Good afternoon, everyone. We kind of blended the holidays, Van Tatenhove said. The worlds a bit upside down and on fire right now and desperate people do desperate things, he said. All rights reserved, Ex-Trump Supporter: I Would Have Left the Capitol Earlier If Trump Asked Us To, Trump Be Wild' Tweet Led to Mass Coordination by Far-Right Followers, Jan. 6 Panel Says, Woman Dead, Man Injured in Police Pursuit, Shooting in Prince William County; SB I-95 Lanes Blocked, Chipotle, Freebirds and Other Restaurants Offer Deals For National Burrito Day. How did J. Robert Oppenheimer feel about the atomic bomb? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. And, let's face it; I don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to life decisions. Van Tatenhove appeared at a Tuesday hearing in Washington alongside Stephen Ayres, a former Trump supporter from Ohio who pleaded guilty to a I dont think Stewart is racist in his core, he said of Rhodes, who has been charged with, The Jewish stake in Jan. 6 is bigger than you think. Mr. Van Tatenhove is expected to testify about the history of the Oath Keepers, which was founded in 2009 by a former Army paratrooper, Stewart Rhodes, Larry Hogan dies after FBI confrontation, Lake Mead water level rises, defies projections, Kasich: Theres no way Trump returns to the White House. "I purged my life of that world years ago," he added. It's Jason Russell Van Tatenhove. According to reliable sources, Van Tatenhove, who was hired as the Oath Keepers national media director in 2014, has not been actively involved with the group activities since around 2017. The men Van Tatenhove was with were members of the Oath Keepers, a nationwide anti-government militia organization traveling to support the Bundy family as it refused to pay grazing fees it owed the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. So, the next time a reporter made contact, this time for The Washington Post, I decided to allow her to attribute quotes using my name in an article published on September 17, 2021.
Van Tatenhove sees the Oath Keepers growing racism as opportunistic. For $1,200 a month, he wrote blog posts for the Oath Keepers website, ran their social media networks, appeared in videos and dealt with inquiring reporters. The following two were sworn testimony. I saw how they spun the optics and made themselves look much bigger than they were. Van Tatenhove woke up every morning, checked websites like the Drudge Report to see what was in the news and then wrote posts about the issues from the Oath Keeper point of view. Van Tatenhove was a staff writer for the Estes Park Trail-Gazette before launching his regional news outlet, coloradoswitchblade.com. WebI am the main contributor, illustrator, and writer at the Colorado Switchblade. Now, he has to speak out. Jason Van Tatenhove, the former spokesperson for the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia organization, will testify at the House Judiciary Committees next public hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 6, according to a whistleblower. Rhodes himself has Mexican heritage, and he knew Van Tatenhove identified as queer. After the Bundy Ranch episode, Rhodes, who has been charged with seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan. 6 attack, hired Van Tatenhove as the militia organizations publicist and spokesperson, a position he held for a couple years before quitting after several disputes. by Van Tatenhove, a former Oath Keepers spokesman, said he was living at reduced rent with his wife and two of his four daughters on a Montana property that belonged to one of the groups wealthy supporters. Does Donald Trump drive? Today, Van Tatenhove runs the Colorado Switchblade, a podcast described as covering Colorado culture, arts and music, and features editorials and news coverage. After a time writing for the Estes Park Trail-Gazette, he launched the Colorado Switchblade, a website covering Estes Park and Colorado news and culture. This Coloradan was a propagandist for the, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window). I definitely held my fair share of mistrust of government.. The first major conflict arose in 2015 when a Kentucky county clerk refused to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled same-sex couples have the right to marriage under the Constitution. Let's face it, I tend to stick out in a crowd anyway. But Van Tatenhove stuck with the job. You know, theyre married into the family, he said, but theyre still family.. Van Tatenhove is doing penance now. "I was the propagandist for the Oath Keepers," he told the outlet. The two beasts are warring more than ever, a Florida geoscientist says. I mean, thats the 500-pound gorilla in the room, he said. His cousin accompanied him the next day for moral support to the committee room. follow my Twitter @bernard_ghartey. Why, I asked him over the phone the day after his July 13 testimony, was that the final straw? Press Esc to cancel. I flew into Washington, D.C. for the second taped interview. It was Prober who arranged for Van Tatenhove and his cousin to visit the museum in Washington the day before his testimony this week. Van Tatenhove testified to the Jan. 6 House committee about the groups radicalization and how Stewart Rhodes, the group's founder, used conspiracy theories to He went to the Sugar Pine Mine standoff in Oregon and the White Hope Mine conflict in Montana. Upon returning to Colorado, I also began writing legitimate journalism for the local newspaper of record in the small mountain town I call home, as well as for various regional outlets. It was Prober who arranged for Van Tatenhove and his cousin to visit the museum in Washington the day before his testimony this week. He told his cousin afterward that the faces in the photographs of members of Hitler Youth seemed frighteningly familiar. In their expressions and stances, I recognized those I would see at Oath Keeper rallies and standoffs. That was for me something I just could not abide.. The Oath Keepers had moved him and his family out to a cabin outside Eureka, a town of 1,600 in the upper northwest reaches of Montana. The organization knows how to say the right thing to connect to peoples fears and worries. Jason Van Tatenhove is an author, journalist, and professional artist living with his family in the high mountains of Colorado. Heres what we know about Van Tatenhove.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'ghlinks_com_gh-medrectangle-3','ezslot_3',119,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-ghlinks_com_gh-medrectangle-3-0'); Jason Van Tatenhove is a ,journalist with a news podcast in Esters Park and a tattoo artist with a long history in the tattoo business. Tuesday's testimony also covered a meeting after the election where Trump attorney and conspiracy theorist Sidney Powell pushed the fiction that Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems switched votes. We needed a little Keanu energy to bring humanity together.. This led to a couple of appearances on Nightline, and even a clip of the documentary being shown on Good Morning America. I dont think Stewart is racist in his core, he said. In the years since, I tried my best to remain somewhat anonymous, and I was largely successful at it. Follow me on Twitter (@NaNa_KqAmE). Jason Van Tatenhove was once the national media director of the Oath Keepers, a job he was hired for in 2014. Holocaust Memorial Museum the day before his testimony to the Jan. 6 committee, before the Jan. 6 committee that he left the Oath Keepers, the far-right militia group that took part in the attack on the Capitol, after hearing some of its members, express Holocaust denial over coffee in 2016. , said he was living at reduced rent with his wife and two of his four daughters on a Montana property that belonged to one of the groups wealthy supporters. Does Donald Trump have drivers license? The longtime Colorado resident and former Fort Collins tattoo shop owner had moved to Montana less than a year prior and thought embedding with the Oath Keepers would be an opportunity to do immersive journalism like his idol, Hunter S. Thompson, who embedded with outlaw motorcycle gangs for his first nonfiction book. And yeah, it was just with words, but Ive got to try to do something to try and make up for that in my own life.. 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Jason Van Tatenhove is expected to speak about the groups propaganda efforts and radicalization over the years, including how founder Stewart Rhodes capitalized on conspiracy theories to build membership and funding. His attorneys have argued that Rhodes cooperated with FBI agents investigating the failed insurrection and that while Rhodes may have used bombastic language, he did not intend to actually overthrow the government, The Washington Post reported. Jason Van Tatenhove lives in Estes Park. Owner / Operator VanTat Design & Marketing Jan 2013 - Jan 20229 years 1 month Fort Collins, A former spokesperson for the militant far-right group Oath Keepers an organization whose members were among those who descended on the Capitol Jan. 6, 2021 will sit beforethe House committee investigating theCapitol riots Tuesday. The day before, we visited the National Holocaust Museum. Jason Van Tatenhoves LinkedIn profile states that he studied Design and Visual Communications, General 1992-1994 at The Art Institutes. Then, after writing several fiction titles, and as a result of my local reporting, I met the woman who would later become my literary agent. What else is he going to do if he gets elected again?". Van Tatenhove himself, who is 48, grew up in Green Pond, New Jersey, where one of his best friends, from age 2, was his cousin Sarah Coan Cwiak, who is a year younger. I tried to tell my own truth to the world. Often, those were based on conspiracy theories. Jason Van Tatenhove's security pass from July 12, 2022, the day he testified in the House select committee's investigation into the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. But, man, they stormed the Capitol.. The committee has heard testimony fromJustice Department officialswho detailed Trump's unrelenting pressure to find evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election,Capitol Police officerswho fought off Trump supporters, andsome former White House staffers, who have detailed the former president's alleged behavior in the hours leading up to the riots. WebJason Van Tatenhove is an author, journalist, and professional artist living with his family in the high mountain town of Estes Park, Colorado. "That was for me something I could not abide," he said. At the moment all facts concerning his educational background have been withheld for unknown reasons. According to reliable sources, Van Tatenhove, who was hired as the Oath Keepers national media director in 2014, has not been actively involved with the group Looking back, Van Tatenhove said it was easy to see what lured him and others into the group. But almost all of the interactions I have had since have been overwhelmingly positive. Former Oath Keepers spokesperson Jason Van Tatenhove on Wednesday said American came very, very close to a civil war when pro-Trump rioters stormed the Making amends. In 2015 and 2016, Van Tatenhove served as the national media director for the Oath Keepers and is the founder and writer for The Colorado Switchblade. Content reprinted with permission from the Forward. He and his family wanted to live in a more rural area and learn more about living off the land, he said. Jason Van Tatenhove pictured in Colorado. He was featured in Homegrown: Standoff to Rebellion, anABC Newsdocumentary released onHuluon January 5, 2022. Please email us at [emailprotected], subject line republish, with any questions or to let us know what stories youre picking up. Stewart was fine with the fact I was bi or pansexual, and had no problem with it, Van Tatenhove said. He said there were no obvious signs he had joined a hate group. Editor at Ghanafuo.com! I just kind of walked over to where they were and they were literally speaking out loud about how the Holocaust just had not happened, or if it had happened had been greatly exaggerated, he said. ", RELATED: Jan. 6 panel probes Trump's 'siren call' to extremists, RELATED: Cheney: Trump attempted to contact Jan. 6 witness, SUGGESTED VIDEOS:Full Episodes of Next with Kyle Clark. I can talk to anyone, and that is what I tried to do. The former owner of a tattoo shop in Fort Collins, Colorado, said that during that time the group turned from a loose network worried about government overreach to a hateful organization. At the moment all facts concerning his educational background have been withheld for unknown reasons. Eight years ago, Jason Van Tatenhove hopped in a truck in Kalispell, Montana, with men he didnt know and traveled all night down Interstate 15 on a quest to document the fallout from the Bundy Ranch standoff. The truck made only a handful of stops, including to pick up ammunition and food, as it sliced its way down the Rocky Mountain west toward the southern tip of Nevada. He Rhodes himself has Mexican heritage, and he knew Van Tatenhove identified as queer. That was a violent mob, and people died. This is the official publishing account of https://www.ghlinks.com.gh/ for all general based post . The first was informal and off-the-record done through a Zoom-like app. Looking back now, I can see how that experience lent strength to my words. Jason Van Tatenhove, who once served as national spokesman for the Oath Keepers, testifies at the Jan. 6 committee hearing on July 12. I am pretty sure I teared up right then. I am most proud, perhaps, of being able to show others who may be caught up in the craziness of extremism that there is an exit ramp leading back to a normal life. He quit and severed contact with the group. "I mean, people died that day. I underestimated things, he said. Sure. Van Tatenhove published his reporting on his website, broadcasted video livestreams and ran an internet radio show on Revolution Radio. But one person who has long since distanced himself from the far-right militia group is Jason Van Tatenhove. Brooke Shields says John F. Kennedy Jr. showed his 'true colors' and was 'less than chivalrous' after she refused to sleep with him on their first date, Exonerated Central Park 5 member Yusef Salaam responds to Trump charges with full-page ad, Stormy Daniels must pay $122,000 in Trump legal bills, Signs of life in mummy exhibit in Mexico have experts worried for those who get close, How to Make Martha Stewart's Boston Baked Beans, A dozen new sculptures added to DeLand Sculpture Walk, Gun lobby celebrates 'historic' win in Florida after DeSantis signs bill eliminating permit and training requirements for concealed carry. I have been trying to make up for the propaganda that I spewed, he said. Their words are like gasoline thrown on fire. I tended to underestimate them because I thought they were never going to pull anything off. "If a president that's willing to try to instill and encourage to whip up a civil war amongst his followers, using lies, and deceit, and snake oil -- and regardless of the human impact. Rob Eshman is Senior Contributing Editor of the Forward. People died that day. Type above and press Enter to search. Other problems increasingly worried Van Tatenhove as the Oath Keepers viewpoints became increasingly extreme. He has attended three universities for fine artwork, dropping out of each. At this point, I am not sure about the social media conversation around my testimony. Van Tatenhove accepted. 2023 GhLinks MediaAbout Gh LinksContact UsAdvertise With UsPrivacy PolicyInsurance ForumCopyright, In a June 7 post, Van Tatenhove said his testimony will provide a historical overview of the Oath Keepers and violent militias.. UPDATED: Passover food at Bay Area restaurants and markets, Redwood City rabbi's new role as sofer fits him to a 'tav', Why my synagogue hosted a drag story hour for Purim. I flew to work in a Huey and got to travel all over the country, he said, and be in the middle of these things that got all this national attention.. It was just, you know, all the shoes.. he said. They kind of started off in the early days as educational outreach, talking about constitutional issues, Van Tatenhove said. The algorithms just really weaponized this type of rhetoric. I dont know how far theyve gotten into the endgame, but what we saw on January 6th is certainly very much how it would look to start out, he said. All Im doing is giving a historical precedence, he said in the podcast. The organizations leaders did not have core beliefs, but instead catered to whatever beliefs would be easiest to fundraise off of, Van Tatenhove said. Jason Van Tatenhove testifiedbefore the Jan. 6 committee that he left the Oath Keepers, the far-right militia group that took part in the attack on the Capitol, after hearing some of its membersexpress Holocaust denial over coffee in 2018. It was then that Stewart Rhodes, who founded Oath Keepers in 2009, offered Van Tatenhove a full-time job. For a year and a half between 2015 and 2016, he posted blogs for the organization, ran the social media networks and appeared in videos. I failed that internal mission pretty fantastically.. He moved back to Colorado with his family four years ago after inheriting a home in Estes Park. Looking back, Van Tatenhove said it was easy to see what lured him and others into the group. But a year later, Van Tatenhove was working full time for the extremist group as a self-described propagandist. It was a lot of, Theyre going to come and round up all the white conservative Christians and put them into reeducation camps in deserted Walmarts, he said. He went home and told his wife he could no longer work for the Oath Keepers. Sign up hereto get the Forward's free email newsletters delivered to your inbox. He knows his base, thats where theyre at. Jason Van Tatenhove lives in Estes Park. Like many anti-government militia groups, one of the groups main tenets is the conspiracy theory that the federal government is being run by a secret organization attempting to take away Americans rights, according to the Anti-Defamation League. He received his B.F.A in drawing at Metropolitan State University of Denver where he was awarded the Nagel Art Thesis Grant and the Nagel Directed Studies Scholarship. It's not like they offer classes at the local community college on navigating a congressional investigation. I had always held in the back of my mind that I would one day write that book. It was the same.. It was then that. He did not work with the Oath Keepers at the time of the 2021 insurrection, as he ended his relationship with the group in 2017, NBC reported. Like it was the same expressions. In 2015 and 2016, I saw those same faces, those same eyes of those Nazis, he explained. In 2013, he closed the shop and moved his family to Butte, Montana. During the White Hope Mine incident, Rhodes offered Van Tatenhove a job writing for the Oath Keepers. 2023 Ghanafuo.com & DM Network. But I wasnt expecting a tattooed former militia member to be talking to me from a kitchen table in suburban New Jersey, alongside his Jewish aunt and cousin.
He hated that Rhodes wanted staff and members to keep rifles in their cars at all times. This was before I had secured legal representation and involved a lot of fear and uncertainty. His first narrative non-fiction novel will be published by Sky Horse in February. I understand life is messy and complex and no one is exactly what they seem. 
Formerly an Oath Keepers spokesman, the 47-year-old The Walmart founder's core belief, once mocked by industry leaders, was that large discount stores could thrive in small towns and rural areas. ! his cousin, Coen Cwiak, told me. When he joined the Oath Keepers, Coan Cwiak, we didnt confront him, but we just kind of kept an eye on things., Van Tatenhove sees the Oath Keepers growing racism as opportunistic. Van Tatenhove said he was drawn to Oath Keepers after the federal governments 2014 standoff with Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher, and a similar 2015 confrontation at Sugar Pine Mine in Oregon. He hopes by speaking about the organization he can help people see that it is a scam and help walk people back from joining the Oath Keepers. He added the American public was failing to see the full picture of the Jan. 6 attack and that citizens should start having hard conversations about what happened on that day. I am a writer and artist living in the mountains of Colorado, but most people probably now know me as the guy with all of the tattoos, including on my face, that testified before the Congressional Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol in a jean jacket and band T-shirt. He became one of my best friends, Van Tatenhove said. Former Oath Keepers spokesperson Jason Van Tatenhove on Wednesday said American came very, very close to a civil war when pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to prevent the certification of the 2020 election results. He got married, had kids and opened a Fort Collins tattoo shop. I definitely held my fair share of mistrust of government.. But we just decided as a family, thats it, we just cant do it. All registered. All views expressed in this article are the author's own. His first narrative non But what Stewart says and what he truly believes are two different things. In 2013, he closed the shop and moved his family to Butte, Montana. Instead of the Hells Angels, he would embed with the burgeoning militia group as it gained national attention in a series of standoffs with the federal governmentand pivoted toward conspiracy-fueled extremism. Jason Van Tatenhove, Estes Park Tril-Gazette Graduating seniors were awarded over $115,000 in local scholarships on Wednesday, May 19. It was a lot of, Theyre going to come and round up all the white conservative Christians and put them into reeducation camps in deserted Walmarts, he said.