Thread by @AngelinaNic6

about Alexander Downer and Julie Bishop
A significant Australian proponent of the QAnon conspiracy theory is a family friend of Scott Morrison, and his wife is on the prime minister’s staff.

The sprawling, disjointed and incoherent QAnon conspiracy variously claims that Donald Trump is leading a behind-the-scenes fight against a shadowy deep state, that powerful forces are hiding and protecting satanic paedophile rings, and that a secretive individual named Q

leaves clues for his followers to decipher on internet forums.

The FBI has previously warned that QAnon could act as a potential motivator for “domestic extremists” and last year Reddit banned one of its main QAnon threads for repeated violations of its content policy,

warning it would not tolerate content “that incites violence, disseminates personal information, or harasses” users.

In Australia, one of the more significant QAnon figures tweets under the handle @BurnedSpy34 and has amassed 21,000 Twitter followers in just over a year.

BurnedSpy tweets daily QAnon material, including bizarre theories about Alexander Downer and Julie Bishop.

The Guardian has learned the identity of BurnedSpy and established he is a longstanding family friend of the Australian prime minister and his wife, Jenny.

The wife of BurnedSpy works on the prime minister’s staff.

There is no suggestion that the families’ close relationship has influenced Morrison, or that BurnedSpy poses a danger. BurnedSpy told the Guardian he had never sought to speak to the prime minister about QAnon.

“I have never spoken to Scott about anything of a political nature. I’m not an adviser. The idea of me talking to him about this ... it’s just not true,” he said.

But some who know BurnedSpy have become concerned about the extent of his immersion in the QAnon theory,

saying it may leave him open to influence by others.

The family friendship is largely driven by the closeness between BurnedSpy’s wife and Jenny Morrison.
The pair have been lifelong friends, and the Guardian has learned the wife was recently employed on the prime minister’s

staff in a publicly funded position, but not in any policy or advisory capacity. There is no evidence she shares her husband’s views.

BurnedSpy’s tweets have frequently been cited as “world-class” in QAnon research threads on 8Chan, the forum Australian

telecommunications companies were encouraged to block by Morrison’s government after it hosted the Christchurch terrorist attack videos.

What is QAnon? Explaining the bizarre rightwing conspiracy theory
Read more
BurnedSpy’s Twitter account makes repeated claims about Downer,

a frequent target of QAnon. In a thread last year, he linked a 1996 child abuse inquiry in Australia to Downer’s role in kickstarting the Russian interference investigation.

“It’s no coincidence that Downer did NOT want Trump elected,” he tweeted.

He greeted this week’s news that Australia had offered assistance to the investigation into the Mueller probe, including Downer’s involvement, by tweeting “Game on!”.
BurnedSpy explained the tweet to the Guardian by saying: “So as for ‘game on’, for two years I’ve been

interested in the Australian high commissioner to the UK’s involvement in what I consider as a coup against an incumbent sitting US president, I think that’s a story.”

There is no substance to his claims that Downer’s role in the Russia investigation had anything to do

with child abuse, and no evidence that Downer did not want Trump elected.

BurnedSpy has also questioned whether the former Australian foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop was connected to the conspiracy through her wearing of red shoes.

theguardian.com/australia-news…

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