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QAnon supporters Allen West surprisingly resigned as chairman of the Texas Republican Party on Friday after less than a year. Later that morning he told WBAP radio that he could challenge GOP Governor Greg Abbott, the Dallas Morning News reported.

West has staged several reincarnations.

He first gained national attention with his successful candidacy for the US House of Representatives in Florida, in which his military history was exposed. West was removed from his command as Lieutenant Colonel in the Army after he orchestrated a mock execution and fired an unloaded pistol at the head of an Iraqi policeman during interrogation.

“Lt. Col. Allen West had been charged with aggravated assault and threats and was court-martialed for his role in interrogating the Iraqi, ”the Seattle Times reported in 2003. He was allowed to retire.

As a far-right GOP congressman, West once said to an audience, “I think there are about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party who are members of the Communist Party.”

A few years after his unsuccessful attempt to be elected for a second term in Congress, West moved to Texas and became chairman of the Texas Republican Party.

“We know that wherever he goes next, he will continue to be a bulwark against progressive socialism and an advocate for the principles of Texas and our American Republic,” reads the Texas GOP website he controls.

Travis County’s GOP chairman blasted west:

It is now clear that @AllenWest’s entire tenure as @ TexasGOP chairman should only do what many suspected: provide him with a platform for his political future, not an opportunity to build the party.

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– Matt Mackowiak (@MattMackowiak) June 4, 2021

“For more than 7 months, our state chairman has been ruthlessly attacking our nationwide officials, gathering with Alex Jones in the governor’s villa, attacking our new spokesman and doing the rhetorical work of the Texas Democrats,” laments Mackowiak.

The executive director of People First Future of the former Obama HUD secretary Julian Castro discovered a few days ago that the QAnon extremist Mike Flynn West had just supported as governor.

Today Mike Flynn advocated: 1) a Myanmar military coup for the US 2) Allen West, a secessionist, for the governor of Texas pic.twitter.com/UvKAuVT5wM

– Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) May 31, 2021

“West said he wasn’t disfellowshipped, Governor Greg Abbott. to challenge, and he has also had tensions with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, ”states the Texas Tribune today. “The state’s Land Commissioner is still an open seat this election season after Acting Commissioner George P. Bush announced that he will be running for the Office of Attorney General.”

When he took office, he gave the state party a new slogan, “We Are the Storm,” which sparked speculation, signaling QAnon, a conspiracy movement identified by the FBI as a domestic terrorism threat. West said the slogan had nothing to do with QAnon.

Last weekend, West made remarks at a conference in Dallas whose organizers have ties to the QAnon movement.

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license