A Democratic powerbroker who pushed the conspiracy theory that the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump was "staged" has visited the Biden White House at least 10 times, a Washington Free Beacon review of visitor logs found.
Dmitri Mehlhorn has met frequently with aides to White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and Anita Dunn, one of Biden’s closest advisers, according to the logs. Mehlhorn is best known as the political adviser to Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman, a staunch Trump critic who serves on the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Board. Hoffman has given $7 million to a Biden-aligned super PAC and $6 million to the anti-Trump Republican Accountability PAC so far this election cycle.
Hours after would-be assassin Thomas Crooks shot Trump in the ear, Mehlhorn sent a memo to journalists pressuring them to portray the shooting as a false flag operation.
He suggested "this ‘shooting’ was encouraged and maybe even staged so Trump could get the photos and benefit from the backlash," according to Semafor. He also wrote that "if any Trump officials encouraged or knew of this attack, that is morally horrific, and Republicans of decency must demand that Trump step down as unfit."
Authorities have identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks as the shooter, but have not released a motive. Crooks, who was stationed on top of a building roughly 150 yards away from the rally venue, fired several rounds from a rifle. Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet. Fifty-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed while sitting in the bleachers behind Trump.
Mehlhorn’s conspiratorial comments could raise questions about his frequent access to the Biden White House, which has often accused Republicans of dabbling in conspiracy theories.
According to visitor logs, Mehlhorn and Hoffman met in September 2023 with Katharine Reilly, an aide in the White House chief of staff’s office. Mehlhorn has had three meetings with Jordan Finkelstein, a longtime aide to Dunn, the Biden communications guru. Dunn has faced scrutiny amid growing evidence of Biden’s cognitive and physical decline. She is part of a tight circle of Biden advisers who crafted a strategy to minimize his age-related struggles, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Mehlhorn has also met with two officials in the White House’s political office, Sabrina Bousbar and Jorge Santiago-Moreno, the records show. It is unclear what Mehlhorn discussed during those visits. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
While Biden criticized the assassination attempt, some of his advisers are reportedly hoping to take advantage of the crisis for political gain. Biden advisers say the shooting provides Biden an opportunity to appear presidential and call for unity in the country, according to Axios.
Mehlhorn apologized for his comments after they came to light. He told Semafor his email was "drafted without consultation from team members or allies."
Mehlhorn has advised Hoffman as the billionaire has funded a number of anti-Trump projects and other controversial initiatives. Hoffman helped fund E. Jean Carroll’s sexual assault lawsuit against Trump. He also backed Project Birmingham, which saw a technology firm created fake social media accounts in an attempt to keep Alabama Republicans from voting in the 2017 special election for Senate.
Mehlhorn did not respond to a request for comment.
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