Republicans deploying a nationwide 'QAnon strategy' to exploit fear and paranoia fueled by the conspiracy cult: report

An attack ad released by the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee (NRCC) accuses U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski, a freshman Democrat from New Jersey in a swing district, of trying to "make it easier for predators to hide in the shadows," adding that he "worked as the top lobbyist for a radical group that opposed the National Sex Offender Registry."

Writing for Yahoo News, Michael Isikoff points out that there's no evidence for the claim. "But to some, the harsh attack ad is part of a nationwide 'QAnon strategy' that the Republican campaign committee appears to be deploying to exploit the fears and paranoia fueled by the bizarre conspiracy cult convinced that the Democrats are working with 'deep state' sex traffickers and pedophiles to sabotage Donald Trump’s presidency," he writes.

According to history professor Kathryn Olmsted, the ad is a "clear bid for QAnon support."

"This is a play for anybody who believes the Democrats are a den of pedophiles and child sex traffickers. It’s completely untethered from reality," she tells Isikoff.

The Malinowski attack ad is by no means an isolated case. "In districts around the country, the NRCC — the campaign arm of House Republicans — has been hitting similar themes, depicting Democratic candidates as secret supporters of sexual abusers of young children," he writes.

The ads come at time when QAnon is getting more attention than ever before since it began making inroads within the Republican Party.

Read the full article over at Yahoo News.