Revealed: US professor Scott Yenor
was behind extremist site that spread conspiracies
Boise State University (BSU) professor and #Claremont#Institute scholar #Scott#Yenor was the hidden hand behind #Action#Idaho, a far-right online media platform that featured inflammatory rightwing commentary on politics in that state, documents obtained by the Guardian reveal.
The documents, obtained through public records requests, also show that ๐ฅYenor sought and received funding for the initiative from wealthy and influential donors like Claremont Institute board chair, Thomas D #Klingenstein.๐ฅ
He also attempted to hire a rising conservative writer, #Pedro#Gonzalez, to lead the initiative.
Gonzalez was later embroiled in a controversy about #antisemitic remarks he made in online chats in 2019 and 2020.
They also show him tapping a network of expertise that overlaps both with the Claremont Institute and the Society for American Civic Renewal ( #SACR ), a secretive fraternal #Christian#Nationalist organization the Guardian has reported on extensively.
Yenor has not publicly disclosed his involvement in Action Idaho, and it has only been fleetingly mentioned in previous reporting on Talking Points Memo. The revelations could raise further questions about the potential conflicts between Yenorโs professorial position at a public university and his political activism.
