Steven Hotze: Difference between revisions
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* [[Physician]] |
* [[Physician]] |
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* [[radio personality|radio host]] }} |
* [[radio personality|radio host]] }} |
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| education = [[University of Texas Medical Branch]] ([[Doctor of Medicine|MD]], |
| education = [[University of Texas Medical Branch]] ([[Doctor of Medicine|MD]], 1976) |
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| website = |
| website = |
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|07|05}} |
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|07|05}} |
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}} |
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'''Steven Forrest Hotze''' (born |
'''Steven Forrest Hotze''' (born 1950)<ref name="2005-07-21 Houston Press" /> is an American [[conservative talk radio]] [[radio personality|host]],<ref name="2015-07-15 Houston Chronicle" /> [[conspiracy theorist]],<ref name="2020-12-17 Daily Beast" /> [[physician]], [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] activist and [[Campaign finance in the United States|megadonor]] in Texas.<ref name="2020-06-16 Houston Chronicle" /><ref name="2022-04-22 Despart"/> |
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Hotze is known as a supporter of a variety of right-wing political causes: against LGBT anti-discrimination protections, against COVID vaccine mandates, and as a proponent of [[Donald Trump]]'s false claims that he was cheated in the 2020 presidential election. Hotze is currently under criminal indictment on two charges (unlawful restraint and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon), for his alleged involvement in a private investigation into supposed "voter fraud" that resulted in a private investigator (who was hired by Hotze) attacking and holding an air conditioning repairman at gunpoint.<ref name="2022-04-22 Despart"/> |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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In 1976, Hotze graduated from the [[University of Texas Medical Branch]] with his [[Doctor of Medicine]].<ref name="2020-12-16 Vice"/> |
In 1976, Hotze graduated from the [[University of Texas Medical Branch]] with his [[Doctor of Medicine]].<ref name="2020-12-16 Vice"/> He promoted a series of claims with no basis in science, including that taking [[birth control pill]]s made women "less attractive to men" and that "when men lose their testicles to disease or injury, they have difficulty reading a map, performing math problems and making decisions."<ref name="2005-07-21 Houston Press"/> In December 2020, [[Vice (magazine)|''Vice'']] described Hotze's medical practice as "hawking 'alternative treatments' for [[postpartum depression]], aging, thyroid problems, and even [[COVID-19]]".<ref name="2020-12-16 Vice"/> Hotze has promoted various fringe and pseudoscientific medical claims, such as the existence of "[[Candida hypersensitivity|yeast hypersensitivity syndrome]]"; the use of [[colloidal silver]] as a cure for various diseases; and the use of non-standard drugs for [[hypothyroidism]].<ref name="2005-07-21 Houston Press" /> A seller of [[hormone therapy]] products,<ref name="2020-12 Texas Monthly"/> Hotze gained wealth through a chain of "wellness centers" in Texas.<ref name="2020-12-16 Vice"/> He asserted that his line of [[bioidentical hormone replacement therapy|bioidentical hormone]]s prevented cancer, a claim that lacks scientific support.<ref name="2005-07-21 Houston Press" /> Hotze has been a practicing physician since at least 2000, and is based in [[Katy, Texas]].<ref name="US News" /> |
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In a 2005 appearance on the CBS ''[[Early Show]]'', Hotze advanced his views about thyroid disorders; in a letter to CBS, the [[American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists]] criticized Hotze's statements as "completely erroneous and unsubstantiated, and ... readily refuted by a large body of solid scientific evidence."<ref name="2020-10-26 CBS"/><ref name="2020-12-17 Daily Beast"/> In 2018, an environmental organization filed suit against Hotze's businesses, alleging that some of its consumer products contained undisclosed quantities of [[lead]]; that suit is pending.<ref name="2020-12-17 Daily Beast"/> |
In a 2005 appearance on the CBS ''[[Early Show]]'', Hotze advanced his views about thyroid disorders; in a letter to CBS, the [[American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists]] criticized Hotze's statements as "completely erroneous and unsubstantiated, and ... readily refuted by a large body of solid scientific evidence."<ref name="2020-10-26 CBS"/><ref name="2020-12-17 Daily Beast"/> In 2018, an environmental organization filed suit against Hotze's businesses, alleging that some of its consumer products contained undisclosed quantities of [[lead]]; that suit is pending.<ref name="2020-12-17 Daily Beast"/> |
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==Activism== |
==Activism== |
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Hotze has been involved in [[right-wing politics|right-wing]] activism since at least 1982.<ref name="2005-07-21 Houston Press" /> He has claimed that [[malpractice]] |
Hotze has been involved in [[right-wing politics|right-wing]] activism since at least 1982.<ref name="2005-07-21 Houston Press" /> His [[far-right]] views have sometimes caused friction with fellow [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]].<ref name="2022-04-22 Despart"/> He has claimed that [[malpractice]] lawsuits are "un-[[Bible|Biblical]]"; supported [[list of mayors of Houston|Houston mayoral]] candidate [[Louie Welch]] who promoted fighting [[HIV/AIDS]] by "shoot[ing] the queers";<ref name="2020-12-16 Vice" /> and advocated for greater influence of Christianity upon government.<ref name="2000-10-28 Houston Chronicle" /> A power broker in Texas Republican circles,<ref name="2020-07-03 Texas Tribune" /><ref name="2020-07-04 Associated Press"/> he is influential among the Texas [[Christian right|religious right]],<ref name="2020-12-17 Daily Beast"/> and was described by ''[[The Texas Tribune]]'' in 2020 as "one of most prolific culture warriors on [[right-wing politics|the right]] in Texas."<ref name="2020-07-03 Texas Tribune" /> He has donated to Republican politicians and candidates, including {{US$|12600|2020}} to [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] [[John Cornyn]],<ref name="2020-07-03 Texas Tribune" /> and is a major ally of Lieutenant Governor [[Dan Patrick (politician)|Dan Patrick]].<ref name="2020-04-06 NYT"/><ref name="2017-06-22 Chron"/> Hotze hosted a [[conservative talk radio]] show on the radio station [[KSEV]] beginning in the early 2000s, when the station was co-managed by Patrick;<ref name="2013-05-16 Governing"/><ref name=McGuinnessBaredSmith>Dylan McGuinness & St. John Barned-Smith, [https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/In-transcript-Hotze-tells-then-U-S-attorney-17155001.php Hotze discussed plan to cause wreck, make 'citizen's arrest' of A/C repairman, transcript shows], ''Houston Chronicle'' (May 6, 2022).</ref> Hotze remained on the air until 2011.<ref name="2013-05-16 Governing"/> |
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In 2013, Hotze brought lawsuits against the [[Affordable Care Act]], asserting that the health-care reform law was unconstitutional; he released two anti-ACA pop-techno music tracks entitled "God Fearing Texans Stop Obamacare" and "Texans Stand Against Obamacare" containing lyrics such as "We will defeat Obama and the socialists" and "Texas should be free again, it should be an independent nation."<ref name="2013-05-16 Governing"/> |
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Hotze's influence within Republican state and local politics in Texas, wielded in the form of endorsements, fundraising, and donations, may have peaked in the 2002–2013 period, when his ally [[Jared Woodfill]] was chairman of the [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]] Republican Party at a time when Republicans dominated the county.<ref>Andrew Schneider, [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2021/01/28/390247/steve-hotze-gop-republican-activist-houston-harris-county-politics/ How Conservative Activist Steven Hotze Became A Harris County Power Broker], Houston Public Media (January 28, 2021).</ref> In 2016, Hotze was a leading supporter of Woodfill's unsuccessful far-right campaign for chairman of the [[Texas Republican Party]].<ref name="2020-12 Texas Monthly"/> |
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Hotze has promoted [[conspiracy theories]] such as [[QAnon]]<ref name="2020-12-16 Vice" /><ref name="2020-12-17 Daily Beast"/> and has asserted that the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] was a "global ritual" to "inject experimental nano bots and chemi-kills into our bodies to alter our DNA using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to turn us into zombie-like, controlled masses and weapons of war."<ref name="2020-12-17 Daily Beast"/> |
Hotze has promoted [[conspiracy theories]] such as [[QAnon]]<ref name="2020-12-16 Vice" /><ref name="2020-12-17 Daily Beast"/> and has asserted that the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] was a "global ritual" to "inject experimental [[Nanorobotics|nano bots]] and chemi-kills into our bodies to alter our DNA using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to turn us into zombie-like, controlled masses and weapons of war."<ref name="2020-12-17 Daily Beast"/> |
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===Anti-LGBT activism=== |
===Anti-LGBT activism=== |
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<!-- in general -->Hotze has opposed [[homosexuality]] since at least 1986, once comparing "[[LGBT community|LGBT people]] to [[Nazism|Nazis]] and pledg[ing] to drive 'homofascists' from Houston to [[San Francisco]]."<ref name="2016-02-17 Texas Observer" /> |
<!-- in general -->Hotze has opposed [[homosexuality]] since at least 1986, once comparing "[[LGBT community|LGBT people]] to [[Nazism|Nazis]] and pledg[ing] to drive 'homofascists' from Houston to [[San Francisco]]."<ref name="2016-02-17 Texas Observer" /> {{as of|2016|02}}, Hotze led the Conservative Republicans of Texas; the organization, which describes itself as promoting "constitutional liberties based upon Biblical principles", was designated in 2016 by the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] as an [[list of organizations designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as anti-LGBT hate groups|anti-LGBT hate group]].<ref name="2016-02-17 Texas Observer" /> Hotze also featured prominently in the defeat of 2015's [[2015 Houston, Texas Proposition 1|Houston Equal Rights Ordinance]] (calling the legislation a "Satanic movement"), and failed in his push for [[bathroom bill#Texas|Texas' bathroom bill]] (2017).<ref name="2020-07-03 Texas Tribune" /> In 2016, Hotze likened LGBT people to termites, saying they "eat away at the very moral fabric of the foundation of our country."<ref name="2020-12-17 Daily Beast"/> |
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<!-- SSM specifically -->The [[Houston]]-based Hotze is opposed to the legalization of [[same-sex marriage]].<ref name="2020-07-03 Texas Tribune" /> |
<!-- SSM specifically -->The [[Houston]]-based Hotze is opposed to the legalization of [[same-sex marriage]].<ref name="2020-07-03 Texas Tribune" /> After the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]]'s 2015 decision in ''[[Obergefell v. Hodges]]'', Hotze spoke at the kick-off for anti-gay marriage organization Real Marriage: One Man/One Woman for Life, saying of same-sex marriage proponents, "They want to intimidate individuals, churches, schools and families to celebrate those that participate in [[anal sex]]. That's what they love and enjoy: anal sex. And that's bad, that's evil. It's a terrible thing to try to do and they want to try to teach it to kids in schools, […] Kids will be encouraged to practice sodomy in kindergarten."<ref name="2015-07-15 Houston Chronicle" /> |
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Hotze has opposed a section of the [[Affordable Care Act]] that mandates insurance providers to cover [[pre-exposure prophylaxis]] for the [[Prevention of HIV/AIDS|prevention of HIV]]. His company is the lead plaintiff in ''Braidwood Management v. Becerra'', a suit filed in the [[Northern District of Texas]] by a group of conservative Christian employers in opposition to the mandate.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/religious-employers-dont-have-to-provide-mandated-hiv-prevention-drugs-federal-judge-rules | title=HIV-prevention drug coverage violated religious rights of employer opposed to 'homosexual behavior,' judge rules }}</ref> In the lawsuit, Hotze claims that he opposes paying for a health insurance plan that covers drugs like [[Truvada]] or [[Descovy]] "because these drugs facilitate or encourage homosexual behavior, which is contrary to Dr. Hotze’s sincere religious beliefs."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/07/texas-HIV-ACA-lawsuit/ | title=Religious employers need not cover PrEP in their health plans, federal judge rules | date=September 7, 2022 }}</ref> |
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===COVID-19 pandemic=== |
===COVID-19 pandemic=== |
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In March 2020, Hotze claimed that [[coronavirus disease 2019]] was an invention of the "[[deep state]]" designed to sabotage the [[presidency of Donald Trump]].<ref name="2020-12-16 Vice" /> |
In March 2020, Hotze claimed that [[coronavirus disease 2019]] was an invention of the "[[Deep state conspiracy theory|deep state]]" designed to sabotage the [[presidency of Donald Trump]].<ref name="2020-12-16 Vice" /> Hotze later filed at least eight lawsuits challenging public health measures adopted by the State of Texas, Harris County, and the City of Houston to prevent the [[transmission of COVID-19|spread]] of [[severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2|the virus]].<ref name="2020-07-17 CNS" /> In April, he sued [[Lina Hidalgo]], the county judge of [[Harris County, Texas]], for [[face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States#Mask use and policies by state|mandating the wearing of]] [[face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic|face masks]].<ref name="2020-07-03 Texas Tribune" /> Hotze's request to block the county order was rejected by the court.<ref name="2020-04-27 Houston Chronicle" /> |
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In June, he filed suits against Texas Governor [[Greg Abbott]], alleging that [[contact tracing]] violated the US Constitution's [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]], [[privacy laws of the United States#Federal|privacy]], [[Due Process Clause|Due Process]], and [[Equal Protection Clause|Equal Protection]] provisions,<ref name="2020-06-16 Houston Chronicle" /> and that the governor's state-wide face mask requirement was unlawful.<ref name="2020-07-03 Texas Tribune" /> |
In June, he filed suits against Texas Governor [[Greg Abbott]], alleging that [[contact tracing]] violated the US Constitution's [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]], [[privacy laws of the United States#Federal|privacy]], [[Due Process Clause|Due Process]], and [[Equal Protection Clause|Equal Protection]] provisions,<ref name="2020-06-16 Houston Chronicle" /> and that the governor's state-wide face mask requirement was unlawful.<ref name="2020-07-03 Texas Tribune" /> Hotze also sued Abbott over his executive orders closing nonessential businesses during the pandemic and sued the city of Houston over its decision to bar the [[Republican Party of Texas]] from holding an in-person convention at the [[George R. Brown Convention Center]] during the pandemic; both of those suits were dismissed.<ref name="2020-07-17 CNS" /> |
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===2020 elections=== |
===2020 elections=== |
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In the [[2020 United States elections|2020 elections]], Hotze joined [[Texas House of Representatives|Texas Representative]] [[Steve Toth]], a Harris County Republican, in attempting to have 127,000 Harris County votes rejected for being cast via [[drive-thru voting]] (claiming it to be an unlawful expansion of curbside voting). |
In the [[2020 United States elections|2020 elections]], Hotze joined [[Texas House of Representatives|Texas Representative]] [[Steve Toth]], a Harris County Republican, in attempting to have 127,000 Harris County votes rejected for being cast via [[drive-thru voting]] (claiming it to be an unlawful expansion of curbside voting). The [[Supreme Court of Texas]] rejected the lawsuit, prompting Hotze and Toth to pursue the claim in [[federal judiciary of the United States|federal court]].<ref name="2020-11-01 Texas Tribune" /> That lawsuit was also rejected.<ref name="2020-11-02 Texas Tribune" /> |
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====Criminal indictment==== |
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In August 2020, Hotze founded the nonprofit Liberty Center for God and Country (LCGC), and claimed to have donated {{US$|75000|2020|long=no}} to the group. The organization baselessly alleged fraud in the 2020 election, and in the six weeks leading up to the 2020 election, LCGC paid nearly {{US$|300000|2020|long=no}} to 20 [[private investigator]]s to probe what they claimed was "the Democrats' massive election fraud scheme in Harris County"; no evidence supports claims of voter fraud.<ref name="2020-12-20 Washington Post" /><ref name="2020-12-16 Vice" /><ref name="2020-12-16 NPR"/> |
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Hotze hired Mark Anthony Aguirre as the group's lead investigator; Aguirre had been fired from the [[Houston Police Department]] in 2003 after ordering the mass arrest of 300 people in a botched raid on a [[Kmart (United States)|Kmart]] parking lot.<ref name="2020-12-20 Washington Post" /><ref name="2020-12-16 Vice" /><ref name="2020-12-16 NPR"/> Aguirre surveilled an ordinary [[air conditioning|air-conditioner]] installer/repairman for days, falsely claiming that the man was part of a vast election fraud scheme and was using his cargo truck to carry "750,000 mail-in ballots fraudulently signed by Hispanic children" (the cargo truck was actually carrying tools and air conditioning equipment). According to police and prosecutors, Aguirre surveilled the repairman for four days, and then—around 5:30 |
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a.m. on October 17, 2020—used his SUV to run the repairman off the road, pretended to be injured, then pointed a gun at the repairman and ordered the man to get on the ground while directing two of his companions to search the repairman's trunk.<ref name="2020-12-20 Washington Post" /><ref name="2020-12-16 Vice"/><ref name="2020-12-16 NPR"/><ref name=McGuinnessBaredSmith/> The incident was one of several tactics used by far-right organizations in an attempt to support Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was barred by fraud.<ref name=Boburg>Shawn Boburg, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/05/06/hotze-texas-recording-ballots/ GOP donor described botched vote fraud probe in recording, prosecutors say], ''Washington Post'' (May 6, 2022).</ref> |
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Aguirre was paid $266,400 by Hotze's group,<ref name="2020-12-16 NPR"/> with most of that sum ($211,400) being paid the day after the incident with the air conditioning repairman.<ref name="2022-04-22 Despart"/> Aguirre was arrested and charged with [[aggravated assault]] [[Assault with a deadly weapon|with a deadly weapon]] in December 2020; he pleaded not guilty.<ref name="2020-12-16 NPR"/><ref name="2020-12-20 Washington Post" /> He was released on $30,000 bail<ref name=Boburg/> on several conditions, including that he not work for Hotze.<ref name="2022-04-22 Despart"/> After his arrest, Hotze called Aguirre "a very good investigator"; described the charges as "bogus"; and expressed his pride in the operation. Hotze also blamed the Republican Party for not doing it themselves.<ref name="2020-12-20 Washington Post" /> |
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In April 2021, Hotze attended a fundraiser on behalf of Republican state Attorney General [[Ken Paxton]], as well as businessman [[Mike Lindell]], a prominent Trump ally and 2020 election conspiracy theorist.<ref name="2022-04-22 Despart"/> |
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In April 2022, Hotze himself was charged in connection with the bizarre 2020 incident with the air conditioning repairman; a [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]] [[grand jury]] indicted him on one count of unlawful restraint and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.<ref name="2022-04-22 Despart"/> The air conditioning repairman also fired a civil suit against Hotze and his LCGC group.<ref name=Boburg/> |
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In a January 2022 [[Deposition (law)|deposition]], Hotze said under oath that he lacked any knowledge of surveillance or investigation of the air conditioning repairman.<ref name=Boburg/> This claim was apparently contradicted by a transcript of a phone call made by Hotze to [[U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas]] [[Ryan Patrick]], on October 17, 2020, two days before the repairman was attacked.<ref name=Boburg/><ref name=McGuinnessBaredSmith/> The phone call was recorded by Patrick, a Trump appointee, and the transcript was made public in May 2022, as part of prosecutors' disclosure of evidence they intend to use against Hotze.<ref name=Boburg/> In the call, Hotze sought to get federal authorities to stop a white van that he claimed to be moving phony ballots as part of an election rigging scheme, and said that one of his investigators was prepared to confront the repairman himself: "In fact, he told me last night, 'hell ... the guy's gonna have a wreck tomorrow night. I'm going to run into him and I'm gonna make a [[citizen's arrest]].'"<ref name=Boburg/> Patrick rejected Hotze's request; it is unclear what he did with the recording afterward.<ref name=McGuinnessBaredSmith/> |
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In late August 2020, Hotze founded a [[nonprofit organization|nonprofit]], '''Liberty Center for God and Country''' ('''LCGC'''), and claimed to have donated {{US$|75000|2020|long=no}} to the group. The organization baselessly alleged fraud in the 2020 election, and in the six weeks leading up to the 2020 election, LCGC paid nearly {{US$|300000|2020|long=no}} to 20 [[private investigator]]s to probe what they claimed was "the Democrats' massive election fraud scheme in Harris County"; no evidence supports claims of voter fraud.<ref name="2020-12-20 Washington Post" /><ref name="2020-12-16 Vice" /><ref name="2020-12-16 NPR"/> The group's lead investigator, Mark Anthony Aguirre, was hired by Hotze; Aguirre had been fired from the Houston Police Department in 2003 after ordering the mass arrest of 300 people in a botched raid on a [[Kmart (United States)|Kmart]] parking lot.<ref name="2020-12-20 Washington Post" /><ref name="2020-12-16 Vice" /><ref name="2020-12-16 NPR"/> Aguirre surveilled an ordinary [[air conditioning|air-conditioner]] installer/repairman for days, falsely claiming that the man was part of a vast election fraud scheme and was using his cargo truck to carry "750,000 mail-in ballots fraudulently signed by Hispanic children" (the cargo truck was actually carrying tools and air conditioning equipment). According to police and prosecutors, Aguirre surveilled the repairman for four days before, on October 17, 2020, using his SUV to run the repairman off the road. Police and prosecutors state that Aguirre pretended to be injured before pointing a gun at the repairman and ordering the man to get on the ground, while Aguirre directed two of his companions to search the repairman's trunk.<ref name="2020-12-20 Washington Post" /><ref name="2020-12-16 Vice"/><ref name="2020-12-16 NPR"/> Aguirre, who was paid $266,400 by Hotze's group,<ref name="2020-12-16 NPR"/> was arrested and charged with [[aggravated assault]] [[Assault with a deadly weapon|with a deadly weapon]]; he pleaded not guilty.<ref name="2020-12-16 NPR"/><ref name="2020-12-20 Washington Post" /> After his arrest, Hotze called Aguirre "a very good investigator"; described the charges as "bogus"; and expressed his pride in the operation. Hotze also blamed the Republican Party for not doing it themselves.<ref name="2020-12-20 Washington Post" /> |
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===George Floyd protests=== |
===George Floyd protests=== |
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After [[George Floyd protests|nationwide protests]] following the [[murder of George Floyd]] [[George Floyd protests in Texas|reached Texas]] in early June 2020, Hotze called Governor Abbott's office on June 6 and demanded [[Texas Army National Guard]] soldiers be sent to |
After [[George Floyd protests|nationwide protests]] following the [[murder of George Floyd]] [[George Floyd protests in Texas|reached Texas]] in early June 2020, Hotze called Governor Abbott's office on June 6 and demanded [[Texas Army National Guard]] soldiers be sent to Houston with "the order to shoot to kill if any of these son-of-a-bitch people start rioting like they have in Dallas, start tearing down businesses — shoot to kill the son of a bitches. That's the only way you restore order. Kill 'em. Thank you." When ''The Texas Tribune'' obtained and published Hotze's message on July 3, Hotze himself shared it on [[Facebook]]. Senator Cornyn called it "absolutely disgusting and reprehensible".<ref name="2020-07-03 Texas Tribune" /> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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<ref name="2020-12-16 Vice">{{cite magazine |last1=Owen |first1=Tess |date=2020-12-16 |title=The GOP Wellness Tycoon Bankrolling Election Fraud Vigilantism |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/akd754/the-gop-wellness-tycoon-bankrolling-election-fraud-vigilantism |url-status=live |magazine=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |language=en |issn=1077-6788 |oclc=30856250 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217183156/https://www.vice.com/en/article/akd754/the-gop-wellness-tycoon-bankrolling-election-fraud-vigilantism |archive-date=2020-12-17 |access-date=2020-12-21 |quote=Steve Hotze is Lone Star State culture warrior, Texas GOP power broker, and QAnon conspiracy theorist fighting for whatever the right-wing cause du jour might be.}}</ref><!-- exhausted --> |
<ref name="2020-12-16 Vice">{{cite magazine |last1=Owen |first1=Tess |date=2020-12-16 |title=The GOP Wellness Tycoon Bankrolling Election Fraud Vigilantism |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/akd754/the-gop-wellness-tycoon-bankrolling-election-fraud-vigilantism |url-status=live |magazine=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |language=en |issn=1077-6788 |oclc=30856250 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217183156/https://www.vice.com/en/article/akd754/the-gop-wellness-tycoon-bankrolling-election-fraud-vigilantism |archive-date=2020-12-17 |access-date=2020-12-21 |quote=Steve Hotze is Lone Star State culture warrior, Texas GOP power broker, and QAnon conspiracy theorist fighting for whatever the right-wing cause du jour might be.}}</ref><!-- exhausted --> |
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<ref name="2020-12-20 Washington Post">{{cite news |last1=Boburg |first1=Shawn |last2=Bennett |first2=Dalton |last3=Satija |first3=Neena |last4=Hoffman |first4=Ken |date=2020-12-20 |title=Ex-cop hits truck thinking it held 750,000 fraudulent ballots, police say. It held air conditioning parts. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/texas-anti-voter-fraud-operation/2020/12/20/98969dbc-4157-11eb-a402-fba110db3b42_story.html |url-status=live | |
<ref name="2020-12-20 Washington Post">{{cite news |last1=Boburg |first1=Shawn |last2=Bennett |first2=Dalton |last3=Satija |first3=Neena |last4=Hoffman |first4=Ken |date=2020-12-20 |title=Ex-cop hits truck thinking it held 750,000 fraudulent ballots, police say. It held air conditioning parts. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/texas-anti-voter-fraud-operation/2020/12/20/98969dbc-4157-11eb-a402-fba110db3b42_story.html |url-status=live |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en |issn=0190-8286 |oclc=2269358 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221024656/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/texas-anti-voter-fraud-operation/2020/12/20/98969dbc-4157-11eb-a402-fba110db3b42_story.html |archive-date=2020-12-21 |access-date=2020-12-21}}</ref> |
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<ref name="2020-12-16 NPR">{{cite news|author=Jaclyn Diaz|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/12/16/946995614/ex-houston-police-officer-charged-in-attack-over-bogus-election-fraud-plot|publisher=NPR|title=Ex-Houston Police Officer Charged In Attack Over Bogus Election Fraud Plot|date=December 16, 2020}}</ref> |
<ref name="2020-12-16 NPR">{{cite news|author=Jaclyn Diaz|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/12/16/946995614/ex-houston-police-officer-charged-in-attack-over-bogus-election-fraud-plot|publisher=NPR|title=Ex-Houston Police Officer Charged In Attack Over Bogus Election Fraud Plot|date=December 16, 2020}}</ref> |
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<ref name="2020-04-06 NYT">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/us/now-in-drivers-seat-patrick-credits-grass-roots.html|newspaper=New York Times|date=April 6, 2014|title=Now in Driver's Seat, Patrick Credits Grass Roots|author=Morgan Smith}}</ref> |
<ref name="2020-04-06 NYT">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/us/now-in-drivers-seat-patrick-credits-grass-roots.html|newspaper=New York Times|date=April 6, 2014|title=Now in Driver's Seat, Patrick Credits Grass Roots|author=Morgan Smith}}</ref> |
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<ref name="2017-06-22 Chron">{{cite news| |
<ref name="2017-06-22 Chron">{{cite news|author1=Mike Ward |author2=Scott Braddock |url=https://www.chron.com/politics/texas-take/texas-take-podcast/article/Listen-Driving-past-a-bad-car-wreck-with-serious-11240920.php|title=Listen: Driving past a bad car wreck with serious injuries, without stopping? U.S. Sen. John Cornyn pushes for Obamacare repeal, faces pushback from Texas colleague Ted Cruz|date=June 22, 2017|newspaper=Houston Chronicle}}</ref> |
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<ref name="2013-05-16 Governing">{{cite news|url=https://www.governing.com/topics/politics/tt-texas-gop-donor-releases-anti-obamacare-songs.html|newspaper=Texas Tribune|via=Governing|date=May 16, 2013|author=Brian Peteritas|title=Texas GOP Donor Releases Anti-Obamacare Songs}}</ref> |
<ref name="2013-05-16 Governing">{{cite news|url=https://www.governing.com/topics/politics/tt-texas-gop-donor-releases-anti-obamacare-songs.html|newspaper=Texas Tribune|via=Governing|date=May 16, 2013|author=Brian Peteritas|title=Texas GOP Donor Releases Anti-Obamacare Songs}}</ref> |
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<ref name="2022-04-22 Despart">{{cite web|author=Zach Despart|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2022/04/20/steve-hotze-houston-indicted-voter-fraud/ | title=GOP megadonor Steven Hotze charged after a bogus election fraud scheme led a former cop to threaten a repairman | date=April 20, 2022 }}</ref> |
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Latest revision as of 06:28, 13 May 2024
Steven Forrest Hotze | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 5, 1950 |
| Education | University of Texas Medical Branch (MD, 1976) |
| Occupations | |
| Political party | Republican |
Steven Forrest Hotze (born 1950)[1] is an American conservative talk radio host,[2] conspiracy theorist,[3] physician, Republican activist and megadonor in Texas.[4][5]
Hotze is known as a supporter of a variety of right-wing political causes: against LGBT anti-discrimination protections, against COVID vaccine mandates, and as a proponent of Donald Trump's false claims that he was cheated in the 2020 presidential election. Hotze is currently under criminal indictment on two charges (unlawful restraint and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon), for his alleged involvement in a private investigation into supposed "voter fraud" that resulted in a private investigator (who was hired by Hotze) attacking and holding an air conditioning repairman at gunpoint.[5]
Career
[edit]In 1976, Hotze graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch with his Doctor of Medicine.[6] He promoted a series of claims with no basis in science, including that taking birth control pills made women "less attractive to men" and that "when men lose their testicles to disease or injury, they have difficulty reading a map, performing math problems and making decisions."[1] In December 2020, Vice described Hotze's medical practice as "hawking 'alternative treatments' for postpartum depression, aging, thyroid problems, and even COVID-19".[6] Hotze has promoted various fringe and pseudoscientific medical claims, such as the existence of "yeast hypersensitivity syndrome"; the use of colloidal silver as a cure for various diseases; and the use of non-standard drugs for hypothyroidism.[1] A seller of hormone therapy products,[7] Hotze gained wealth through a chain of "wellness centers" in Texas.[6] He asserted that his line of bioidentical hormones prevented cancer, a claim that lacks scientific support.[1] Hotze has been a practicing physician since at least 2000, and is based in Katy, Texas.[8]
In a 2005 appearance on the CBS Early Show, Hotze advanced his views about thyroid disorders; in a letter to CBS, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists criticized Hotze's statements as "completely erroneous and unsubstantiated, and ... readily refuted by a large body of solid scientific evidence."[9][3] In 2018, an environmental organization filed suit against Hotze's businesses, alleging that some of its consumer products contained undisclosed quantities of lead; that suit is pending.[3]
Hotze published a book, Hormones, Health and Happiness, through an Austin, Texas vanity press.[1]
Activism
[edit]Hotze has been involved in right-wing activism since at least 1982.[1] His far-right views have sometimes caused friction with fellow Republicans.[5] He has claimed that malpractice lawsuits are "un-Biblical"; supported Houston mayoral candidate Louie Welch who promoted fighting HIV/AIDS by "shoot[ing] the queers";[6] and advocated for greater influence of Christianity upon government.[10] A power broker in Texas Republican circles,[11][12] he is influential among the Texas religious right,[3] and was described by The Texas Tribune in 2020 as "one of most prolific culture warriors on the right in Texas."[11] He has donated to Republican politicians and candidates, including US$12,600 (equivalent to $14,834 in 2023) to U.S. Senator John Cornyn,[11] and is a major ally of Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.[13][14] Hotze hosted a conservative talk radio show on the radio station KSEV beginning in the early 2000s, when the station was co-managed by Patrick;[15][16] Hotze remained on the air until 2011.[15]
In 2013, Hotze brought lawsuits against the Affordable Care Act, asserting that the health-care reform law was unconstitutional; he released two anti-ACA pop-techno music tracks entitled "God Fearing Texans Stop Obamacare" and "Texans Stand Against Obamacare" containing lyrics such as "We will defeat Obama and the socialists" and "Texas should be free again, it should be an independent nation."[15]
Hotze's influence within Republican state and local politics in Texas, wielded in the form of endorsements, fundraising, and donations, may have peaked in the 2002–2013 period, when his ally Jared Woodfill was chairman of the Harris County Republican Party at a time when Republicans dominated the county.[17] In 2016, Hotze was a leading supporter of Woodfill's unsuccessful far-right campaign for chairman of the Texas Republican Party.[7]
Hotze has promoted conspiracy theories such as QAnon[6][3] and has asserted that the COVID-19 pandemic was a "global ritual" to "inject experimental nano bots and chemi-kills into our bodies to alter our DNA using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to turn us into zombie-like, controlled masses and weapons of war."[3]
Anti-LGBT activism
[edit]Hotze has opposed homosexuality since at least 1986, once comparing "LGBT people to Nazis and pledg[ing] to drive 'homofascists' from Houston to San Francisco."[18] As of February 2016[update], Hotze led the Conservative Republicans of Texas; the organization, which describes itself as promoting "constitutional liberties based upon Biblical principles", was designated in 2016 by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-LGBT hate group.[18] Hotze also featured prominently in the defeat of 2015's Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (calling the legislation a "Satanic movement"), and failed in his push for Texas' bathroom bill (2017).[11] In 2016, Hotze likened LGBT people to termites, saying they "eat away at the very moral fabric of the foundation of our country."[3]
The Houston-based Hotze is opposed to the legalization of same-sex marriage.[11] After the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, Hotze spoke at the kick-off for anti-gay marriage organization Real Marriage: One Man/One Woman for Life, saying of same-sex marriage proponents, "They want to intimidate individuals, churches, schools and families to celebrate those that participate in anal sex. That's what they love and enjoy: anal sex. And that's bad, that's evil. It's a terrible thing to try to do and they want to try to teach it to kids in schools, […] Kids will be encouraged to practice sodomy in kindergarten."[2]
Hotze has opposed a section of the Affordable Care Act that mandates insurance providers to cover pre-exposure prophylaxis for the prevention of HIV. His company is the lead plaintiff in Braidwood Management v. Becerra, a suit filed in the Northern District of Texas by a group of conservative Christian employers in opposition to the mandate.[19] In the lawsuit, Hotze claims that he opposes paying for a health insurance plan that covers drugs like Truvada or Descovy "because these drugs facilitate or encourage homosexual behavior, which is contrary to Dr. Hotze’s sincere religious beliefs."[20]
COVID-19 pandemic
[edit]In March 2020, Hotze claimed that coronavirus disease 2019 was an invention of the "deep state" designed to sabotage the presidency of Donald Trump.[6] Hotze later filed at least eight lawsuits challenging public health measures adopted by the State of Texas, Harris County, and the City of Houston to prevent the spread of the virus.[21] In April, he sued Lina Hidalgo, the county judge of Harris County, Texas, for mandating the wearing of face masks.[11] Hotze's request to block the county order was rejected by the court.[22]
In June, he filed suits against Texas Governor Greg Abbott, alleging that contact tracing violated the US Constitution's First Amendment, privacy, Due Process, and Equal Protection provisions,[4] and that the governor's state-wide face mask requirement was unlawful.[11] Hotze also sued Abbott over his executive orders closing nonessential businesses during the pandemic and sued the city of Houston over its decision to bar the Republican Party of Texas from holding an in-person convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center during the pandemic; both of those suits were dismissed.[21]
2020 elections
[edit]In the 2020 elections, Hotze joined Texas Representative Steve Toth, a Harris County Republican, in attempting to have 127,000 Harris County votes rejected for being cast via drive-thru voting (claiming it to be an unlawful expansion of curbside voting). The Supreme Court of Texas rejected the lawsuit, prompting Hotze and Toth to pursue the claim in federal court.[23] That lawsuit was also rejected.[24]
Criminal indictment
[edit]In August 2020, Hotze founded the nonprofit Liberty Center for God and Country (LCGC), and claimed to have donated $75,000 (equivalent to $88,299 in 2023) to the group. The organization baselessly alleged fraud in the 2020 election, and in the six weeks leading up to the 2020 election, LCGC paid nearly $300,000 (equivalent to $353,195 in 2023) to 20 private investigators to probe what they claimed was "the Democrats' massive election fraud scheme in Harris County"; no evidence supports claims of voter fraud.[25][6][26]
Hotze hired Mark Anthony Aguirre as the group's lead investigator; Aguirre had been fired from the Houston Police Department in 2003 after ordering the mass arrest of 300 people in a botched raid on a Kmart parking lot.[25][6][26] Aguirre surveilled an ordinary air-conditioner installer/repairman for days, falsely claiming that the man was part of a vast election fraud scheme and was using his cargo truck to carry "750,000 mail-in ballots fraudulently signed by Hispanic children" (the cargo truck was actually carrying tools and air conditioning equipment). According to police and prosecutors, Aguirre surveilled the repairman for four days, and then—around 5:30 a.m. on October 17, 2020—used his SUV to run the repairman off the road, pretended to be injured, then pointed a gun at the repairman and ordered the man to get on the ground while directing two of his companions to search the repairman's trunk.[25][6][26][16] The incident was one of several tactics used by far-right organizations in an attempt to support Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was barred by fraud.[27]
Aguirre was paid $266,400 by Hotze's group,[26] with most of that sum ($211,400) being paid the day after the incident with the air conditioning repairman.[5] Aguirre was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in December 2020; he pleaded not guilty.[26][25] He was released on $30,000 bail[27] on several conditions, including that he not work for Hotze.[5] After his arrest, Hotze called Aguirre "a very good investigator"; described the charges as "bogus"; and expressed his pride in the operation. Hotze also blamed the Republican Party for not doing it themselves.[25]
In April 2021, Hotze attended a fundraiser on behalf of Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton, as well as businessman Mike Lindell, a prominent Trump ally and 2020 election conspiracy theorist.[5]
In April 2022, Hotze himself was charged in connection with the bizarre 2020 incident with the air conditioning repairman; a Harris County grand jury indicted him on one count of unlawful restraint and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.[5] The air conditioning repairman also fired a civil suit against Hotze and his LCGC group.[27]
In a January 2022 deposition, Hotze said under oath that he lacked any knowledge of surveillance or investigation of the air conditioning repairman.[27] This claim was apparently contradicted by a transcript of a phone call made by Hotze to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Ryan Patrick, on October 17, 2020, two days before the repairman was attacked.[27][16] The phone call was recorded by Patrick, a Trump appointee, and the transcript was made public in May 2022, as part of prosecutors' disclosure of evidence they intend to use against Hotze.[27] In the call, Hotze sought to get federal authorities to stop a white van that he claimed to be moving phony ballots as part of an election rigging scheme, and said that one of his investigators was prepared to confront the repairman himself: "In fact, he told me last night, 'hell ... the guy's gonna have a wreck tomorrow night. I'm going to run into him and I'm gonna make a citizen's arrest.'"[27] Patrick rejected Hotze's request; it is unclear what he did with the recording afterward.[16]
George Floyd protests
[edit]After nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd reached Texas in early June 2020, Hotze called Governor Abbott's office on June 6 and demanded Texas Army National Guard soldiers be sent to Houston with "the order to shoot to kill if any of these son-of-a-bitch people start rioting like they have in Dallas, start tearing down businesses — shoot to kill the son of a bitches. That's the only way you restore order. Kill 'em. Thank you." When The Texas Tribune obtained and published Hotze's message on July 3, Hotze himself shared it on Facebook. Senator Cornyn called it "absolutely disgusting and reprehensible".[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Malisow, Craig (July 21, 2005). "Doctor Nice". Houston Press. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ a b Baddour, Dylan (July 15, 2015). "Houston GOP activist Steven Hotze: 'Kids will be encouraged to practice sodomy in kindergarten'". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications. ISSN 1074-7109. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Will Sommer (December 17, 2020). "How a QAnon-Backing Hormone Doctor Financed 2020's Craziest, Scariest Election Conspiracy". The Daily Beast.
- ^ a b Banks, Gabrielle (June 16, 2020). "Steven Hotze takes on Gov. Abbott and the constitutionality of contact tracing". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications. ISSN 1074-7109. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Zach Despart (April 20, 2022). "GOP megadonor Steven Hotze charged after a bogus election fraud scheme led a former cop to threaten a repairman".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Owen, Tess (December 16, 2020). "The GOP Wellness Tycoon Bankrolling Election Fraud Vigilantism". Vice. ISSN 1077-6788. OCLC 30856250. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
Steve Hotze is Lone Star State culture warrior, Texas GOP power broker, and QAnon conspiracy theorist fighting for whatever the right-wing cause du jour might be.
- ^ a b Christopher Hooks (December 2020). "How Did a Florida Man Become the Face of the Texas Republican Party?". Texas Monthly.
- ^ "Dr. Steven F. Hotze, Family Medicine Doctor in Katy, TX". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ Hillary Profita (October 26, 2005). "'Early Show' Responds To Criticism About Recent Guest". CBS News.
- ^ Bernstein, Alan (October 28, 2000). "Judge: Hotze DWI case just another on docket". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications. ISSN 1074-7109. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Svitek, Patrick (July 3, 2020). "'Kill 'em': Houston GOP powerbroker Steve Hotze left Greg Abbott a voicemail requesting that National Guard 'shoot to kill' rioters". The Texas Tribune. OCLC 465271495. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
Hotze, a staunch critic of Abbott's coronavirus response, left a voicemail with the governor's chief of staff in early June with the incendiary instruction.
- ^ "Report: Texas conservative wanted Guard to 'kill 'em'". Associated Press. July 4, 2020.
- ^ Morgan Smith (April 6, 2014). "Now in Driver's Seat, Patrick Credits Grass Roots". New York Times.
- ^ Mike Ward; Scott Braddock (June 22, 2017). "Listen: Driving past a bad car wreck with serious injuries, without stopping? U.S. Sen. John Cornyn pushes for Obamacare repeal, faces pushback from Texas colleague Ted Cruz". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ a b c Brian Peteritas (May 16, 2013). "Texas GOP Donor Releases Anti-Obamacare Songs". Texas Tribune – via Governing.
- ^ a b c d Dylan McGuinness & St. John Barned-Smith, Hotze discussed plan to cause wreck, make 'citizen's arrest' of A/C repairman, transcript shows, Houston Chronicle (May 6, 2022).
- ^ Andrew Schneider, How Conservative Activist Steven Hotze Became A Harris County Power Broker, Houston Public Media (January 28, 2021).
- ^ a b Wright, John (February 17, 2016). "Texas Conservative Group Makes National Hate Org List". The Texas Observer. Texas Democracy Foundation. ISSN 0040-4519. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ "HIV-prevention drug coverage violated religious rights of employer opposed to 'homosexual behavior,' judge rules".
- ^ "Religious employers need not cover PrEP in their health plans, federal judge rules". September 7, 2022.
- ^ a b Lee, David (July 17, 2020). "Texas High Court Tosses Challenge to Covid Shutdown Orders". Austin, Texas. Courthouse News Service. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Scherer, Jasper (April 27, 2020). "Hotze asks Texas Supreme Court to step in after TRO to block mask mandate denied". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications. ISSN 1074-7109. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ McCullough, Jolie (November 1, 2020). "Texas Supreme Court rejects Republican-led effort to throw out nearly 127,000 Harris County votes". The Texas Tribune. OCLC 465271495. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
A handful of GOP activists and candidates had asked the state's highest civil court to rule Harris County's drive-thru voting locations illegal and invalidate votes that have already been cast. The challenge has also been filed in federal court.
- ^ McCullough, Jolie (November 2, 2020). "Nearly 127,000 Harris County drive-thru votes appear safe after federal judge rejects GOP-led Texas lawsuit". The Texas Tribune. OCLC 465271495. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
The Republican plaintiffs in an appeal asked that drive-thru voting be halted on Election Day, but did not immediately ask again that ballots that have already been cast be tossed out.
- ^ a b c d e Boburg, Shawn; Bennett, Dalton; Satija, Neena; Hoffman, Ken (December 20, 2020). "Ex-cop hits truck thinking it held 750,000 fraudulent ballots, police say. It held air conditioning parts". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Jaclyn Diaz (December 16, 2020). "Ex-Houston Police Officer Charged In Attack Over Bogus Election Fraud Plot". NPR.
- ^ a b c d e f g Shawn Boburg, GOP donor described botched vote fraud probe in recording, prosecutors say, Washington Post (May 6, 2022).