Michael Moates is a self-described conservative journalist who made headlines after being criticized by Democratic New York Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for referring to her using the “B-word.”
Moates made the comment after Ocasio-Cortez responded to a meme shared by Donald Trump Jr. by warning him that Democrats will have subpoena power in January.
Trump Jr. shared a meme on Twitter mocking Ocasio-Cortez by baselessly claiming that people under socialism “eat” dogs.
“Please, keep it coming Jr – it’s definitely a “very, very large brain” idea to troll a member of a body that will have subpoena power in a month,” Ocasio-Cortez replied in a tweet.
“There is a new standard in Congress. B**ches will subpoena you if you troll them,” Moates wrote in response to the post. He has since deleted the tweet.
“Wow! A Republican journalist calling me the B-word as he deliberately misinterprets my statement,” Ocasio-Cortez replied. “Awesome job. How many female leaders have you covered in your career? I’m sure your coverage was very fair and not subconsciously biased at all.”
“For the GOP crying that this is a ‘threat’ – I don’t have power to subpoena anybody,” she added. “Congress as a body, GOP included, has the power. No indiv. member can issue a subpoena unless they are a Chair (which, as a freshman, I can assure you I will not be). Also must be under purview.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Michael Moates Promotes Pro-Trump Messages & Has Written for Several Conservative Sites
Moates has written for several news websites like the Washington Examiner and The Blaze. He is the founder of The DC Chronicle, a conservative blog that frequently attacks Democrats. He has also written for IJR.
He has appeared in the White House press briefing room on behalf of some outlets he has written for. Much of his social media presence consists of posts praising President Donald Trump and attacking Democrats.
“President Donald Trump will KEEP AMERICA GREAT,” he tweeted Friday.
“Hitler used kids as political pawns and so do Democrats. Ie caravan, March 4 Our Lives, illegal aliens,” he wrote earlier in the day.
“I’m a proud white person,” another tweet said.
In July, Moates flirted with the QAnon conspiracy theory on Twitter.
2. Moates Was Accused of Sending Teen Girls Inappropriate Messages
Moates became the subject of news himself when the 23-year-old was accused of sending inappropriate messages to teenage girls he allegedly knew were underage, Right Wing Watch reported in October.
Purity Thomas, 16, who works for reLOVE, a pro-life youth nonprofit, said in a statement on Twitter that Moates “flirted with me, age 16, while knowing my age.”
Thomas later told Right Wing Watch that the comments were “inappropriate” and “unprofessional.”
“And I know many other people he’s been disgusting and inappropriate too,” she wrote on Twitter.
“The fact that you can’t call a woman beautiful without offending them anymore is a problem,” Moates replied to the tweet.
Hadassah Cohen, 17, also told Right Wing Watch that Moates sexually harassed her after she wrote some unpaid articles for his website.
Cohen said Moates told her when she was 16 that she “couldn’t possibly be telling the truth that I was a proud virgin, that I had indeed never kissed a boy, because I was too gorgeous for that.”
“I didn’t know what to say. I think I was kind of dumbfounded,” Cohen said. “I tried to shrug it off.”
Moates accused Cohen of trying to “smear” him after she posted screenshots of messages he sent her on Twitter.
In another instance, Daily Wire staff writer Kassy Dillon, who is not underage, wrote on Twitter that Moates took a picture of her butt and posted it on Twitter.
3. Moates Has Received Backlash for Attacking Ocasio-Cortez
Moates deleted his tweet attacking Ocasio-Cortez but not before enduring a lot of backlash on Twitter.
“This is why we march. When a woman speaks out about bullies, and potential consequences of their actions, she gets called a bitch (or worse). Also, they’re scared of her power already,” a Twitter user wrote.
“This is a disgusting display of sexism and white male patriarchy….gross!” another woman wrote.
“‘Journalist’? Not so much by the look of his feed,” another user commented.
4. Moates Previously Beefed With Stormy Daniels
Moates previously had a similar run-in with adult film star Stormy Daniels. After a back and forth, Moates thanked Daniels for getting him “free followers.” “I appreciate the attention,” he wrote.
Moates responded by scrubbing his entire Twitter feed.
The exchange led to a joke of a potential Chrissy Tiegen-Stormy Daniels 2020 ticket.
“You’re welcome, honey. Hopefully none of them are underage so you can’t get in trouble again,” Daniels wrote back, adding a link to the report about the teen girls’ allegations against him.
“wow I thought I was ok at the AOC (art of clapback) but it’s important to always continue education from the best as it is an ever-evolving skill, I bow down,” Teigen wrote.
“Wow! Thank you! We should join forces and really wreck some s**t,” Daniels replied.
5. Moates is Trying to Run for Congress in 2020
According to his bio on Content Mart, where you can apparently pay for his writing services (although no one has according to his history), he claims to be a candidate for the US House of Representatives for Texas’ 23rd District in 2020.
His “campaign website” opens with, “Let me start by saying: I AM NOT A POLITICIAN.”
“I think that is where I have the advantage. I am not owned by anyone and I don’t care about what anyone thinks about me. I want to defend the constitution as it was written,” the page says. ” am pro-life, pro-2nd amendment, pro-limited government, and I support both indvidual [sic] liberties and freedoms.”
“Michael Moates (born January 14, 1995) is an American journalist, activist, and political commentator,” his PoliticalBank profile says. “Moates currently serves as the Executive Director and Chief White House Correspondent of The Nation One News Foundation. He is graduated with his Bachelor’s degree from Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX). He is currently working on his Master’s degree from Liberty University in Strategic Communications. Moates has used the Facebook Pages and Twitter platforms to call out people for their constant liberal bias.”
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