Todd Blodgett
Todd Blodgett | |
|---|---|
| Born | Todd Alan Blodgett 10 September 1960 Iowa City, Iowa |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Drake University |
| Relatives | Gary Blodgett (father) |
Todd Blodgett (born September 10, 1960) is an American conservative Republican political writer, who served as a member of the White House staff of President Ronald Reagan and on the Bush/Quayle election committee. Following the 1988 presidential election, Blodgett, who was a protege of the late Lee Atwater, then served on the staff of the Republican National Committee, where he worked until 1991. He was a one-time co-owner and operator of Resistance Records, the world's largest neo-Nazi music label.[1][2][3] As has been reported by the Associated Press, The London Independent, Fox News, newspapers published by Lee Enterprises, Inc., Washington Post and in other media, Blodgett worked as a full-time, paid informant for the FBI. In this capacity, he was assigned to infiltrate/surveil neo-Nazis, KKK members, fascist Skinheads, professional anti-Semites, and Holocaust deniers in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean.[4][5][6]
Todd Blodgett has worked with notable American far-right figures such as William Pierce, David Duke, Don Black, Ed Fields, Paul Hall, Jr., Chris Temple, Richard Butler and Willis Carto.[4][7][8] He also worked with and employed Mark Cotterill, a British neo-fascist who founded the American Friends of the British National Party (BNP), and other European racists, including John Tyndall, Nick Griffin, Richard Barnbrook and Steven Cartwright. From March 2000 to November 2002, Blodgett was retained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to supply information concerning organizations and individuals affiliated with the racist Far right. He regularly met with and reported to FBI and JTTF (the Joint Terrorism Task Force) agents and other officials, after attending gatherings hosted by Holocaust Deniers and White Supremacist groups, which featured racist, far-right extremists who were of interest to American anti-terrorism law enforcement officials and agencies.
In 1972, Blodgett met J. Neil Reagan, whose younger brother was Ronald Reagan, the-then Governor of California.[9] Neil ‘Moon’ Reagan introduced Blodgett to Ronald Reagan in 1976; between 1976 and 1980, Blodgett met with Ronald Reagan several times, all in Iowa.[10] After graduating from Drake University in 1983, he worked for U.S. Senator Roger W. Jepsen. After Jepsen's 1984 defeat, Blodgett served on the Reagan-Bush Presidential Inaugural Committee, and then as a member of the Reagan White House staff, from 1985–1987.
In November, 1987, Blodgett began working for GOP strategist Lee Atwater on the presidential campaign of then-Vice President George H.W. Bush. He served on Bush's campaign staff through the 1988 election, after which Atwater hired Mr. Blodgett to work at the Republican National Committee, where Mr. Atwater was chairman.[11] At the RNC, Blodgett specialized in opposition research and what were known as ‘wedge issues’, for use in the campaigns of Republican candidates. Blodgett remained with the RNC until 1991 when he formed an advertising agency in Washington, D.C.[12]
Previous to his political career, Blodgett attended Shattuck-Saint Mary's as a young man and was an active alumni of the school.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "Todd Blodgett Discusses Working for High-Profile Extremists". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ^ "The Pied Piper of Racism". Washington Post. January 12, 2000. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ^ "End Apathy: Rock'". HuffPost. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ^ a b "Chilling Emails Reveal Hate of Racist Who Shot Museum Guard". Independent.co.uk. 23 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "the sound of violence". Wisconsin Gazette. August 25, 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Holocaust Museum Shooting". Fox News. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ "Holocaust Museum Gunman". Fox News. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ "Internet Hate and the Law". Poverty Poverty Law. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ "'He just kind of took your breath away'". Global Gazette. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- ^ "Will Romney run again? (Guest View by Todd Blodgett)". Globe Gazette. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ "National Alliance Leader William Pierce Hopes Acquire Hate Label Resistance Records". Southern Poverty Law Center. December 15, 1999.
- ^ "Todd Blodgett Discusses Working High Profile Extremists". Southern Poverty Law Center. March 15, 2000.
- ^ "Shattuck-Saint Mary's". There's Always One. p. 44-45.