Overview

• Gabbard declassified a 2021 FBI memo on far-right extremist threats linked to pandemic disinformation, then misrepresented it as branding all COVID-19 skeptics as terrorists.
• The memo explicitly states that only organized militia members and white supremacists using anti-vaccine rhetoric to justify violence were flagged, while dissent on mitigation measures remains constitutionally protected.
• During a Fox News appearance and through social media, Gabbard amplified pundits’ assertions that the Biden administration viewed millions of Americans as a domestic terror threat.
• Analysts warn her narrative cultivates a victimhood mindset among Trump supporters, lowering barriers to violence by portraying criticism of the government as justification for self-defense.
• Observers note the conspiracy theory also diverts conservative attention from Donald Trump’s recent arrests of individuals for their political opinions.