Last July, when Byron Williams was arrested in Oakland after a shootout with police, we learned that he was on his way to attack the offices of the ACLU and the Tides Foundation — two frequent targets of Glenn Beck.

The circumstantial connection of Williams’s violent plans with Glenn Beck’s ugly anti-government rhetoric is now being confirmed beyond doubt, as new interviews with Williams make it very clear that his main sources of inspiration were Glenn Beck, Alex Jones, and David Horowitz: John Hamilton: ‘Progressive Hunter’ Jailhouse Confession: How the Right-Wing Media and Glenn Beck’s Chalkboard Drove Byron Williams to Plot Assassination.

Now, in exclusive interviews and written correspondence with journalist John Hamilton, Williams speaks for himself. He asks Hamilton to be his “media advocate” and repeatedly instructs him to watch specific broadcasts of Beck’s show for information on the conspiracy theory that drove him over the edge: an intricate plot involving Barack Obama, philanthropist George Soros, a Brazilian oil company, and the BP disaster.

Williams also points to other media figures — right-wing propagandist David Horowitz, and Internet conspiracist and repeated Fox News guest Alex Jones — as key sources of information to inspire his “revolution.”

In a separate exchange with Examiner.com’s Ed Walsh, Williams sought to defend Beck from “Obama and the liberals,” whom he said are afraid of Beck “because he often exposes things that are simply forbidden in news.” Williams said that Beck advocates non-violence and that he had already researched the conspiracy theories that informed his alleged plot — before seeing them “confirm[ed]” on Beck’s show.

Similarly, Williams tells Hamilton that “Beck would never say anything about a conspiracy, would never advocate violence. He’ll never do anything… of this nature. But he’ll give you every ounce of evidence that you could possibly need.”

Also see:
Dana Milbank: Conspiracy theorists find validation from Glenn Beck