QAnon supporter Allen West on Friday unexpectedly resigned after less than a year as the Chair of the Texas Republican Party. Later this morning he told WBAP radio he may challenge GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, The Dallas Morning News reports.
West has staged several re-incarnations.
He first came to national attention in his successful run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida, during which his military history was exposed. West was relieved of his command as a Lt. Col. in the Army after he staged a mock execution and fired an unloaded pistol at an Iraqi policeman’s head during an interrogation.
“Lt. Col. Allen West had been criminally charged with aggravated assault and communicating a threat, and faced the possibility of a court martial for his role in interrogating the Iraqi,” the Seattle Times reported in 2003. He was allowed to retire.
As a far right GOP congressman, West at one point told an audience, “I believe there’s about 78 to 81 members of the Democrat Party who are members of the Communist Party.”
Several years after his unsuccessful attempt to get elected to a second term in Congress, West moved to Texas and became the Chair of the Texas Republican Party.
“We know that wherever he goes next, he will continue to be a bulwark against progressive socialism and a champion for the principles of Texas and our American Republic,” the Texas GOP’s website, which he controls, now says.
The Chairman of the Travis County GOP blasted West:
“For 7+ months, our state chair has been unconscionably attacking our statewide officials, rallying with Alex Jones at the Governor’s mansion, attacking our new Speaker, and doing the rhetorical work of Texas Democrats,” Mackowiak laments.
The Executive Director of former Obama HUD Secretary Julian Castro’s People First Future noted several days ago QAnon extremist Mike Flynn just endorsed West for governor.
“West has said he’s not ruled out challenging Gov. Greg Abbott, and he has also had tension recently with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick,” the Texas Tribune today notes. “The state office for Land Commissioner is also an open seat this election season now that incumbent commissioner George P. Bush has announced he’s running for attorney general.”
When he took over, he gave the state party a new slogan, “We are the storm,” which raised speculation he was signaling support to QAnon, a conspiracy movement which has been identified by the FBI as a domestic terrorism threat. West said the slogan was unrelated to QAnon.
This past weekend, West delivered remarks at a Dallas conference whose organizers have ties to the QAnon movement.
Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license