A white nationalist propagandist who met with billionaire investor Peter Thiel has been deeply embedded in the movement for well over a decade, and has provided an ideological bridge between suit-and-tie white nationalism and its more violent fringe, according to leaked emails and texts shared with Hatewatch.

Researchers studying the far right have sounded the alarm over the threat posed by the rapid proliferation of conspiracy theories, disinformation and misinformation for years, noting that shifts in the extreme right’s mobilization tactics could present new challenges to stemming a tide of violence.