After reading the indictment against Alan Hostetter, Russ Taylor and the III%er’s, I’ve been wondering if there was a connection beyond the Telegram group they used to communicate.
I had a feeling that they may also share a connection to a certain pastor.
Turns out, they do.
🧵
Pastor Tim Thompson of 412 Church Murrieta, who also hosts Our Watch, is a regular fixture on the right-wing rally scene.
Sometimes he’s buttoned up in a suit or blazer, other times he’s spotted in a vest with III% patches, but he consistently spouts off conspiracy theories.
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At a rally in Riverside on May 5, 2020, Pastor Tim repeatedly mentions the term “three percent” while referencing the Revolutionary War.
He also implores pastors to “man up” by citing the Black Robe Regiment, a group of preachers who were strapped and “ready to go to work!”
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Pastor Tim was a featured speaker at the Stop the Steal rally in Huntington Beach on December 12 that was put on by American Phoenix Project.
He can be seen standing alongside Taylor and Hostetter as Dana Rohrabacher speaks to the crowd.
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It appears that Thompson is also Derek Kinnison’s pastor.
On June 5, 412 Church posted on their Facebook page, inviting people to watch Kinnison race the “412 Church Bus” at the Perris Speedway.
The post has since been deleted but is able to be viewed through Google cache.
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Perris Auto Speedway still has the press release and racing stats up on their website showing that Kinnison did participate in the event on June 5.
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perrisautospeedway.com/2021/r210605no…
perrisautospeedway.com/points/nod_dem…
This thread dives into the group of newly indicted III%er’s from the Inland Empire.
The photo of Kinnison in the linked thread matches the profile banner of the commenter from the now deleted Facebook post - and the only “like” that profile has is 412 Church.
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While he may be just one connection within a larger, constantly overlapping network of right-wing extremists, the influence of a radicalized pastor who identifies as a III%er should be taken seriously.
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More like unholy men cosplaying as mythical Revolutionary War heroes.
Apparently evoking the “Black Robe Regiment” has become pretty common these days and it seems to have been a pretty powerful motivator for some people who stormed the Capitol.
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christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/januar…
Members of the new modern day Black Robe Regiment, along with political D-listers, at the Capitol 🥴
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