Jewish Republican Josh Mandel Wins Endorsement Of ‘Pizzagate’ Super PAC

Ohio state treasurer Josh Mandel Image by YouTube

By Nathan Guttman October 6, 2017

A Super PAC founded by a peddler of conspiracy theories regarding the murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich and of “pizzagate,” has chosen Jewish Republican senate candidate Josh Mandel as its first endorsee.

The new Super-PAC, named #Rev 18, was launched by Jeff Giesea, Mike Cernovich, and Jack Posobiec, organizers of the “Deploraball” celebration of Trump’s inauguration and known for their critical views of the Republican establishment.

Posobiec is one of the main online promoters of “pizzagate,” a conspiracy theory claiming that Hillary Clinton and her advisers ran a child sex ring from the basement of a popular Washington pizza restaurant. On December 4, a North Carolina man who believed these theories, entered the restaurant and fired shots in an attempt to “investigate” the case. Posobiec also tweeted conspiracy theories accusing Clinton in involvement in the murder of Seth Rich, a Jewish DNC staffer who was shot near his home last July.

Mandel is the first Republican endorsed by #Rev18 and it is not yet clear how much funding he will get from the new Super PAC. Mandel, a staunch Trump supporter, is aiming to defeat incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown.

Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com or on Twitter @nathanguttman

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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