Ahern, K
<div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">vice</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Major Trump Backer Is Hosting a Huge QAnon Conference in Las Vegas</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s another sign of how the conspiracy cult has taken over mainstream GOP politics.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By David Gilbert</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>September 13, 2021, </b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Conspiracy theorist QAnon demonstrators protest child trafficking on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, August 22, 2020. (Photo by Kyle Grillot / AFP) (Photo by KYLE GRILLOT/AFP via </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CONSPIRACY THEORIST QANON DEMONSTRATORS PROTEST CHILD TRAFFICKING ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, AUGUST 22, 2020. ]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Unraveling viral disinformation and explaining where it came from, the harm it's causing, and what we should do about it.</font></div><div>
</div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Nevada businessman who once cleared out his company’s warehouse to host a Trump rally in violation of state lockdown laws, has become the new host for the country’s biggest QAnon conference.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At the end of August, the “For God & Country Patriot Double Down” was left without a home, when Caesars in Las Vegas pulled the plug. Just days later, the organizers posted a video of themselves celebrating securing a new venue, but decided not to reveal the name in a bid to stop the public and the media pressuring the hotel to cancel the event.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>But now VICE News can reveal that the new venue is the Ahern Hotel and Convention Center, a premises close to the Las Vegas Strip owned by Don Ahern, a multi-millionaire businessman who is the finance chairman of the Nevada Republican Party and one of the biggest supporters of former President Donald Trump.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The event is a follow-up to the “For God & County Patriot Roundup” conference that took place in Dallas at the end of May, attracting hundreds of attendees and some of the biggest stars in the QAnon firmament.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Next month’s event is set to be even larger and is set to feature the father-and-son duo of Jim and Ron Watkins, who facilitated the rise of QAnon on their website 8kun (formerly known as 8chan). The event will also feature several elected GOP figures, including sitting Arizona state lawmakers Rep. Mark Finchem and Sen. Sonny Borrelli.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">That a prominent Republican financier and supporter of Trump is now hosting the country’s largest QAnon event is just the latest example of how QAnon conspiracies have taken hold in mainstream GOP politics. </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The official website for the event says the location will be “announced prior to [the] event,” but the organizers have revealed the name of the venue to those who purchased tickets.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the email about the venue, reviewed by VICE News, the organisers say they’ve booked all 203 rooms at the Ahern Hotel and secured a special rate of $149 for ticket holders.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The email also warns ticket holders that the hotel is only “semi-open” and that it might take some time for them to get through to reception.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The organizers, John Sabal (known online as “QAnon John”) and his partner Amy, also provide a brief biography of Ahern, calling him “an absolute patriot.” The email also describes Ahern as a “billionaire,” but that does not appear to be accurate.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Ahern came to national attention last year when he cleared out one of the huge warehouses used by his construction machinery rental company in Henderson, Nevada, to host an indoor Trump rally after the original venue canceled days before the rally, citing Nevada’s 50-person limit on indoor events.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Ahern’s almost entirely maskless event, held in open defiance of state regulations, attracted over 5,500 people and earned him a $3,000 fin</span>e.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>But this was nothing new to Ahern, who had previously hosted a Trump re-election campaign event at his hotel, featuring Trump’s personal pastor Paula White. That event also breached COVID-19 lockdown regulations and earned the businessman a $10,000 fine.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Ahern Hotel was previously called the Lucky Dragon, but that closed in 2018 just two years after it opened due to a lack of customers. Ahern purchased the hotel in 2019 at the knock-down price of $36 million and spent around $10 million on renovations.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The renovations included removing the gaming floor and replacing it with more convention space.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Ahern Hotel did not immediately respond to VICE News’ questions about hosting the event.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></font></font></font></div><div>no lnx</div><div><b>Full List of Republican Politicians Attending QAnon Convention in Las Vegas</b></div><div>BY ANDERS ANGLESEY ON <b>10/22/21 </b></div><div>
</div><div>Numerous Republican politicians have been listed as "special guests" at a QAnon convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, scheduled for this weekend.</div><div>
</div><div>State lawmakers and candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump are listed among QAnon influencers as attending the For God & Country: Patriot Double Down.</div><div>
</div><div>The event is organized by John Sabal, known by his Telegram moniker QAnon John, and will run from today to October 25.</div><div>
</div><div>[GOP Governor Blasts Trump's Obsession With 2020 Election, Looks to Midterms</div><div>Ron Watkins, Alleged QAnon Founder, Announces Run for Congress]</div><div>
</div><div>Among the Republican attendees are a host of speakers who are considered major influencers in the evolving QAnon online conspiracy movement.</div><div>
</div><div>One of them is Ron Watkins, accused of at one time being behind the 'Q' account that sparked the conspiracy movement—a claim he has denied.</div><div>
</div><div>Watkins has also announced he intends to run for office in Arizona and has set his eyes on a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.</div><div>
</div><div><b>Since it was announced, the controversial QAnon event has hit several snags. These include PayPal canceling the Patriot Voice's account, Caesars refusing to host the event and Michael Flynn pulling out from the convention.</b></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">
</span></div><div><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">But the event was saved after major Trump backer Don Ahern said he would host the convention at Sin City's Ahern Hotel.</b></div><div>
</div><div>The QAnon conspiracy theory claims former President Trump would somehow expose a global cabal of satanic, cannibalistic pedophiles who operate a massive child sex trafficking ring.</div><div>
</div><div>But, following the inauguration of President Joe Biden, QAnon followers have latched onto other unfounded conspiracies, including claims the 2020 Presidential Election was somehow riddled by widespread voter fraud.</div><div>
</div><div><b>Here is the list of Republicans who are attending the For God & Country Patriot Double Down.</b></div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Rep. Mark Finchem</span></div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Arizona state Representative Finchem has long repeated the baseless claims that a nationwide conspiracy somehow stole the 2020 presidential election from Trump.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">He was rewarded for his loyalty to the former president when Trump endorsed him for Arizona's Secretary of State, a position that would allow him to oversee elections in the state if elected.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Rep. Finchem previously appeared on QAnon-supporter media in May when he was featured on the RedPill78 podcast hosted by Zak Paine.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In a 2014 questionnaire that Finchem filled out for his candidacy for the Arizona House of Representatives, he said he was a member of The Oath Keepers, one of the largest anti-government extremist groups.</span></div><div>
</div><div>Sen. Sonny Borelli</div><div>
</div><div>The Republican Arizona state Senator has also repeated baseless claims that the 2020 Presidential Election was subject to widespread voter fraud.</div><div>
</div><div>Following the results of the Arizona audit, carried out by firm Cyber Ninjas on behalf of the GOP-controlled state senate, the confirmed President Joe Biden won, Sen. Borelli called for the election to be "nullified."</div><div>
</div><div>Despite the evidence, Borelli insisted the Maricopa County audit showed there was an Arizona election "cover-up" during an interview with former Trump senior adviser Steve Bannon on his War Room: Pandemic podcast.</div><div>
</div><div>Rep. Leo Biasiucci</div><div>
</div><div>Like other Republicans attending the QAnon convention, Arizona House of Representatives member Biasiucci has promoted baseless claims that Trump somehow won the 2020 Presidential election.</div><div>
</div><div><b>He sat alongside Sen. Borelli and Rep. Fincham at the Arizona election integrity hearing in November 2020.</b></div><div>
</div><div>In his speaker description on the Patriot Voice website, Rep. Biasiucci said he believed: "Trump won. Our elections are compromised and [Jeffrey] Epstein didn't kill himself."</div><div>
</div><div>Sen. Wendy Rogers</div><div>
</div><div>Sen. Rogers has frequently shared misinformation that Trump won the previous presidential election and also promoted election fraud claims in Arizona.</div><div>
</div><div>The Arizona state lawmaker has pushed the debunked great replacement theory and shared a Breitbart Twitter post about the border crisis, adding: "We are being replaced and invaded."</div><div>
</div><div>She has appeared on the anti-Semitic online website TruNews, which was permanently banned from YouTube in 2020 for hate speech.</div><div>
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</div><div>Kristina Karamo</div><div>
</div><div>Karamo has been a vocal Trump loyalist and earned his pick for Michigan Secretary of State after she promoted the claim of widespread voter fraud during the 2020 Presidential Election.</div><div>
</div><div>According to The Detroit News, Karamo traveled to Arizona in June to view the state's 2020 election audit.</div><div>
</div><div>She claimed to have seen "overwhelming evidence" of fraud and said it raised "reasonable concerns about the results in Michigan, a state Biden won back from Trump.</div><div>
</div><div>The Arizona audit would, ultimately, uphold President Biden's victory, deflating QAnon followers' hopes that it could set off a wave of similar election fraud investigations.</div><div>
</div><div>Rachel Hamm</div><div>
</div><div>Hamm continues GOP efforts to run for Secretary of State positions across the county in a bid to overturn the 2020 Presidential Election.</div><div>
</div><div>While she is unlikely to succeed in California, a Democrat stronghold for decades, she has continued to claim that Trump would have won the state had it not been for supposed widespread voter fraud.</div><div>
</div><div>She has since been endorsed by QAnon darling Flynn who was heard saying the conspiracy's slogan "where we go one we go all" in a July 4, 2020, tweet. Flynn has since claimed he actually said a family motto.</div><div><b>
</b></div><div><b>Jim Marchant</b></div><div>
</div><div>The Republican is set to run for the Secretary of State in Nevada in 2022 and has also pushed for election integrity.</div><div>
</div><div>On his campaign website, Marchant said his "number one priority will be to overhaul the fraudulent election system in Nevada."</div><div>
</div><div>In September, Marchant shared a Facebook post where he also called for a "full forensic audit" in Texas.</div><div>
</div><div>A spokesperson for the Arizona Democrat Party told Newsweek they believed Republicans in the state were "out of touch."</div><div>
</div><div>The spokesperson said: "Instead of working to help Arizonans recover from a global pandemic, Republicans like Wendy Rogers and her proud supporters like gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson are leaving the state and their constituents behind to cater to an out of touch and fanatical base that has a stranglehold on the Republican Party."</div><div>
</div><div>Newsweek has contacted Rep. Finchem, Sen. Borelli. Rep. Leo Biasiucci, Sen. Rogers, Marchant, Hamm and Karamo for comment.</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kara Ahern served as National Finance Director for McCain-Palin 2008 Victory Committee, and in that role, was the chief fundraiser for the joint committee between the McCain Campaign and the Republican National Committee. She was responsible for managing over 130 major fundraising events for Senator McCain, Governor Sarah Palin, President Bush and other VIP surrogates.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Prior to joining the RNC, she served as the Executive Director of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Host Committee. Working closely with donors and corporations from across the country, Ms. Ahern helped raise $60 million for the Convention.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2006, Ms. Ahern was the Deputy Campaign Manager for the Healey-Hillman Campaign in Massachusetts where she was responsible for all of the event logistics and fundraising operations for the Lieutenant Governor and Reed Hillman. She also oversaw the campaign scheduling for both candidates.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">From 2005 to 2006, Ms. Ahern worked at the White House serving as the Vice President’s Political Director. Working directly with Vice President Cheney, she developed and executed strategic travel schedules in support of White House initiatives.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During the Presidential Re-Election Campaign in 2004, she served as the Deputy Director for Vice Presidential Operations where she was responsible for all of the campaign activities of the Vice President including strategic planning, travel, briefings and event logistics.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Early on in the re-election period (2003-2004), she served as the Regional Finance Director for the Northeast, collecting over $23 million through fundraising events.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">From 2001 to 2003, she also spent two years fundraising for the Republican National Committee.</font></div>