Dan Scavino, one of President Donald Trump’s longest-serving aides, went after unnamed leakers inside the administration in a furious social media post. Some of the reactions turned into QAnon numerology.
“To the anonymous clowns running to their ‘journalistic’ friends in the media, planting stories to target people, departments, and agencies, all to angle for the next big job you’ve dreamed of: You’re a bunch of pathetic, self-absorbed, egotistical losers! It’s no surprise at all, as we know who some of you disloyal, power-hungry cowards are,” wrote Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff.
Among QAnon promoters, the post set off a round of decoding. Joshua Reid hosts the “Daily Dose” podcast on Redpills.tv. He said Scavino’s post “aligns with Q1139,” a 2018 message from the anonymous “Q” figure posted on 8chan, in which an anonymous user wrote “you have it all” and Q replied, “We certainly do.”
“I have been saying for the last few years, that the Trump Administration is about to make a move on the MSM and their ‘anonymous’ sources that are used to construct false narratives and run influence operations,” Reid wrote. “Is Scavino giving us an indication that this is in play?”
Shady Grooove, co-host of the Rumble program “The MG Show,” posted the same Q drop with the caption, “We certainly do.”
Former Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz backed Scavino, writing, “This is exactly the right take.” Jennifer Van Laar, managing editor of the conservative site RedState, also agreed: “Yep. People have tried that with me.”
Others saw a White House feeling the heat. Caitlin Doornbos, a reporter for the New York Post, wrote, “The White House is spinning out over news coverage ahead of midterms. It’s clear they are under intense stress. Election Day can’t come soon enough.”
Former Virginia GOP Rep. Barbara Comstock, a frequent Trump critic, was amused: “Ah....MAGA threatening MAGA ...season opener.”
National security journalist Laura Rozen responded with a pair of eyes emoji.