barreto, x

==
Ximena Barreto, a right-wing commentator with a history of pushing

conspiracy theories and bigoted rhetoric, has finally resigned from the

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Barreto joined HHS in December 2017 as a deputy communications director. Media Matters first <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/04/09/hhs-official-pizzagate-conspiracy-theorist-who-said-african-americans-are-way-more-racist-whites-and/219888" style="text-decoration-line:none;">reported</a>

on April 9 that Barreto (who also goes by the surname Barreto-Rice)

frequently made toxic remarks as a conservative pundit. She promoted the

Pizzagate conspiracy theory, claimed that “African-Americans are way

more racist than white people,” and labeled Islam “a fucking cult” that

has “no place” in the United States, among other remarks.

Here is a video from Media Matters’ John Kerr of some of her worst remarks:...[vid]
ours after Media Matters’ report, HHS issued a statement saying Barreto “has been placed on administrative leave while the matter is reviewed.”

Media Matters originally found out about Barreto’s federal employment because ProPublica <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/trump-town/staffers/ximena-alexandra-barreto" style="text-decoration-line:none;">added</a> her name to Trump Town, its <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/trump-town/" style="text-decoration-line:none;">database</a> of Trump administration political appointees.

CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski, Chris Massie, and Nathan McDermott <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/13/politics/kfile-hhs-official-obama-clinton-treason/index.html" style="text-decoration-line:none;">reported</a>

on April 13 that Barreto “shared an image in 2017 that said ‘our

forefathers would have hung’ Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for

treason,” “repeatedly used the hashtag #BanIslam and twice shared

conspiracy theories about the death of Democratic National Committee

staffer Seth Rich,” among other conspiracy theories.

The Trump administration <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/05/02/trump-administration-declines-fire-hhs-official-ximena-barreto-over-bigoted-and-conspiratorial/220090" style="text-decoration-line:none;">decided</a>

to allow Barreto back to work in early May but said she would “not to

return to the public affairs department and will serve in a different

role where she will work to complete several projects.”

On June 21, Mediaite’s Caleb Ecarma <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/online/hhs-official-called-john-podesta-a-pedophile-and-claimed-liberals-abuse-children-in-satanic-rituals/" style="text-decoration-line:none;">reported</a>

that Barreto attacked CNN for purportedly conducting a “smear campaign”

against her (CNN did not smear Barreto). Mediaite also “conducted an

extensive review of her social media posts and found that the HHS

appointee pushed the baseless Pizzagate conspiracy theory even more than

previously reported,” finding that she tweeted variations of the

conspiracy theory “at least 17 times.”

On June 22, CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/22/politics/kfile-hhs-official-listed-work-for-anti-islam-show/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twCNNp&utm_content=2018-06-22T21%3A08%3A23&CNNPolitics=fb" style="text-decoration-line:none;">reported</a>

that a copy of Barreto’s resume -- which was obtained through a Freedom

of Information Act request -- showed that “she listed her previous

conspiratorial work on her resume as a qualification for the

communication position.”

Politico’s Dan Diamond <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/27/hhs-official-conspiracy-theories-resigns-ximena-barreto-747461" style="text-decoration-line:none;">reported</a>

on July 27 that she “was escorted from Health and Human Services

Department headquarters Friday, according to an individual with

knowledge of the situation. Barreto resigned, the individual said.”

There are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/24/politics/kfile-trump-appointee-va/index.html" style="text-decoration-line:none;">numerous</a> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/07/politics/kfile-hhs-allowed-back-on-job/index.html" style="text-decoration-line:none;">other</a> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/03/politics/trump-dod-appointee-resigns-birther/index.html" style="text-decoration-line:none;">people</a> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/16/politics/kfile-jamie-johnson-resigns/index.html" style="text-decoration-line:none;">who</a> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/08/politics/kfile-john-gibbs-hud/index.html" style="text-decoration-line:none;">have</a> <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/06/23/doe-agency-head-second-us-civil-war-may-be-necessary-imagine-world-without-islam-transgenderism/217016" style="text-decoration-line:none;">served</a> in the Trump administration and have pushed toxic conspiracy theories <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/28/politics/kfile-top-aide-to-ryan-zinke/index.html" style="text-decoration-line:none;">and/or</a> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/18/politics/kfile-carl-higbie-on-the-radio/index.html" style="text-decoration-line:none;">bigoted</a> <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/01/22/dhs-senior-adviser-who-has-worked-travel-ban-claimed-true-muslims-can-t-peacefully-coexist-or-mingle/219112" style="text-decoration-line:none;">rhetoric</a>.
<h2><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2018/07/30/right-wing-conspiracy-theorist-ximena-barreto-finally-leaves-hhs-after-outlets-document-her-toxic/220838">Right-wing conspiracy theorist Ximena Barreto finally leaves HHS after outlets document her toxic rhetoric</a></h2>==