Years before he helped purge his local elections board, Michigan GOP official Shane Trejo hosted a podcast called Blood Soil and Liberty with a member of a white supremacist group.
Shane Trejo, chair of Michigans 11th District Republican Committee, made headlines earlier this year when he encouraged the ouster of a fellow Republican who had voted to certify President Joe Bidens election. You should quit all your GOP posts and never show your face at an event ever again, Trejo texted the Republican elections official, whom he and other Republicans later blocked from re-nomination for office. Previously in 2020, Trejo had spread election-fraud conspiracy theories as a writer for the far-right site Big League Politics.
But Big League Politics wasnt even Trejos most extreme venture on the far right. The local Republican chair used to host a podcast with a member of the white supremacist group Identity Evropa. The co-host, Alex Witoslawski, was recorded on an Identity Evropa leadership webinar giving fascists advice on how to make themselves appealing to mainstream conservatives.
Trejo did not return The Daily Beasts request for comment. His participation in the Blood Soil and Liberty podcast was previously flagged in 2019 by Gizmodo reporter Tom McKay, who noted that the podcast was racist even by the standards of Big League Politics, where Trejo works.
The podcast ran for 15 episodes starting in 2017, and appears to have been yanked from the internet by its creators the following year. Some podcasting sites still host its episode titles and descriptions remain online.
Libertarian nationalist podcasters Shane Trejo - a states rights activist in the patriot movement for many years - and Alex Witoslawski - former conservative political operative turned American Renaissance writer - discuss current events from a consistently uncucked perspective, the podcast description reads. Common targets of derision include commie trash, losertarians, cuckservatives, thots, tokens, welfare migrants, and the French. (American Renaissance is a white supremacist website. Tokens refers to people deemed to be token members of a minority group.)
Episode titles include Its OK To Be White, Right And Christian, Roy Moore Dindu Nuffin, The Paul Nehlen Pill, and Tanner Flake For Fuhrer.
The titles are a time capsule of racist slogans from 2017. Its OK to be white was a meme associated with an alt-right trolling campaign around the time of the podcasts. Dindu nuffin is another alt-right meme denigrating Black people, while Roy Moore was a Republican Senate nominee accused of sexual misconduct against minor girls. Paul Nehlen was a white supremacist congressional candidate who promoted terror tactics online. Tanner Flake is an ex-senators son who was caught using the screen name that included a racial slur and referenced killing Black people.
Witoslawski repeatedly called for a white ethnostate with an immigration system that virtually excludes non-European immigrants.
Although the audio from the podcasts is no longer available, Trejo and Witoslawski appear to have spoken favorably about white supremacists, describing Nehlen as the first alt-right candidate for public office. (The podcasts website uses the term alt-right favorably, including in an essay in which Witoslawski describes himself as a member of the movement.)
The podcast didnt try hard to obscure its political leanings.
Blood and soil is a Nazi slogan used in Germany to evoke the idea of a pure Aryan race and the territory it wanted to conquer, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Since then, it has been adopted by neo-Nazis; the white supremacists who marched on Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 famously chanted the slogan the night before one of them murdered a woman with his car.
The Blood Soil and Liberty podcast launched soon after that deadly rally. The podcasts website, which hosted self-proclaimed alt-right blogs, was registered just four days after the car attack, during a tumultuous moment for the alt-right. But instead of disavow the racist movement, as some on the right did, Blood Soil and Liberty came to the defense of the alt-right and groups that had marched in Charlottesville.
In an essay on the podcasts website, Trejos cohost Witoslawski answered questions about the movement from my own alt-right or blood and soil libertarian perspective. In that essay, Witoslawski repeatedly called for a white ethnostate with an immigration system that virtually excludes non-European immigrants. Most Jews and members of Black Lives Matter should be encouraged through government policy to leave the country and resettle in their own ethnostates, Witoslawski wrote on the podcasts website.
Other articles on the site include a blog post defending white supremacist Christopher Cantwell, an essay by Ray Adolfson who describes going to a white lives matter rally in November 2017, where multiple prominent Charlottesville marchers were in attendance.
I had the chance to meet and speak with members from all of the groups that attended the rally including the Traditionalist Workers Party, Vanguard America, the National Socialist Movement, Identity Europa, Atomwaffen, and others, Adolfson wrote. (An overtly pro-terror organization, Atomwaffens small membership was connected to five deaths in just eight months beginning in 2017.)
Another essay on the site, by Identity Evropa member James Allsup, was a defense of the alt-right in the days after the deadly Charlottesville rally, which Allsup had attended. Allsups essay was previously published on the website The Liberty Conservative, where Trejo was a news editor. When The Liberty Conservative removed Allsups article, citing pressure from Googles advertising platform, Trejo penned a blog post defending Allsup, whose article he claimed contained no offensive content (it was merely distinguishing the many differences between the alt-right and literal Nazis).
For some on the alt-right, especially in Identity Evropa, Allsup was a prototype for infiltrating more mainstream Republican institutions. In 2018, The Daily Beast first reported, Allsup ran uncontested for a local Republican role in Washington. He soon bragged about his appointment on an Identity Evropa podcast.
Blood Soil and Liberty came to the defense of the alt-right and groups that had marched in Charlottesville.
You have a seat at the table, Allsup said of winning Republican offices. And thats the most important thing, getting that seat at the table, and you can get that seat at the table by, yes, showing up, yes, by bringing people in, and again this doesnt necessarily only have to be IE members.
Allsups local Republican committee later ejected him. Nevertheless, the far right continued to cite his political career as one to emulate. We cant all be Andrew Anglin, a racist podcaster noted in 2018, namedropping a particularly noxious neo-Nazi, but 10,000 of us can be James Allsup.
In a separate podcast appearance with Identity Evropa leader Patrick Casey, Witoslawski described tactics for making the group seem more palatable to a broader swath of Republicans. Leaked Identity Evropa chat logs show Witoslawski giving the same advice, in more candid terms, telling members to effectively avoid questions about the groups true motives.
The moment you say Were not Nazis [] thats going to be the topic of the media report, it's going to be whether or not were Nazis. And that is not a conversation we want to have, Witoslawski said, according to chats published by the outlet Unicorn Riot. We want to have a conversation about our issues and our topics, not whether or not were National Socialists, right?
(In a currently ongoing civil trial against participants in the Charlottesville rally, a former Identity Evropa organizer testified that members of the group embraced neo-Nazi language, using the slogan did you see Kyle? and a discrete Nazi salute as a way of announcing sieg heil in public.)
Trejo, who has authored articles in defense of Allsup on multiple websites, has found his own path to politics.
In a now-deleted Big League Politics post shortly before the 2020 election, Trejo shared audio from inside a training session for elections officials. Trejo claimed the clip showed officials practicing to flip votes and destroy ballots. The audio demonstrated nothing of the sort, the Detroit Free Press reported at the time. Still, Trejos deleted article was cited by election fraud conspiracy theorists as Biden appeared poised to win Michigan. When a Republican elections canvasser certified Bidens victory last November, Trejo texted her to quit her GOP posts and never appear at another public event.
By February, Trejo was named chair of Michigans 11th Congressional District Republican Committeea role that gave him partial control over the districts elections canvassers. The Republican canvasser who had certified Bidens election found herself blocked from re-nomination to the post, she told The Daily Beast last month.
Instead, Trejo and peers selected a new Republican canvasser, who told the Detroit Free Press that he would not have certified Bidens victory.
I believe they were inaccurate, the new canvasser told the Free Press of Michigans votes, adding that he had heard rumors about the vote from other people. I dont know, I wasnt there, you know? Its hard to second-guess that kind of stuff until youre there, thats one reason I wanted to be on the committee.
Original post:
Michigan GOP Official Hosted Podcast With White Nationalist - The Daily Beast
- Learn from Libertarians | Commentary | thestatehousefile.com - The Statehouse File - March 10th, 2024 [March 10th, 2024]
- Review: Sheriff in 'Fargo' Gives Libertarians a Bad Name - Reason - March 10th, 2024 [March 10th, 2024]
- Why Libertarianism Is Not Mainstream (But Should Be) | Henry Gardella - Foundation for Economic Education - March 10th, 2024 [March 10th, 2024]
- Donald Rainwater to lead Indiana Libertarian ticket as party chooses its 2024 nominees - WFYI - March 10th, 2024 [March 10th, 2024]
- Could the Libertarian Party nominate RKF Jr.? - NewsNation Now - March 10th, 2024 [March 10th, 2024]
- 2024 election: These Libertarians will be on Indiana's ballot - IndyStar - March 10th, 2024 [March 10th, 2024]
- Why Do All These Homosexuals Keep Sucking My Cock? - The Onion - January 4th, 2023 [January 4th, 2023]
- Russell Kirk - Wikipedia - December 21st, 2022 [December 21st, 2022]
- Maj Toure: Why Black Gunsand LibertarianismMatter - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- Georgia's 'blank ballot' voters | Who are they? And why did they do it? - 11Alive.com WXIA - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- Exclusive: No official records of personal meeting between Institute of Economic Affairs and Jacob Rees-Mogg - NationalWorld - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- Markets Fail. . .And Libertarianism Still Works, 10/16 - November 25th, 2022 [November 25th, 2022]
- The Bill of Rights: A Transcription | National Archives - November 7th, 2022 [November 7th, 2022]
- 'Centre, states need to work together for a developed India': FM Sitharaman on 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' - The Economic Times - November 7th, 2022 [November 7th, 2022]
- Libertarianism: Definition & Examples | StudySmarter - October 21st, 2022 [October 21st, 2022]
- In N.H., its live Free State or leave thats libertarianism? - The Boston Globe - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Cryptos Libertarianism Is Running Headfirst Into Reality - The Atlantic - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- The 'red wave' was such a sure thing, of course Republicans are blowing it The Nevada Independent - The Nevada Independent - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Jim, Sigal, and Michele just living their best lives - Nevada Current - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Long Live the King (My President)! - Econlib - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- How Housing Is Captive to Investment Demands - Santa Barbara Independent - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Arkansas governor candidates hitting the campaign trail - 4029tv - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Aaron Rodgers Sounds Off On Government: NFL World Reacts - The Spun - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- David Boaz - Wikipedia - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- Arlington Heights board gets petition from Koch brothers-backed group calling for law that may impact Chicago Bears' stadium plans - Chicago Tribune - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- Georgias Senate Race Is Much Closer Than The Governor Election. Will That Hold Until November? - FiveThirtyEight - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- Letter: The threat against democracy | Letters To Editor | berkshireeagle.com - Berkshire Eagle - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- Vote in the State Primary - mysouthborough - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- Group catering to nonpartisan voters launches ahead of the election The Nevada Independent - The Nevada Independent - September 7th, 2022 [September 7th, 2022]
- Libertarian Party of Wisconsin: Wisconsin Libertarians oppose student loan forgiveness ideas as theft - WisPolitics.com - September 2nd, 2022 [September 2nd, 2022]
- Guardrails of Democracy, Extended: Comparing Notes On The Team Libertarian Report - Reason - September 2nd, 2022 [September 2nd, 2022]
- Attempted Murder Arrest; Libertarians On The 2022 Ballot? PM Patch NH - Patch - September 2nd, 2022 [September 2nd, 2022]
- Chase Oliver could send Georgia's Senate race to a runoff - he's OK with that - The Atlanta Journal Constitution - September 2nd, 2022 [September 2nd, 2022]
- Rep. Stephen Handy, ousted at GOP convention, to wage write-in bid - Standard-Examiner - September 2nd, 2022 [September 2nd, 2022]
- J. R. R. Tolkien among the Illiberals Catholic World Report - Catholic World Report - September 2nd, 2022 [September 2nd, 2022]
- We Made It Through The Primary. Now It's On To The November General Election - Honolulu Civil Beat - September 2nd, 2022 [September 2nd, 2022]
- The Great Separation: Why American Politics Is Coming Apart at the Seams | Cornell Chronicle - Cornell Chronicle - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- Palfrey eyes the exits- POLITICO - POLITICO - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- Armstrong: Behind those misleading headlines on Colorado teacher pay - Complete Colorado - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- What is a Libertarian? Beliefs & Examples | Study.com - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Libertarian Vs. Liberal (Whats The Difference?) - The Cold Wire - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Libertarianism Philosophy and History - Study.com - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Republican effort to remove Libertarians from November ballot rejected by Texas Supreme Court - The Texas Tribune - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Media organizations and civil libertarians sue to stop a law that restricts recording videos of cops - Arizona Mirror - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- How a Tiny Minority Can Lead the World Toward Liberty | Dan Sanchez - Foundation for Economic Education - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- GOP Candidate Saying it's 'Totally Just' to Kill Gay People Resurfaces - Newsweek - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Third Party Candidates: Alabama Libertarians to appear on general election ballot - WHNT News 19 - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Sick and tired of the two-party system: Pa. Libertarian Party sees surge in interest | Today in Pa. - PennLive - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Voter registrations in North Carolina continue to trend mostly unaffiliated and slightly Republican - The Mountaineer - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- After Koch's Kinder, Gentler Rebrand Attempt, He Spent Over $1 Billion On 2020 Elections - Daily Kos - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Libertarian, Green, and Independent Candidates not Invited to Gubernatorial Debate The Amarillo Pioneer - The Amarillo Pioneer - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Runoffs to decide final nominations begins with early voting next week - Yahoo News - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Podcast: Muddling Through the Mar-a-Lago Mess - Reason - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- The Story Behind the Wrenching Finale of 'The Anarchists' - WIRED - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- The Search of Trumps House + the 5th Amendment - Econlib - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Libertarians see opening to gain ground in Georgia 2022 elections - The Atlanta Journal Constitution - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- State Libertarian Party asks for 'relief from oppressive ballot laws' - The Albany Herald - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Election 2022: Primaries clear Michigan fields; more will come at conventions - The Center Square - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- The Industrial Revolution and the Colonial Conundrum - Econlib - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- School choice is the free market solution to failing public schools - Washington Examiner - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- The primary is over Here's who you can expect to see on JoCo ballots in November - Shawnee Mission Post - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Climate change and the Supreme Courts version of police abolitionism - The Hill - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Discontent Is Never Enough - by Jonah Goldberg - The G-File - The Dispatch - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Progressive Conservatism: How Republicans Will Become America's Natural Governing Party - The Ripon Society - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Local News: Donnie Brown elected as 149th representative (8/2/22) | Standard Democrat - Standard-Democrat - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Former TV anchorman wins GOP nomination in Missouris 4th Congressional District - Missouri Independent - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Penn Jillette: Did His Libertarianism Survive Trump and COVID? - Reason - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- Libertarian and Anti-functionalist: What Is the Memphis Design Movement? - ArchDaily - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- 11 Pick Up Lines For Libertarians To Use If They Ever Meet A Girl - The Babylon Bee - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- Nudged into the oncoming lane - Econlib - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- Quebec's Conservative party surges in the polls as some of its candidates spread conspiracy theories - CBC News - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- Accusations of racism and abortion politics- POLITICO - POLITICO - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- Zeldin's Fraudulent Independence Party Signatures Show How Difficult it is to get on Ballot in NY - Yonkers Times - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- How Republicans can build on Trumpism and become the party of progressive conservatism - The Hill - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- Illinois quick hits: White withdraws from race; Durbin tests positive for COVID - The Center Square - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- Romney's Family Plan Isn't Great, but May Be Better Than the Alternatives - Reason - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- Andrew Yang's third party Forward isn't enough to transcend politics - MSNBC - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- John Cleese: Wokeism Is the Enemy of Comedyand Creativity - Reason - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- What's Wrong With Abortion Federalism? - Reason - June 29th, 2022 [June 29th, 2022]
- The myth of American conservatism - UnHerd - June 29th, 2022 [June 29th, 2022]