Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) says that he was unaware that the "Save the Children" human trafficking rally he attended this weekend was backed by a supporter of the "QAnon" movement, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
While the rally's affiliations were not made apparent in its advertising campaign, attendees sported memorabilia that signified their adherence to the conspiracy theory, which claims that there's a secret Trump-led operation to take down Hollywood and Washington elites involved in Satanic pedophile rings.
QAnon supporters organized “Save the Children” rallies over the weekend in various cities, the AJC reports. The FBI has labeled QAnon as a domestic terrorist threat and Facebook temporarily blocked the #SavetheChildren hashtag earlier this month for spreading misinformation.
Carter's spokespeople say he has no involvement with QAnon and was simply at the rally to show his support for causes aligned against sex trafficking.
“Congressman Carter was invited by a constituent who shares his strong stance against human trafficking, especially the trafficking of children,” spokesperson Mary Carpenter said in a statement. “Rep. Carter had no knowledge of any QAnon ties to the event, his attendance had absolutely nothing to do with QAnon, and Rep. Carter is in no way affiliated with QAnon.”
