A possible QAnon slip-up suggests the truth of Q's identity was right there all along

[Judi Lynn]

April 5, 2021 at 10:10 am Updated April 5, 2021 at 10:14 am

By Craig Timberg and Drew Harwell
The Washington Post

The identity of Q, the supposed top-secret government operative and prophet of the extremist ideology QAnon, has for years been a fiercely debated mystery. But a possible slip-up in a new documentary suggests the answer was always the most obvious one: Ron Watkins, the longtime administrator of the message board 8kun, the conspiratorial movement’s online home.

Most major QAnon researchers have long speculated that Watkins had written many of the false and cryptic posts alleging that then-President Trump was waging war against an elite international cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles. Watkins has long denied his involvement, saying he was merely a neutral backroom operator of the site and never a participant.

But in the Sunday finale for the HBO series “Q: Into the Storm,” filmmaker Cullen Hoback points to what he argues is a key piece of evidence that Watkins had lied about his role in the more than 4,000 messages Q had posted since 2017.

In a final scene, after Watkins talked about how he had shared voter-fraud conspiracy theories after Trump’s loss in the 2020 elections, he told Hoback: “It was basically three years of intelligence training, teaching normies how to do intelligence work. It was basically what I was doing anonymously before, but never as Q.”

. . .



Ron Watkins is shown in the HBO series “Q: Into the Storm” Watkins messaged his 150,000 subscribers on the chat service Telegram late Sunday, “Friendly reminder: I am not Q. Have a good weekend.”(HBO / TNS)

More:
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/a-possible-qanon-slip-up-suggests-the-truth-of-qs-identity-was-right-there-all-along/



Filmmaker Cullen Hoback

[Blue Owl]

1. The moustache is a dead giveaway

[exoskeleton]

7. Draw a circle

around the mustache and a line across the crooked chin hair. Definitely a Q.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

2. That was a great documentary!

I think the investigator nailed it!

He didn't explicitly identify him as "Q" at the end of the last episode, but he did in an obvious and roundabout way after presenting compelling evidence to the audience.

Regardless, I always figured "Q" was going to be some low-profile troublemaker and not a person with actual ties to government intelligence or whatnot.

And QAnon would've never exploded without an attention-seeking empty-suit like Trump to represent them, like the "Great Oz" from The Wizard of Oz... operating via a feedback loop with those kinds of shadowy kooks who often don't want to be noticed.

Edit: I kept looking at the eyebrows of his father, Jim Watkins, during the interviews. I kept thinking, "Are you intentionally making them look like devil horns, you f***ing loser?!"

[Buckeye_Democrat]

4. In a way, yes.

I doubt that Ron Watkins would feel comfortable being in a constant spotlight like Trump, though.

He'd prefer to cause trouble from the shadows, then proudly smile as he observed the influence.

[BigmanPigman]

5. I was just reading about this

since I recorded the HBO show, only to find that it was the LAST one in the series. I Googled the ones I haven't seen and then read about the father, Jim.

"He also uses his YouTube channel to sing hymns and read Bible verses."

Who is surprised by this? What a fine example of humanity.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

6. Jim and Ron Watkins are repulsive.

Influence-seekers without remorse.

At least the creator of 8chan, Fred Brennan, realized the mistakes eventually. This is him being interviewed, which was not part of the HBO series:

Edit: The persistent dedication of "Q" to 8chan, despite the existence of many other websites that had fewer technical problems, was just one of the pieces of evidence that Ron Watkins was indeed "Q".

[BigmanPigman]

11. Interesting.

He is very thoughtful and aware of what is going on. He seems very different from the Watkins duo.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

12. Brennan lived with them for awhile...

... as ownership of 8chan was transferred to them.

He tried to get along with them, but he definitely wasn't a fan. He mentioned their anti-semitic "jokes" and some other things he didn't like during the HBO series.

Brennan was later shocked that the investigator didn't know about the Watkins' years-old collection of expensive watches. It was something that they had clearly tried to conceal from him during the interviews.

"Q" often included pics of expensive watches and pens with his posts, both of which those guys had collected as a hobby for years.

Brennan seemed like a pretty good guy. He probably "grew up" finally, but I'm not totally sure how he behaved when he was younger.

[BigmanPigman]

13. Why can't the US charge them?

There must be laws against inciting violence among other charges that would apply to them.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

14. They're probably concerned about it...

... since they still deny being "Q", despite what I think is very compelling evidence revealed in the HBO series.

They'd be legally protected as the website owners, per "Section 230" regarding speech on the internet.

As the rabble-rousing "Q", themselves? They might face legal trouble for that, so I doubt that they'll ever admit it.

Ron Watkins regularly contradicted himself during the interviews too. Sometimes he'd act ignorant about it, like he didn't even follow the posts by "Q". Other times, he would answer all kinds of questions about "Q" that he couldn't have possibly known if he didn't at least closely follow it.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

15. Also...

The part when Ron Watkins said a little too much about himself, causing him and the interviewer to smile and laugh as Watkins then kept repeating he wasn't "Q", wasn't really a "smoking gun" for me. It was mostly the other evidence revealed in the series which convinced me that he was indeed "Q".

[BigmanPigman]

16. Most of this is like a foreign language to me.

I listen or read about their "chan" and the site and I am clueless.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

17. I've never been a website designer or a visitor...

... of those types of forums, but you should be able to follow the story if you ever decide to watch that HBO series.

I was surprised that I liked the series, given the subject matter. It was pretty well-done for a documentary, in my opinion. I surely would've liked it even more if the topic was something more fascinating to me.

[BigmanPigman]

18. I missed the series except for the last one

which I recorded.

I just got HBO a few months ago and now I need to remember to look at the listings for all the new channels.

[tanyev]

8. So the 'top-secret government operative with Q level clearance' is unmitigated BS?

Saw that coming from a mile away.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

9. Yep!

Ron Watkins tried to identify Steve Bannon as "Q", by showing how the posts from "Q" kept originating from the area around Bannon's residence in California. As the administrator of 8chan/8kun, Watkins had access to such information.

The investigator seemed to take it seriously for awhile, but later suspected it was Watkins trying to get the attention away from himself. Watkins had the ability and know-how to post as "Q" and to fake the location, but Bannon surely would've known how to fake his location too.

And "Q" often included pics of expensive pens and watches with his posts. What did Jim and Ron Watkins collect, as a hobby? Expensive pens and watches! The investigator didn't know about the watches until Fred Brennan mentioned it to him. Jim and Ron Watkins often avoided wearing them during the interviews, but they sheepishly admitted the hobby after they were finally asked about it. (Thanks to Fred.)

[world wide wally]

10. Anonymity makes people braver just like alcohol.

It also leads them to say things they would never say if they were sober or known.
Bad idea.

[Kid Berwyn]

19. I wonder what kind of " intelligence training" he got in dad's basement?

Qanon is a NAZI cult, rebranded.

https://www.justsecurity.org/72339/qanon-is-a-nazi-cult-rebranded/