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Elizabeth M. Crokin (born February 8, 1979) is an American columnist.


Early life and education

Crokin was born on February 8, 1979. She grew up in
Glenview, Illinois Glenview is an incorporated village located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, approximately 15 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop. Per the 2020 census, the population was 48,705. The current Village President is Michael Jenny. Geography ...
, and graduated from New Trier High School. She attended the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
studying political science and journalism. While there, she was an organizer for Students for Bush, an organization supporting the
George W. Bush 2000 presidential campaign The 2000 presidential campaign of George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, was formally launched on June 14, 1999 as Governor Bush, the eldest son of former President George H. W. Bush, announced his intention to seek the Republican Party n ...
. She later
intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gove ...
ed at the U.S. State Department during Bush's first term and for conservative pundit Bill O'Reilly's show ''
The O'Reilly Factor ''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...
'' on
Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
.


Career

Crokin began working in 2002 for the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'', before moving to their '' RedEye'' daily tabloid writing a column called "Liz in the Loop" (previously "Eye Contact") which covered celebrity news in the Chicago area. In 2010, Crokin moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
and began working as a freelance entertainment reporter for ''
National Enquirer The ''National Enquirer'' is an American tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1926, the newspaper has undergone a number of changes over the years. The ''National Enquirer'' openly acknowledges that it pays sources for tips, a common practice in tabl ...
'', '' Star'', ''
In Touch Weekly ''In Touch Weekly'' is an American celebrity gossip magazine. The magazine is focused on celebrity news, fashion, beauty, relationships and lifestyle, and is geared towards a younger readership, billing itself as "fast and fun", along with making ...
'', ''
US Weekly ''Us Weekly'' is a weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to American Media Inc ...
'' where she focused on celebrity breakups. Crokin returned to Chicago in 2012 to work for lifestyle magazine ''Splash'', a ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...
'' publication at the time, writing a column called "LA LA Liz". In September 2012, Crokin developed a viral form of meningitis which progressed into
meningoencephalitis Meningoencephalitis (; from ; ; and the medical suffix ''-itis'', "inflammation"), also known as herpes meningoencephalitis, is a medical condition that simultaneously resembles both meningitis, which is an infection or inflammation of the menin ...
and caused daily migraines,
vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...
, and
photophobia Photophobia is a medical symptom of abnormal intolerance to visual perception of light. As a medical symptom photophobia is not a morbid fear or phobia, but an experience of discomfort or pain to the eyes due to light exposure or by presence of ...
resulting from brain damage. Her health problems resulted in a loss of work, including being laid off in 2013 by American Media Inc., parent company of ''Star'' and ''National Enquirer''. Crokin and others had previously accused AMI content officer
Dylan Howard Dylan Howard (born 19 January 1982) is an entertainment journalist and media executive. He is best known for his work as editor-in-chief of the ''National Enquirer'' tabloid between 2014 and 2020, a period in which he oversaw a number of scanda ...
of sexual harassment, and has suggested that the layoffs were done in retaliation. Crokin's column in ''Splash'' ended in February 2014. In 2015, Crokin resumed her career as a columnist by writing for ''
Townhall Townhall is an American politically conservative website, print magazine and radio news service. Previously published by The Heritage Foundation, it is now owned and operated by Salem Communications. The website features more than 80 columns (b ...
''. Though her columns for that magazine focused mostly on sex crimes, in 2016 she published a paper titled ''Trump Does the Unthinkable'', which listed good deeds attributed to then-presidential candidate
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
. That column became very popular on
social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
among Trump supporters. Also in 2015, Crokin self-published a semi-autobiographical novel, ''Malice''. The book contained a thinly veiled portrayal of her relationship with a man whom she sued for allegedly exposing her to
herpes Herpes simplex is a viral infection caused by the herpes simplex virus. Infections are categorized based on the part of the body infected. Oral herpes involves the face or mouth. It may result in small blisters in groups often called cold ...
. Crokin's ex-boyfriend countersued her for his fictionalized portrayal in the novel. The matter was partially settled in 2018.


Conspiracy theories

Crokin first became an adherent of the Pizzagate investigation after the release of emails from White House official John Podesta. Crokin continues to believe Pizzagate is true, as of 2020. She then became a follower of
QAnon QAnon ( , ) is an American political conspiracy theory and political movement. It originated in the American far-right political sphere in 2017. QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals known as "Q". ...
, another conspiracy theory whose wider scope includes that liberals and elites are running worldwide child sex-trafficking rings whom
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
is secretly fighting. QAnon is derived from a belief the
4chan 4chan is an anonymous English-language imageboard website. Launched by Christopher "moot" Poole in October 2003, the site hosts boards dedicated to a wide variety of topics, from anime and manga to video games, cooking, weapons, television, ...
, then
8chan 8kun, previously called 8chan, Infinitechan or Infinitychan (stylized as ∞chan), is an imageboard website composed of user-created message boards. An owner moderates each board, with minimal interaction from site administration. The site ha ...
imageboards have been used by members of the
Trump administration Donald Trump's tenure as the 45th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican from New York City, took office following his Electoral College victory ...
to disseminate top secret information about the presidency. The QAnon source making "intel drops" on 4chan and 8chan, she believed, was Trump himself or Stephen Miller. According to Crokin, she "immediately knew Anonwas legit" upon discovering the first "drop". She went on to become one of QAnon's most prominent "
influencer An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the Internet. The rise of social m ...
s". Crokin shares the QAnon beliefs that the Mueller investigation was a cover for a pedophile investigation and that the cabal of child abusers will ultimately be defeated and its members arrested ''en masse'' in an event known as "the Storm". In 2017, future congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene credited Crokin for making her discover QAnon. At the end of December 2017, Crokin claimed on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that photographs posted on Snapchat by
Chrissy Teigen Christine Diane Teigen (born November 30, 1985) is an American model and television personality. She made her professional modeling debut in the annual ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue in 2010 and later appeared on the 50th anniversary co ...
, which showed the model with her one-year-old daughter, contained concealed messages suggesting Teigen was connected to Pizzagate. After Twitter removed her verification, Crokin went on to contend that Teigen might be under the
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
's
Project MKUltra Project MKUltra (or MK-Ultra) was an illegal human experimentation program designed and undertaken by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), intended to develop procedures and identify drugs that could be used in interrogations to weak ...
mind control program (long since scrapped). Other people possibly under MKUltra, according to Crokin, include
Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films includ ...
and
Jeff Bezos Jeffrey Preston Bezos ( ;; and Robinson (2010), p. 7. ''né'' Jorgensen; born January 12, 1964) is an American entrepreneur, media proprietor, investor, and commercial astronaut. He is the founder, executive chairman, and former preside ...
. She featured in ''Out of Shadows'', a documentary uploaded to
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
in April 2020. For her,
Jeffrey Epstein Jeffrey Edward Epstein ( ; January 20, 1953August 10, 2019) was an American sex offender and financier. Epstein, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, began his professional life by teaching at the Dalton School in Manhattan, des ...
and the
NXIVM NXIVM () is the name commonly used to describe the personality cult of imprisoned racketeer and sex offender Keith Raniere. NXIVM is also the trademarked name of the defunct corporation that Raniere founded, which provided seminars and vide ...
scandal demonstrated the continuing validity of Pizzagate. Crokin was the original source for
Roseanne Barr Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom ''Roseanne'' (1988–1 ...
's deleted tweet in March 2018 claiming President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
had released hundreds of children from bondage each month. Crokin had used fake figures in a 2017 blog post for the conservative ''Townhall'' website entitled "Why the MSM Is Ignoring Trump's Sex Trafficking Busts" claiming a "staggering 1,500-plus arrests" of involved individuals in the first 30 days of Trump's presidency. Another thesis she has spread is that
John F. Kennedy Jr. John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. (November 25, 1960 – July 16, 1999), often referred to as John-John or JFK Jr., was an American lawyer, journalist, and magazine publisher. He was a son of the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kenn ...
did not die in a 1999 plane crash, but faked his death, and is behind QAnon. According to '' Right Wing Watch'', she predicted in March 2018 that the conspiracy theories suggesting "thousands of high-level political, business and entertainment figures are involved in cannibalistic satanic pedophilia" would be proven as true before President Trump leaves office. In February 2019, Crokin expressed disappointment that Trump had not yet conducted the "mass arrests" of the child sex ring members as promised by Q, and worried that Trump might lose support if he waited too long. She added that she was in favor of
citizen's arrest A citizen's arrest is an arrest made by a private citizen – that is, a person who is not acting as a sworn law-enforcement official. In common law jurisdictions, the practice dates back to medieval England and the English common law, in which ...
s against John Podesta and other people, and warned that people might lose patience and take the street to conduct "vigilante justice". During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, she relayed the #FilmYourHospital hashtag, as an attempt to prove that the pandemic was a "lie" engineered by the "
cabal A cabal is a group of people who are united in some close design, usually to promote their private views or interests in an ideology, a state, or another community, often by intrigue and usually unbeknownst to those who are outside their group. T ...
" and China. Crokin was eventually banned by all mainstream
social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
platforms for her misinformation campaigns. On December 6, 2022, Crokin appeared at a fundraising event hosted by former US President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
at his house
Mar-a-Lago Mar-a-Lago ( from the Spanish for ''sea to lake'') is a resort and national historic landmark in Palm Beach, Florida, owned by former U.S. president Donald Trump. Trump acquired Mar-a-Lago in 1985 and referred to it as his "Winter White House ...
in
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crokin, Liz 1979 births Living people American conspiracy theorists People from Glenview, Illinois Journalists from Illinois American women television journalists 21st-century American journalists New Trier High School alumni University of Iowa alumni 21st-century American women QAnon