Trump-backed Senate candidate burned by best man at his wedding | Latest News Headlines

The favorite in the Arizona Republican primary for the US Senate was called a snake oil salesman by an old friend who witnessed his wedding.

Mother Jones released a lengthy profile Monday of Blake Masters, a political newcomer and venture capitalist endorsed by former President Donald Trump in the race to take on Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona).

Among those interviewed was witness to Masters’ marriage, Collin Wedel, now a partner at a corporate law firm in California. Wedel said he was alerted by his brothers to tweets from the Masters account last year, and he responded to one in November that called the coronavirus vaccine evil mandates.

“Shame on you,” Wedel replied from his private account. “I’m so disappointed with what you’ve done to yourself. People will get sick and die because of your reckless rhetoric. As someone who loves and respects you: what happened to you? »

Masters responded with a screenshot of the tweet, which he shared with his tens of thousands of followers. Wedel was harassed by callers at work and at home, and he called the police after receiving threats in the mail.

“Collin was a best friend growing up. He told me about the famous class where I met Peter Thiel, and he witnessed my wedding,” Masters told his followers. “The deadliest virus we face is progressivism, it rots both brains and nations. I wish Collin good luck, but freedom is worth losing friends.

Wedel said they have not spoken since that exchange.

“I don’t know what’s worse,” he said. “Whether he is actually aware that he is selling snake oil to people or whether he really believes” what he is telling voters.

Blake Masters has promoted misinformation about the 2020 election and COVID-19, as well as promoting white supremacist “replacement theory.” (Photo: Bill Clark via Getty Images)

Masters, who is backed by tech billionaire Thiel, struggled to gain traction during the first leg of his campaign, but picked up steam after winning backing from Trump, who backed him up. praised for echoing the former president’s lies about the 2020 election.

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Masters has also pushed racist conspiracy theories, including the baseless “Great Replacement Theory,” which claims white Christians are being deliberately replaced by immigrants, non-Christians, and other people of color.

Arizona will hold its primary on August 2.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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