House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it
The House passed a bipartisan resolution condemning the sprawling QAnon conspiracy theory, though 17 Republican lawmakers voted against the measure in the 371-18 vote.
The GOP lawmakers voting “no” were Reps. Jodey Arrington
Jodey Cook ArringtonHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it Republicans boot Francis Rooney from GOP Steering Committee MORE (Texas), Brian Babin (Texas), Rob Bishop
Robert (Rob) William BishopHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it OVERNIGHT ENERGY: House passes sweeping clean energy bill | Pebble Mine CEO resigns over secretly recorded comments about government officials | Corporations roll out climate goals amid growing pressure to deliver MORE (Utah), Mo Brooks
Morris (Mo) Jackson BrooksHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it Overnight Defense: Trump hosts Israel, UAE, Bahrain for historic signing l Air Force reveals it secretly built and flew new fighter jet l Coronavirus creates delay in Pentagon research for alternative to ‘forever chemicals’ MORE (Ala.), Michael Burgess
Michael Clifton BurgessHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it Ignore the misinformation: The FDA will ensure the safety of any COVID-19 vaccine MORE (Texas), Buddy Carter
Earl (Buddy) Leroy CarterHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it Overnight Health Care: Trump says White House will pressure governors to open schools | Administration formally moves to withdraw US from WHO | Fauci warns against ‘false complacency’ on COVID-19 MORE (Ga.), Warren Davidson
Warren Earl DavidsonHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it Hillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns MORE (Ohio), Jeff Duncan
Jeffrey (Jeff) Darren DuncanHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it Biden’s Iran policy is deeply flawed MORE (S.C.), Drew Ferguson
Anderson (Drew) Drew FergusonHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it The Hill’s Coronavirus Report: Fauci says focus should be on pausing reopenings rather than reverting to shutdowns; WHO director pleads for international unity in pandemic response MORE (Ga.), Bill Flores
William (Bill) Hose FloresHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it Patient Protection Pledge offers price transparency MORE (Texas), Paul Gosar
Paul Anthony GosarHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it Pelosi must go — the House is in dire need of new leadership MORE (Ariz.), Steve King
Steven (Steve) Arnold KingHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it Steve King defends past comments on white supremacy, blasts NYT and GOP leaders in fiery floor speech MORE (Iowa), Mike Kelly
George (Mike) Joseph KellyDemocratic Rep. Carbajal tests positive for COVID-19 Hillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it MORE (Pa.), Ralph Norman
Ralph Warren NormanHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it House rebuffs GOP lawmaker’s effort to remove references to Democrats in Capitol MORE (S.C.), Scott Perry
Scott Gordon PerryHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it On The Trail: How Nancy Pelosi could improbably become president MORE (Pa.), Thomas Tiffany (Wis.) and Daniel Webster
Daniel Alan WebsterHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it What happened to Congress? And how can it regain its standing? MORE (Fla.).
Rep. Justin Amash
Justin AmashHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House votes to condemn alleged hysterectomies on migrant women House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it MORE (L-Mich.), who used to be a Republican, also voted against the resolution.
Another GOP lawmaker, Rep. Andy Harris
Andrew (Andy) Peter HarrisHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it House rebuffs GOP lawmaker’s effort to remove references to Democrats in Capitol MORE (Md.), voted present.
President Trump
Donald John TrumpTrump and Biden’s plans would both add to the debt, analysis finds Trump says he will back specific relief measures hours after halting talks Trump lashes out at FDA over vaccine guidelines MORE has not condemned the QAnon conspiracy, which revolves around the baseless theory that Trump and his allies are working to expose a cabal of Democrats, media figures and celebrities who are running an international child trafficking ring.
As unhinged as the conspiracy is, it has gained steam in conservative circles and several Republicans running for the House this year have backed the theory, including Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who is expected to win her general election race this November.
Greene has been praised effusively by Trump and backed by Republican leadership despite her supportive comments about QAnon and a history of racist and anti-Semitic comments.
The measure condemning QAnon was sponsored by Reps. Denver Riggleman
Denver RigglemanHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it Virginians wait up to four hours to cast early voting ballots MORE (R-Va.) and Tom Malinowski
Thomas (Tom) MalinowskiHillicon Valley: House votes to condemn QAnon | Americans worried about foreign election interference | DHS confirms request to tap protester phones Congress can’t stop QAnon but combatting abuse and trauma can House approves measure condemning QAnon, but 17 Republicans vote against it MORE (D-N.J.).
“QAnon and other conspiracy theories and movements that dehumanize people or political groups, incite violence or violent threats and destroy faith and trust in our democratic institutions must be identified, condemned and exposed through facts,” Riggleman told The Hill.
“The First Amendment is a powerful weapon. Turning that weapon on those who use fantasies as a menacing grift is the responsibility of reasonable citizens, legislat
ors and executives.”
The QAnon theory is considered a serious threat, and has been tied to multiple instances of criminal activity.
Besides Greene, several other House GOP candidates have also expressed openness to the QAnon theory, including Lauren Boebert in Colorado, Burgess Owens in Utah, Mike Cargile and Erin Cruz in California, and Illinois’s Theresa Raborn.
The Freedom Caucus-affiliated House Freedom Fund, for example, has endorsed and directed funding toward Greene, Boebert and Owens.
Greene and Boebert have both attempted to distance themselves from the theory since winning their primaries. Experts studying QAnon have said while those walk-backs are expected, they’ll do little to convince the theory’s adherents that the candidates aren’t on their side.
While most Republicans have clearly condemned the theory, they have also sought to distract from it by pointing to allegations of violence by left-wing activists.
An amendment offered by Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) to include language in the measure condemning violence committed by antifa was voted down in the House Rules Committee.
Antifa, short for anti-fascist, refers to a loose collection of primarily leftist activists. The movement has been a preferred target of Trump as the source of violence and property destruction at anti-police brutality protests despite no evidence linking the two.
FBI Director Christopher Wray in a hearing earlier this month pointed out that the term refers to an ideology, not an organization. QAnon, on the other hand, has been directly linked to violence.
The resolution adopted Thursday cites numerous examples of violence and criminal activity seen from QAnon supporters and calls for federal law enforcement and the FBI to allocate more resources toward countering conspiracy-driven extremism.
The FBI has labeled the conspiracy theory a potential domestic terrorism threat, and it has been linked to kidnapping, terrorism and murder.
An earlier version of this story misstated the number of GOP lawmakers who voted no. It was 17 Republicans, and one Libertarian member.