Chris Allen Gaubatz is an American national security consultant who is known for posing as an intern for the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) in order to gather information on the group's inner workings, which were published in the 2009 book Muslim Mafia by his father Paul David Gaubatz and Paul Sperry.[1] The Southern Poverty Law Center and The Intercept have described Gaubatz as a conspiracy theorist.[2][3]
Chris Gaubatz | |
|---|---|
| Born | Chris Allen Gaubatz |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | National security consultant |
| Known for | Undercover work for Muslim Mafia |
Early life and career
editGaubatz is the son of Paul David Gaubatz,[4] a former Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) Special Agent, and he grew up in England, Korea, California, and Utah. He later worked for several Fortune 500 companies, conducting fraud investigations, asset protection, and insurance sales. He began investigating CAIR in 2007, by posing as an intern and attending conferences affiliated with the organization.[5]
Undercover for Muslim Mafia
editFor his undercover operation at CAIR, later to be published in the book Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America, Gaubatz called himself David Marshall, an alleged Muslim student at Ferrum College.[6] Gaubatz worked undercover for six months in the organization as part of the operation.[6] The book was championed by at least four Republican members of the U.S. House at the time of its publication.[1] CAIR later filed a federal lawsuit against Gaubatz and his father[4] for stealing 12,000 documents from the organization.[6] Several of CAIR's claims were later dismissed in court.[7]
Later activities
editGaubatz later served as Vice President of former FBI agent John Guandolo's organization Understanding the Threat (UTT), designated an anti-Muslim "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC),[8] and considered a part of the counter-jihad movement.[9][10]
In 2016, Gaubatz represented UTT at a congressional hearing on radical Islam at the invitation of Senator Ted Cruz. According to the SPLC "in his testimony, Gaubatz shared his story of infiltration and pushed other anti-Muslim conspiracy theories."[8] Gaubatz reportedly "accused prominent Muslim-American charities of being front groups for Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, and said that 'the global Islamic movement' had infiltrated the FBI and Department of Homeland Security."[2] Gaubatz also accused the two Muslim Reps. Keith Ellison and André Carson of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, due to the two having attended an Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) event, which Gaubatz claimed to be a front group for the Muslim Brotherhood.[11]
When working for UTT, Gaubatz along with Guandolo traveled throughout the country providing training seminars to law enforcement and civilians on the "jihadi threat".[12] Gaubatz left UTT in 2018.[13] After his resignation from UTT, Gaubatz became president of the RAIR Foundation, or Rise Align Ignite Reclaim, which was founded by prolific anti-Muslim Twitter user Amy Mek, who was exposed as Amy Mekelburg by HuffPost the same year.[12] Gaubatz has also worked with ACT for America.[14]
In local Republican Party and Tea Party movement events since his resignation from UTT in 2018[14][15][16] Gaubatz has claimed that CAIR consists of "suit-wearing jihadis" whose ideology is "indistinguishable from that of al-Qaeda or the Islamic State," and suggested that the refugee resettlement program is "a way for terrorists to infiltrate the U.S."[14] He has also claimed that Muslims "have a religious duty to lie in furtherance of jihad," and that "there is no such thing as radical Islam, only Islam."[15] He has also alluded to a conspiracy theory that radical Muslims were involved with the 2017 Las Vegas shooting.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b Allam, Hannah; Ali, Anjuman (December 16, 2021). "He was a Muslim group leader. For 13 years, he allegedly spied for an anti-Muslim organization". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b Emmons, Alex; Jilani, Zaid (June 29, 2016). "Ted Cruz Brings Anti-Muslim Conspiracy Theorist to Testify at Senate Hearing". The Intercept.
- ^ "Amherst county Republican committee invites anti-Muslim activist Chris Gaubatz to Virginia". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
- ^ a b Gerstein, Josh (November 2, 2009). "CAIR sues 'Muslim Mafia' author, son". Politico.
- ^ "Chris Gaubatz". Justice Clearinghouse. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c Abbott, Ryan (September 19, 2012). "Spying on Muslim Group Could Cost Father & Son". Courthouse News.
- ^ Loviza-Vickery, Amanda (March 10, 2015). "Muslim Group's Intern Faces Trespass Trial". Courthouse News.
- ^ a b "Understanding the Threat". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ^ Pertwee, Ed (October 2017). 'Green Crescent, Crimson Cross': The Transatlantic 'Counterjihad' and the New Political Theology (PDF). London School of Economics. pp. 125, 268.
- ^ Gordon, Jerry; Benson, Lisa; Cutting, Richard; Epstein, Jeffrey (August 2016). "See Something; Say Nothing: An Interview with DHS Whistleblower, Phillip Haney". New English Review.
- ^ Stein, Sam; Schulberg, Jessica (June 28, 2016). "Witness At Ted Cruz Hearing Accuses Congress' Two Muslim Members Of Muslim Brotherhood Ties". HuffPost.
- ^ a b "Unmasked anti-Muslim troll Amy Mekelburg connected to Chris Gaubatz". Southern Poverty Law Center. June 12, 2018.
- ^ "John Guandolo's tour collapses and longtime partner Chris Gaubatz quits". Southern Poverty Law Center. April 12, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Brodey, Sam (October 11, 2018). "Has fear of Muslims gone mainstream for Minnesota Republicans?". MinnPost.
- ^ a b Vaillancourt, Cory (February 27, 2019). "Hometown hate: Haywood Republicans welcome anti-Muslim speaker". Smoky Mountain News.
- ^ Burgess, Joel (April 24, 2019). "Chris Gaubatz, controversial critic of Muslim group, to speak in Asheville area". The Citizen-Times.
External links
edit- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Chris Gaubatz Testimony, 2016 Senate report