2023

Right-wing extremism has played a key role in spreading conspiracy theories targeting marginalized individuals and groups, unnecessarily blaming them for a variety of societal problems. In the last year, some of the claims that started on the media fringes of the far right have crept into the Republican mainstream with the most harmful online conspiracy theories becoming the subjects of formal congressional investigations. 

A significant portion of conspiracy theories adopted by Republicans, which have embraced far-reaching online narratives, are dubious, implausible or verifiably false. However, what’s concerning is that extremist groups are employing some of these conspiracy theories as a tool to not only advance their agendas but also for recruitment purposes. 

Salon has compiled a list of some of the most unhinged Republican conspiracy theories of 2023 that have either been thoroughly debunked or fall into the category of speculative fiction. 

More than a dozen members of Congress have spread the “fedsurrection” conspiracy theory

Sixteen members of Congress have pushed, or at least “entertained,” a conspiracy theory suggesting that the January 6 insurrection was an “inside job” orchestrated by the FBI, according to an analysis by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Although the theory originally stemmed from right-wing reports, it has now permeated the mainstream of the congressional GOP.

House Republicans that have spread or entertained the conspiracy theory, include Reps. Clay Higgins, Troy Nehls, Thomas Massie, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs, Eli Crane, Madison Cawthorn, Louie Gohmert and Jim Jordan and Sens. Ron Johnson, J.D. Vance, Tom Cotton, Mike Lee and Ted Cruz, according to CREW. Of the 16 who have amplified the false belief, two are no longer in office.

The origin of the conspiracy theory can be traced to right-wing reports claiming that certain individuals who were a part of the crowd that incited violence on January 6 were undercover FBI agents. The conspiracy theory gained prominence through Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show and docuseries, with a particular emphasis on a rioter named Ray Epps. Over the span of 18 months, Carlson discussed Epps on his show nearly 20 times, accusing him of “stage-manag[ing]” the insurrection and highlighting the Department of Justice’s failure to charge Epps with any crimes, CREW pointed out in its report. 

Trump supporters in Congress quickly embraced the theory, shifting responsibility for the attack away from Trump and onto “the deep state.” Greene shared a surveillance video on X showing a rioter holding a law enforcement badge in his hand, suggesting that he was an undercover police officer “disguised as a Trump supporter” and that the attack was an inside job, The New York Times reported. Upon closer examination, the object held in the man’s hand in the screenshot she shared seems to be a vape pen. The man was later convicted and sentenced to more than four years in prison.

Lee, a Republican senator from Utah, shared the same video clip and pushed the false claim that the man had displayed a badge. He said that he looked forward to questioning the F.B.I. director about the incident, the Times reported. In a separate post featuring a video of a violent clash between rioters and the police, he questioned, “How many of these guys are feds?”

On January 6, 2022, Greene and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., held a press conference to discuss the theory, asserting that January 6 was not an insurrection but potentially a “fedsurrection,” according to CREW’s report. On the same day, then-Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., tweeted, “Who is Ray Epps?” Trump posted about the “fedsurrection” theory three days later. The following day, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s show, inquired, “What about Epps? Did he work for the FBI?”

Regardless of evidence disproving the “fedsurrection” claims, other Republicans outside of Congress including failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy have all boosted the false narrative this year with Ramaswamy saying: “Why am I the only person, on this stage at least, who can say that Jan. 6 now does look like it was an inside job?” 

How Fox News cited “fake” terrorist attack 97 times and used it to vilify Muslims

Fox News has been the origin of some of the most widely embraced conspiracy theories on the right. It comes as no surprise then that the news network has paid one of the largest settlements in a defamation case in U.S. history to a voting machine company after being accused of airing election lies. 

One of their more recent claims targeted Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians, and their supporters for being responsible for an act of terrorism that didn’t happen. Fox News personalities and guests made at least 97 claims alleging or speculating that a car accident at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara, New York, last month was an act of terrorism. The network broadcasted unfounded claims on screen for hours, suggesting that the car crash at the U.S.-Canada border was an act of terrorism based on the reporting of correspondent Alexis McAdams, who sourced her information from unnamed law enforcement officials.

She later walked back her claims, blaming “conflicting reports” on a breaking news situation, but her falsehoods spread on both mainstream and social media platforms contributing to significant and unnecessary anxiety in the community. By then, it was already too late as other Fox reporters had further pushed her claims and far-right figures on social media began fueling the narrative. 

Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist who once described herself as a “proud Islamophobe,” tweeted about the incident saying that the FBI is “suspecting that the Car Bomb Explosion TERRORIST ATTACK at the Rainbow Bridge US-Canada border in Niagara Falls could have been heading directly to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in NEW YORK CITY.”

Another anti-Muslim activist, Robert Spencer, got on board and started echoing similar claims. He said that an Iranian passport was found at the scene where the incident took place. Spencer’s tweet received more than 250,000 views at the time it was posted. 

McAdams ultimately retracted her initial claims, explaining she encountered “conflicting reports” as news broke out, but regardless of the damage that these falsehoods had caused, Fox continued to exploit the incident to advance its narrative against Palestinians and migrants.

“Today’s explosion at the border, regardless of the motive behind it, is a chilling reminder that we are all on high alert and living in a post-9/11 mindset, which means that our borders need to be secure,” guest host Jason Chaffetz said on “The Ingraham Angle”. He added that the Biden administration doesn’t “have the political will to actually shut down the border.”

Schools evacuated due to bomb threats after Libs of TikTok pushed right-wing “groomer” conspiracy theory

One of the more dangerous conspiracy theories that has had real-world ramifications this year includes the social media account “Libs of TikTok” targeting schools over anti-LGBTQ+ grooming conspiracies. Chaya Raichik, the individual behind the account, employed right-wing “groomer” propaganda to target 42 school districts and their staff members, accusing them of “indoctrinating” children into LGBTQ+ identities and exposing them to sexually explicit content.

Shortly after these conspiracy theories gained traction, at least 11 schools or school districts reported receiving bomb threats. The threats indicated a “disturbing pattern” of being targeted within five days of being featured in Raichik’s posts.

Libs of TikTok has played a key role in amplifying the baseless “grooming” conspiracy theory, co-opted by some right-wing politicians and pundits. This narrative has even entered mainstream discussions, especially as Republicans have actively opposed LGBTQ+ rights and introduced policies aimed at undermining them in recent years. The “Don’t Say Gay” bill for example has been referred to as the “anti-grooming bill,” with advocates of the bill accusing opponents of preying on children. The Anti-Defamation League and GLAAD published a report this June, which documented the rise in anti-LGBTQ+ incidents across the U.S. and found that more than half of them were linked to the “groomer” trope. 

Etsy is dubbed “The new Wayfair” in the latest far-right conspiracy theory

Far-right figures are spreading a conspiracy theory claiming listings on Etsy selling downloads of pizza photos for thousands of dollars are merely a cover for promoting child pornography.

This false claim echoes a baseless accusation from 2020 that targeted the online furniture and home goods retailer Wayfair. Some far-right figures are dubbing Etsy “the new Wayfair,” and the conspiracy theory is spreading across various platforms, including X, gaining millions of views as Media Matters pointed out.

The claim that the term “pizza” serves as a code for pedophilia played a key role in the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which suggested that Democrats were harboring child sex slaves in a Washington, D.C., pizza parlor.

A QAnon-promoting account on X posted that it had discovered pizza-related products selling on Etsy for thousands of dollars, asserting that these products were suspicious. “Don’t let them gaslight you anymore,” it said. 

Other accounts on X continued to push the conspiracy until other right-wing figures with larger followings on X caught on. Podcast host Kyle Seraphin and QAnon influencer Ben Moore also amplified these claims. Moore congratulated the QAnon-promoting account that posted the baseless claim on October 10 for “exposing this,” MMFA found. 

In a statement, Etsy refuted the trafficking allegations, stating that it discovered no evidence posing a risk to child safety. However, the platform removed the posts related to pizza since they did not appear to be legitimate.

After Hunter Biden tax charges, right-wing media began circulating conflicting conspiracy theories 

Another conspiracy theory that gained traction on the far-right this year involves President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. On Dec. 7, the younger Biden was indicted on three felony and six misdemeanor charges relating to tax crimes in California in unpaid taxes that he has already repaid. 

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Conservative media responded to the indictment pushing the unfounded claim that the charges are both an effort to force his father off the 2024 ballot and a “cover-up” to protect one or both of them, according to MMFA’s report.

“I see this as a very convenient time for the FBI and the DOJ to roll this out to once again give cover to Hunter Biden,” Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo said on her show. She claimed that Hunter Biden could use the charges to avoid testifying before the House Oversight Committee.

Fox Business host Larry Kudlow also repeated a similar claim suggesting that “The Biden White House helped orchestrate” charges against Hunter so he could avoid testifying before the House.

Jesse Watters, another Fox host, said that special counsel David “Weiss is actually helping” Hunter by indicting him “because of the timing.” His guest Brett Tolman agreed, saying: “This is an effort to also protect Joe Biden.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., also took to X to tease a segment of his podcast claiming that the DOJ “Covers Up for Joe Biden & FBI Stonewalls Congress.”