NBC Editor Posts Documentation of Nazis at CPAC after Organization Slams Report as ‘False’
Benjamin Goggin, NBC News’s deputy tech editor, defended his report on Nazis receiving a “friendly reception” at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference after CPAC publicly called it “false, misleading, and grossly manipulative.”
Goggin noted in his report that CPAC has long had to deal with far-right extremists trying to infiltrate the conference, but in past years would quickly eject those with explicit ties to neo-Nazis, like Nick Fuentes.
“But this year, racist conspiracy theorists didn’t meet any perceptible resistance at the conference where Donald Trump has been the keynote speaker since 2017,” Goggin wrote, adding:
At the Young Republican mixer Friday evening, a group of Nazis who openly identified as national socialists mingled with mainstream conservative personalities, including some from Turning Point USA, and discussed so-called “race science” and antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Goggin also reported on other easily identifiable figures with ties to neo-Nazis he saw at CPAC, including one “with an official badge” from the event.
CPAC replied to NBC’s report with a lengthy post on Sunday and took a personal jab at Goggin, writing in a statement, “NBC’s claim that there was a Nazi presence at CPAC 2024 is false, misleading, and grossly manipulative—especially coming from a writer who has carried the water for Hamas in much of his reporting on the Israel-Gaza war.”
The statement attributed to Matt Schlapp, the head of CPAC, concluded, “When we come across someone at CPAC peddling any kind of anti-semitism, we deal with them immediately. Knowing this, NBC weaved together lies and fabrications to create a false perception, and we won’t stand by idly while NBC engages in willful misinformation.” “The Nazis introduced themselves to me at a mixer and said they were national socialists, started talking about skull measurements and pushing the conspiracy theory that all races were being controlled Jewish people. They were posting about their presence at CPAC online,” Goggin noted on X in a thread replying to CPAC on Sunday.
Goggin also hit back on Monday by posting further documentation to back up his reporting.
“CPAC is continuing to call our reporting about Nazis at the conference ‘fake news.’ They haven’t responded to the video and photo evidence. This is Ryan Sanchez, a known and public neo-Nazi, giving a Nazi salute at CPAC. Greg Conte, who is also a public Nazi, is on his left,” Goggin replied to an additional tweet from CPAC and included the clip of the Nazi salute in a public space at the conference. Goggin posted other images showing Sanchez at the conference and interacting with other far-right, extremist figures.
CPAC 2024 concluded with a speech from former President Donald Trump, who made headlines last year when avowed white supremacist Nick Fuentes joined him and anti-Semitic rapper Kanye West for a dinner at Mar-a-Lago. Steve Bannon, Mike Lindell, and Jack Posobiec addressed CPAC this year as the conference has notably shifted toward the far-right and made national headlines this year as Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Posobiec vowed to “overthrow” American democracy and finish the job started on January 6th.
Goggin’s reporting follows Rob Smith, a Black and gay conservative influencer, sounding the alarm back in December after he was harassed by neo-Nazis at an event that took place alongside Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona.
“I’m looking at soulless, dead-eyed white supremacists that, by the way, I felt that these people could have bashed my brains in had they gotten the chance,” Smith told CNN of the incident late last year.
“I know that a lot of these people have infiltrated these conservative organizations from top to bottom. There needs to be accountability,” he added.
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