Assistant defense secretary nominee Scott O’Grady promoted QAnon accounts, right-wing conspiracy theories

Scott O'Grady on Fox News

President Donald Trump has announced his intention to nominate author and former U.S. Air Force officer Scott O’Grady to be the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. O’Grady is a Trump adviser who has retweeted QAnon accounts, pushed right-wing conspiracy theories, and promoted other toxic rhetoric. 

The White House announced on November 17 that it nominated O’Grady and described him, in part, as “a successful author, speaker, spokesperson, investor, and entrepreneur, having served 12 years as an officer in the United States Air Force. O’Grady’s incredible story of how he survived in hostile territory for 6 days during the Bosnian War is chronicled in his book, Return With Honor.” 

O’Grady has frequently appeared as a commentator in the media, and he is co-chairing the Trump campaign's Veterans for Trump advisory board. He's also a right-wing conspiracy theorist. 

Here is some of O’Grady’s Twitter activity: 

In mid-November, O’Grady retweeted a post by a QAnon-supporting account that began by proclaiming “The Great Awakening!” -- a phrase used by QAnon supporters

An image of Scott O'Grady promoting a QAnon account

O’Grady retweeted a video posted by QAnon supporter Ann Vandersteel that features someone holding a sign stating: “Expose the traitorous deep state coup.” 

An image of Scott O'Grady's deep state retweet

On January 31, O’Grady tweeted a viral image that falsely claimed that Rep. Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) daughter is dating the whistleblower whose complaint led to Trump’s impeachment. 

On November 9, O’Grady tweeted that Trump “will defend the US Constitution from the illegal voter fraud that is trying to steal our way of life from us. ... Stand strong and help Defend your freedoms.” 

O’Grady retweeted a post that claimed Dr. Anthony Fauci is part of the so-called “deep state” and he’s beginning to “leak his Deep State, WHO/globalist identity.”

Scott O'Grady Fauci deep state retweet

And here are several other toxic retweets by O'Grady: 

An image of Scott O'Grady retweeting an attack about "Barack Obama and his husband"
An image of Scott O'Grady retweeting an attack on Kamala Harris

(Actor James Woods is a QAnon conspiracy theorist.) 

An image of Scott O'Grady retweeting a claim about COVID-19 and control
An image of Scott O'Grady retweeting a claim about Joe Biden and the Supreme Court