Groypers in the GOP

Nick Fuentes super fan "Optics Respecter" appears to work in Texas Republican politics

It turns out that Texans for Strong Borders might have had ties to Nick Fuentes that far predate its president driving Fuentes to a meeting with conservative consultants in Texas earlier this month.

For obvious reasons, many of Fuentes’ fans (who go by the term “Groypers”) use nicknames to mask their identity — even those who are close to him. A Groyper known as “Optics Respecter” is one example of this. Fuentes has mentioned Optics Respecter numerous times over the years; in a June 2020 episode of America First, Optics sent Fuentes a $100 superchat as congratulations for hitting 100,000 followers. Even with his donors, Fuentes can be curt, but his response to Optics is genuine. “Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate it friend, frendo. Big Optics Respecter. We got to get back in Warzone one of these days,” Fuentes says, referring to the popular video game.

While rumors have circulated for years that TSB founder and President Chris Russo might be Optics Respecter, no one had definitive proof. But an archived tweet and a recording of a Clubhouse chat seem to link Optics Respecter to Chris Russo.

In March 2021, Fuentes ran a Clubhouse, and Optics was a speaker. Here is a video clip of Optics speaking; his account is outlined to indicate he is the one talking.

Optics spoke several times throughout the Clubhouse chat. Here is another cut of his voice:

Even more than that, what are the immigrants that come here today assimilating into? I mean, back then it was assembling, assimilating into exactly roughly an American culture, something that was an authentic culture in the real sense. Nowadays, the immigrants who assimilate the best assimilate into this elite, globalist, you know, Lizard Man culture, that you can hardly even call a culture. It's just, you know, consumerism and neoliberal values. It's, it's not American in any real sense.

To compare, you can listen to an episode of Houston Morning News Russo appeared on earlier this year, or watch part of a speech he gave for The Logbook. In addition, I sent the audio of Optics Respecter to someone personally familiar with Russo, who confirmed the voice behind Optics belonged to Russo.

Optics Respecter’s Twitter was suspended in the purge of accounts accounts affiliated with Fuentes in December 2021, but thousands of his tweets remain up on the Internet archive.

On December 23, 2019, Optics tweeted he was a week and a half away from his 30th birthday. Russo was born January 2, 1990, suggesting the two share a birthday.

While it’s likely understood that anyone who chooses to be closely affiliated with Fuentes would be racist and sexist, here are some of the tweets made by Optics:

”Coal burner” is a derogatory term for women who have had sex with a Black man. And just like Russo himself, Saagar Enjeti was born in Texas.

Russo ignored my attempts to contact him, and has not made any public statements since the meeting earlier this month. Optics’ proximity to Fuentes would, of course, explain Russo’s hiring decisions at Texans for Strong Borders.

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