Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers, a Republican who has made a name for herself as one of former President Donald Trump's more passionate apologists, sparked outrage after she erroneously claimed that a recent mass shooting in Buffalo, New York was staged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Rogers claimed that the shooting is an indication that "Fed boy summer has started in Buffalo" in a post on the messaging app Telegram.
Wendy Rogers/Telegram
There is no evidence that the FBI staged the shooting.
The actual perpetrator is a White 18-year-old man who is reported to have written a 180-page manifesto released prior to the attack that revealed he subscribed to the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, which claims that White European populations and their descendants are being demographically and culturally replaced with non-European peoples.
The shooter's manifesto dedicates significant time to criticizing mass immigration. He had a racist slur written on his weapon and shouted some during the shooting, according to survivors. The shooter, who livestreamed the attack on Twitch, is shown in a viral video clip apologizing to a White man in the supermarket before sparing his life and continuing to shoot others.
Rogers subscribes to the "Great Replacement" conspiracy herself.
Last year, she was criticized for declaring that "Americans who love this country are being replaced by people who do not love this country."
big tech, big corporations & other strategies to accomplish this. The groups who are doing this undermine our families, our history, our faith, and our rights. We need more people who love America, not less. (2/2)— Wendy Rogers (@Wendy Rogers) 1626800609
Given Rogers' history of espousing White nationalist rhetoric, her latest remarks have received heavy criticism.
AZ State Senator Wendy Rogers is saying that the Buffalo mass murder was a false flag operation by the FBI. She must be removed from office immediately. The AZ GOP is a damn disgrace.pic.twitter.com/X0pYKLELLu— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1652583733
Until there are serious consequences for broadcasting false information the First Amendment will be our doom.https://twitter.com/ronfilipkowski/status/1525672875717427207\u00a0\u2026— Unstable Genus \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 \ud83c\udf3b (@Unstable Genus \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 \ud83c\udf3b) 1652627836
Hey, Arizona.\nYou have a new rock bottom.\nMaybe dump this piece of garbage and raise the floor a little bit.https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1525672875717427207\u00a0\u2026— Steve Marmel \ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc89 (@Steve Marmel \ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc89) 1652628446
Wendy Rogers is a white supremacist and @FBI should check on ithttps://twitter.com/nickmartin/status/1525660311914614784\u00a0\u2026— Marius Andrei (@Marius Andrei) 1652640966
@FBI and @DHSgov should keep an eye on @WendyRogersAZ and the @AZGOP.pic.twitter.com/t3Meb54DVg— deadhead_pdx2 (@deadhead_pdx2) 1652587587
Meanwhile, AZ State Senator Wendy Rogers is saying the Buffalo mass shooting was a false flag operation by the FBI. She must be removed from office immediately. The @GOP, @AZGOP and @WendyRogersAZ are a disgrace who betray all who fought and died for freedom.pic.twitter.com/DxOTNyYIr3— Bryan Dawson (@Bryan Dawson) 1652642883
@WendyRogersAZ should have @FBI at her door 2 question her of her accusation & proof of what she is saying as this lie can cause more violence\n\nArizona Republican with ties to white nationalists accuses federal agents of staging Buffalo massacrehttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/arizona-republican-with-ties-to-white-nationalists-accuses-federal-agents-of-staging-buffalo-massacre/ar-AAXkK7S?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=8d50ebc072a8476192c07567bc7d8aae\u00a0\u2026— Ana Felipe \ud83c\udf0a (@Ana Felipe \ud83c\udf0a) 1652732304
AZ State Sen. Wendy Rogers is spewing that the FBI is responsible for the shooting in Buffalo. AZ we have way too many GQP mentally ill state Senators & Representatives. Time to clean house & VOTE BLUE starting now.— Standing Together: We the People - Freedom (@Standing Together: We the People - Freedom) 1652717700
Rogers is known for making bizarre and unfounded claims.
Earlier this year, she was ridiculed after she urged former President Trump to create a new search engine “we can TRUST.”
While Trump has not been in the business of creating search engines, he has attempted to launch a social media platform of his own. The platform, Truth Social, promises "open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating against political ideology." It is part of the new Trump Media Technology Group (TMTG).
Trump was widely mocked after news outlets reported that Truth Social's terms of service include a clause stating that users may not "disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us and/or the Site." The platform was hacked within hours of going live.
Rogers' tweet prompted many to remind her of Trump's many failed business ventures, suggesting that creating a search engine would only provide Trump with another opportunity to grift his supporters.