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Some of the most rabid, conspiratorial figures aligned with former President Donald Trump are engaged in a public feud stemming from allegations of child grooming. NBC News hasn’t independently verified the allegations.
It's an ironic development for right-wing Republicans, who've spent the better part of the past few years trying to paint liberals as "groomers."
You may know the "America First" movement due to its white nationalist leader, Nick Fuentes, an avowed racist and election denier who was personally invited to dine with Trump at his Florida estate last year. You may also know one of its most prominent associates, the right-wing conspiracy theorist Ali Alexander, who helped plan and promote pro-Trump "Stop the Steal" rallies in Washington in the months leading up to Jan. 6, 2021.
This week, Alexander is the subject of allegations from fellow “America First” associates who claim he sent sexually explicit texts and social media messages to multiple people linked to the organization when they were underage.
As The Daily Beast reported on Monday, the allegations were spread, in large part, by the extremist Milo Yiannopolous, an “America First” associate who’s become an outcast in the conservative movement since issuing remarks in 2017 appearing to condone pedophilia.
In recent weeks, Yiannopolous has been sharing screenshots allegedly outlining various claims of grooming against Alexander. The Daily Beast similarly cites screenshots purporting to show evidence of Alexander having sexual conversations with underage associates and references direct accounts from accusers, including one accuser’s appearance on a right-wing podcast. NBC News hasn’t independently verified the allegations against Alexander.
When confronted with the allegation he'd solicited a nude picture from an underage associate, Alexander denied that particular claim earlier this month. And he’s claimed some of the screenshots purporting to show him in contact with teenagers are “fake.” But he recently apologized for “any inappropriate messages sent over the years" and claimed "nothing unlawful has occurred."
(The site RightWingWatch has done a great job documenting the scandal, FYI.)
"When I've flirted or others have flirted with me, I've flexed my credentials or dropped corny pickup lines," he said. "Other times, I've been careless and should've qualified those coming up to me's identities during flirtatious banter at the start."
The apology doesn't refer to any specific claims outlined in the Daily Beast's reporting.
Now, conservative extremists with apparent ties to Alexander are knifing him — and each other — to distance themselves from the fallout of these allegations.
That includes Fuentes, who recently claimed Alexander is "bowing out of public life, and I asked him to do that — so, you know, you're welcome," he said, flippantly.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who's also been linked to Alexander in the past but who appears to have fallen out of favor with him recently, on Monday called for the FBI to investigate Alexander over the allegations. She also suggested Fuentes was “in on” the scandal. (The Daily Beast article suggests Fuentes may have tried to cover up the incident by offering the accuser a job in politics).
In a sexist, antisemitic, expletive-filled tirade against Yiannopoulos and Greene, Fuentes denied Greene's allegations and suggested he's considering a defamation lawsuit against her.
Greene and Fuentes have developed a working relationship over the past few years, and Greene has even appeared at one of Fuentes' extremist conferences. Greene, of course, is one of the most vocal Republicans when it comes to lobbing baseless allegations that Democrats are groomers.
Conservatives may want to give that word a rest for a bit.