A Sacramento County, California supervisor says she didn’t mean to rub shoulders with members of the Proud Boys when she joined a Telegram channel to help plan a potential far-right truck convoy.
Sue Frost, one of the county’s five supervisors, came under fire this week after an area Twitter-user spotted her in a series of fringe Telegram channels, including a channel run and moderated by self-described Proud Boys who had previously used Telegram to encourage the murders of Jews and “race war now.”
Now Frost says she was unaware of the forums’ Proud Boy ties. Instead, she accuses the Twitter whistleblower of following her around and “dubbing” her into pictures with Proud Boys—a claim that Twitter user firmly denies.
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Frost is a vocal opponent of anti-COVID measures like masking, and has previously promoted COVID-19 conspiracy theories, the Sacramento Bee previously reported. But she appeared to become actively involved in fringe organizing this month, when she posted in multiple Telegram groups dedicated to organizing a “convoy” in her region.
“I am a Sacramento County Supervisor who is communicating with many freedom groups who want to support the convoy,” Frost wrote in a California convoy group this month, according to screenshots first flagged on Twitter.
“I’m a freedom fighter, Connected with parents faith community, businesses and my nonprofit is gorillalearninginstitute.org. Do you need a group to coordinate in Sacramento? Maybe I can help. I’m actually just trying to figure out how I can donate to the convoy and also how I can be in the loop.”
Frost posted in multiple California-based convoy channels. So far the convoy, which is modeled after a right-wing demonstration in Canada, has few clear leaders or concrete plans, with multiple U.S.-based groups suggesting demonstrations against COVID-prevention measures like masks and vaccines.
Some of those channels were linked with far-right groups including the Proud Boys, a paramilitary organization, Sacramento-area Twitter user “Borwin” noted this week. In several cases, people with Proud Boys avatars were owners or moderators of the channel. Elsewhere on Telegram, those same users had posted more incendiary rhetoric, like one who posted a Nazi symbol with the text “gas the k***s, race war now.” The user claimed to be the leader of a California Proud Boys chapter.
Frost and her spokesman told the Bee that Frost’s messages were authentic, but that she had been unaware of the Proud Boys’ involvement in the groups.
“I support ending the COVID-19 restrictions, and getting life back to normal so our businesses can thrive and children can go to school without having to wear a mask,” Frost told the Bee. “But I absolutely denounce any violent extremists [sic] groups and want no association with them.”
During a board of supervisors meeting this week, Frost further defended her posts, and went on the offensive against the Twitter user who had highlighted them.
“I have reached out to help a local small group that was collecting supplies to send over to the truckers. I was not aware that I guess there’s these people called the Proud Boys, okay, and there’s this person by the name of Borwin who follows me everywhere I go and take a picture of Proud Boys and dubs them next to a picture of me and tells the world that I’m there with Proud Boys when I never even talked to the Proud Boys.”
Frost did not return a request for clarification on the alleged dubbing.
“Borwin” is an anonymous Twitter user who monitors the state’s far-right movements (including previously identifying a Proud Boy-affiliated California cop). Reached for comment, they denied Frost’s allegations.
“I definitely don't ‘follow her around,’” Borwin told The Daily Beast via Twitter direct message. “I posted about her on a handful of occasions to note that she was sharing a public rally space with Proud Boys (and once to clown on her youtube channel). I monitor Proud Boys and other far-right groups and the only real particular interest I have in her is if she's interacting with or working with those groups. I've also never edited or ‘dubbed’ her into any photos. I've just included photos of her in the same tweet with photos of other people who were at the same rallies.”
Borwin has previously highlighted Frost’s attendance at an August anti-vaccine demonstration this summer, where members of the Proud Boys were also in attendance.
Contrary to Frost’s claims to have not talked with Proud Boys, some of her recent Telegram messages came in conversation with people who used Proud Boy avatars and used Proud Boy slogans.
“Is there a logo or a name for the convoy? We if we [sic] want to begin making banners or signs for drop offs?” Frost wrote in a conversation with a person who used a Proud Boy avatar (and with that self-described Proud Boy’s partner). Both Proud Boy-linked users were listed as administrators for the channel.
In one reply to the self-described Proud Boy’s partner, Frost suggested that a food shortage was imminent and that the trucker convoy would be blamed.
“We could be heading for a difficult time and it is important for us to stock up in our own homes for six months of food and filtered water. We should be collecting dry goods, pasta, canned goods ect.,” Frost wrote, going on to add that if truckers went on strike “they could be blamed for the disruption in the supply chain which is eminent [sic] anyway.”
