Accused Vermont Shooter Has Conspiratorial History
Jason J. Eaton, the man accused of shooting three men of Palestinian descent in Vermont on Saturday, has shared conspiracies on social media and founded an organization based on the writings of a right-wing, anti-government-spending author, social media and public reports appear to show.
Authorities charged Eaton, 48, with 聽of second-degree attempted murder following his arrest on Sunday. The shooting occurred outside his apartment building near the University of Vermont campus, 聽to the Associated Press. His attorney entered a plea of not guilty on Monday. Hatewatch was not immediately able to locate contact information for Eaton鈥檚 attorney.
The shooting comes amid a wave of heightened Islamophobia and anti-Arab聽hate. The surge came after Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing roughly 1,200 soldiers, police and civilians, and Israel鈥檚 ensuing war on the besieged Gaza Strip which has killed over 14,000 people, largely civilians, according to .
The Justice Department is investigating whether the shooting is a hate crime, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday.
Conspiratorial initiative
The Daily Beast first 聽that a 2004 article from The Portsmouth Herald, a local newspaper in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, named Eaton as the president of Middlebury Solari. According to the article, Catherine Austin Fitts, a right-wing author who regularly writes and produces videos alleging that U.S. government agencies engage in shadowy fundraising and spending, founded Solari. Solari鈥檚 strategy was to assist 鈥渓ocal communities in developing 鈥榩lace-based鈥� investment strategies built on buying shares of and patronizing locally owned businesses,鈥� the article reported.
Eaton told The Portsmouth Herald that the 鈥渋dea is about taking back the money and power that consumers have ceded to multinational corporations.鈥�
Around that time, Eaton produced studies that made broad allegations regarding government spending. In a 2004 聽published by World Affairs: The Journal of International Issues, Fitts and co-author Chris Sanders argued that 鈥減ublic institutions have been infiltrated and taken over by shadowy groups in the service of powerful private and vested interests, often at the expense of the common good.鈥� The report further claimed, 鈥渢hat a very large proportion of the nation鈥檚 wealth is being illegally diverted 鈥� into secret, unaccountable channels.鈥�
It is unclear what type of organization Middlebury Solari was, or if it still exists. Hatewatch was unable to find it in Vermont鈥檚 business entity database. A Middlebury Solari 聽makes similar arguments to those in the Portsmouth Herald article.
It is unclear if Fitts and Eaton worked together. The Solari webpage introduced Middlebury Solari in a presentation that dates back to 2003.
More recently, Fitts has ventured into conspiratorial claims about COVID-19. Anti-lockdown conspiracy theorists interviewed Fitts for 鈥淧lant Lockdown,鈥� a viral video laden with false claims about the COVID-19 pandemic. The Washington Post that Fitts claimed in the video that a 鈥渃ommittee that runs the world鈥� called 鈥淢r. Global鈥� planned to use mind control to enslave humanity. 鈥淪he also falsely claims the coronavirus vaccine is 鈥榝ull of these mystery ingredients鈥� and will 鈥榤odify your DNA and for all we know make you infertile,鈥欌�� according to the paper.
Fitts鈥� writing does not encourage violence.
Fitts did not respond to a request for comment.
Social media
Vice News first 聽on Eaton鈥檚 now-locked X profile. An archived version of Eaton鈥檚 X profile from 2022 shows he shared conspiratorial posts about the COVID-19 vaccine and former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Antony Fauci.
Vice News reported that Eaton expressed support for both Republican and Democratic candidates.
Eaton鈥檚 social media, including LinkedIn and X, feature Libertarian-themed posts. In 2021, he shared on LinkedIn a link to the Libertarian Party鈥檚聽website with the caption 鈥淚nner Party got you down? #1984 鈥� Find another party.鈥�
鈥�1984鈥� is a reference to the George Orwell novel which features a dystopian, authoritarian government.
Eaton鈥檚 now-locked X profile has a banner which reads: 鈥淟ibertarians want trans furrys (sic) to be able to protect their cannabis farms with unregistered machine guns.鈥�
However, Eaton has no connection to the Vermont Libertarian Party (VTLP), according to Party Chair Olga M. Mardach-Duclerc.
She told Hatewatch she has 鈥渘o recollection of the name鈥� and that Eaton is 鈥渃ertainly not an active member.鈥�
Mardach-Duclerc searched VTLP鈥檚 databases and said no one 鈥渂y that name鈥� appeared on their rolls or mailing lists.
