Revealed: US professor 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 Yenor sought and received funding for the initiative from wealthy and influential donors like Claremont Institute board chair, Thomas D Klingenstein.
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 Yenor’s professorial position at a public university and his political activism.
The Guardian contacted Scott Yenor with a detailed request for comment on this story. He only responded directly to one question, writing that “Pedro Gonzalez did not accept the offer” of employment. The remainder of the reply was personal abuse.
Lindsay Schubiner is director of programs at the Western States Center, a civil rights non-profit whose activities include monitoring extremists. She said: “Action Idaho is making yet another dangerous attempt to mainstream extremism in Idaho politics. It is particularly troubling that the driving force behind it is an educator.”