ST. PAUL [09/10/20] – A new report from Buzzfeed revealed that Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis founded a site called Galt.io, an online platform that promoted hateful rhetoric and misinformation. Lewis’ site–which he and his co-creators compared to a “secret society”–spread conspiracy theories and a pro-Hitler documentary that denied the Holocaust ever happened. In addition, Lewis’ website also featured a discussion topic on putting immigrants into “internment facilit[ies],” and was used to raise money for a super PAC that funneled donations through a complex structure that shielded the identity of the donors. Lewis then used the money to pay himself and his business associates.
“Jason Lewis’ rigid and extreme views are a danger to Minnesotans. The fact that Lewis hosted a place for hate-fueled messages and conspiracy theories years ago shows that this is a pattern. His recent questioning of the COVID-19 death count, spreading debunked conspiracy theories, and claiming kids can’t spread the virus is just part of a long pattern of who Jason Lewis is,” said Communications Director Molly Morrissey. “Jason Lewis will not work for Minnesotans because he’s incapable of putting aside his own extreme views. Senator Tina Smith will proudly represent and go to work for all Minnesotans.”
As Buzzfeed reports, Lewis posted on the site himself, saying things like “Are anti-depressants doing more harm than good? I don’t profess to know, but they seem to be omnipresent in a modern era marked by these bizarre and dangerous outbursts. Should we reconsider their use?”
Lewis also used the site to promote his own personal ventures, like an audiobook, a letter-writing campaign, and ads.
You can read the full Buzzfeed piece here.