VA staffer under scrutiny for posts

Facebook messages target Muslims, Obama

A former Arizona lawmaker who works for President Donald Trump’s administration posted conspiracy theories online about former President Barack Obama as well as antiMuslim remarks while working for Trump’s campaign, CNN reported Tuesday.

Thayer Verschoor, who helped drum up support for Trump in Arizona during the 2016 election, now works at the Department of Veterans Affairs as executive director of intergovernmental affairs.

Verschoor is a former state Senate majority leader and former chief of staff for the Arizona Republican Party.

Until joining Trump’s presidential administration, he was frequently seen at conservative-leaning Republican events and is well-known among activists and candidates for helping turn out crowds, energizing base voters and organizing gruntwork campaign work.

He did not return The Arizona Republic’s call for comment. Likewise, the White House did not immediately respond to a request to speak about his online activity.

The CNN report cites, among other Facebook posts, a February 2016 post titled “Why Vote for Donald Trump.” The post enumerated 35 reasons and included his business experience, his “pro Christmas” stance and warnings to Americans of the “dangers” of vaccines.

No. 34 referenced the Obama’s birth certificate: “He thinks Obama’s birth certificate is a fraud [check out his SS#, no draft card/ old passport/ E-verification status, school records [remember his dad isn’t American therefore he isn’t qualified for the office he’s in],” the post read.

No. 33 targeted Muslims. It said that Trump “realizes we have a” Muslim “problem.”