One of the top banking magnates in the United States put a senior employee who allegedly moonlit as the operator of a major QAnon clearinghouse on paid leave, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Investment bank Citigroup announced the leave of Jason Gelinas, 48, a senior vice president in the technology group at Citi, after it was revealed earlier in September that he ran QMap, a major platform used by devotees of the QAnon conspiracy theory, Bloomberg first reported. Its adherents believe President Trump is locked in a behind-the-scenes battle against members of the intelligence community.
“As outlined in our Code of Conduct, employees are required to disclose and obtain approvals for outside business activities,” Citi representatives wrote in a statement Wednesday.
Gelinas reportedly made more than $3,000 a month on a Patreon account linked to the website, which published “Q drops,” or clues about the inner workings of the government. Gelinas described the website, which recorded a staggering 10 million page views a month, as a “patriotic movement to save the country.”
Fact-checking website Logically outed Gelinas on Sept. 10.
The QAnon conspiracy theory, which also claims Hollywood and elements of the government are involved in a child pedophilia ring, has become a central figure in the 2020 election as several Republican congressional candidates have supported the conspiracy in one way or another. Drops are routinely released by “Q,” a person or group of people who allegedly has top military clearance and distributes state secrets in an effort to expose what some call the “deep state.”
