A prominent member of Donald Trump's campaign team, who secretly co-hosted a white nationalist podcast, has been relieved of his duties.
Luke Meyer, the former regional director for western Pennsylvania, was dismissed from his position on November 1, following revelations about his extremist views, as reported by Politico.
According to Straight Arrow News, journalist Amanda Moore was instrumental in uncovering Meyer's clandestine activities. She linked him to an online persona known as Alberto Barbarossa, who regularly espoused white nationalist ideologies on the "Alexandria" podcast alongside Richard Spencer. Spencer, a known white nationalist, organized the infamous Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
Spencer recently declared his support for Kamala Harris, distancing himself from any political party affiliation. Moore's investigation into Meyer began following an anonymous tip-off. She found several pieces of evidence corroborating the tip, including a tweet from Barbarossa celebrating his shared birthday with a former grand wizard of the KKK, a detail also true for Meyer.
Moore confronted Meyer at a Trump campaign event, leading to his admission of being the man behind the Barbarossa persona. In an email to Moore, Meyer wrote, "I'm glad you pieced these little clues together like an Antifa Nancy Drew." He confessed to the strain of hiding his true beliefs, stating, "It made me realize how draining it has been having to conceal my true thoughts for as long as I have."
Meyer suggested to Moore that his white nationalist views had already permeated the campaign. The Republican Party of Pennsylvania, however, strongly refuted this claim. They told Politico, "If we'd had any inkling about his hidden and despicable activity he would have never been hired."
In the wake of the revelations, Meyer has deleted his LinkedIn and X accounts, along with his Barbarossa X account. This incident underscores the importance of thorough vetting in political campaigns, to ensure that those who hold extremist views are not given platforms to influence mainstream politics.
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