"Election deniers and MAGA influencers are confident that the US capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has nothing to do with oil or drug trafficking. Instead, they're sure it's all linked to unfounded claims that the Venezuelan government rigged the 2020 election in former president Joe Biden's favor. President Donald Trump and his administration appear to have boosted these conspiracy theories."
"Both Dominion and Smartmatic, companies that make voting machines and the software that runs on them, became central targets of disinformation campaigns following the 2020 election, with election deniers claiming the machines were part of a supposed conspiracy to elect Biden. These claims were continuously disproven: In 2023, Fox News agreed to pay Dominion almost $800 million to settle a defamation lawsuit about Fox's claims about Dominion's voting machines."
"But across the internet, conspiracy theories about these voting companies are back, with election deniers and MAGA loyalists claiming that Venezuela's government conspired with Smartmatic to steal elections. This, some conspiracy theorists claim, is partially why the US was compelled to invade Venezuela. QAnon influencer Chad Vivas, who has been pictured with Trump in the past, flagged a post from Trump on January 3 about Dominion, writing:"
MAGA influencers and election deniers claim the US capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro is tied to alleged Venezuelan involvement in rigging the 2020 election for Joe Biden, not oil or drug trafficking. Former president Donald Trump and allies amplified posts about Dominion and Smartmatic after Maduro's capture. Dominion and Smartmatic were targets of post-2020 disinformation and major claims were disproven, including a 2023 Fox News settlement with Dominion. Conspiracy theories resurfaced online linking Venezuela and Smartmatic to election theft, with QAnon figures and conservative media figures promoting those allegations. Some influencers claimed a Venezuelan military intelligence whistleblower said the CIA outsources election-rigging technology from Venezuela.
Read at WIRED
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