Dirty trick? Tiki torch photo in front of Youngkin bus was put on by anti-Youngkin group

A photo in which five people held tiki torches dressed like white nationalist Unite the Right protestors in front of Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin’s tour bus were not Youngkin supporters, but rather anti-Youngkin demonstrators.

The Lincoln Project, which formed to oppose former President Donald Trump’s re-election, took credit for the incident, and said it was a protest against Youngkin.

Before that announcement, the photo spread across social media with some asserting it was a group of racist Youngkin supporters and others saying it was staged by Youngkin’s opponents.

According to NBC29 reporter Elizabeth Holmes, who shared the photo on Twitter, the demonstrators claimed to be Youngkin supporters, saying “we’re all in for Glenn.”

Jen Goodman, who works in communications for Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe, initially shared the post, calling it “disgusting and disqualifying,” but later deleted the tweet. Glenn Kirschner, an analyst for MSNBC, also shared the photo and urged Virginians not to vote for Youngkin.

These men approached @GlennYoungkin’s bus as it pulled up saying what sounded like, “We’re all in for Glenn.” Here they are standing in front of the bus as his campaign event at Guadalajara started.@NBC29 pic.twitter.com/l681ejyBjc— Elizabeth Holmes (@holmes_reports) October 29, 2021

In a tweet, Youngkin Communications Director Matt Wolking accused the McAuliffe campaign of coordinating with the Lincoln Project to spread disinformation.

“Wait so Terry McAuliffe’s campaign coordinated to promote a hoax perpetrated by a group of grifters who are famous for protecting a pedophile? And I thought their day couldn’t get any worse,” Wolking tweeted.

The McAuliffe campaign vehemently denied any involvement. Virginia Campaign Manager Chris Bolling said the demonstration was “disgusting and distasteful” and urged those involved to apologize.

In a statement, the Lincoln Project asserted they held the protest to condemn both Trump and Youngkin.

“Today’s demonstration was our way of reminding Virginians what happened in Charlottesville four years ago, the Republican Party’s embrace of those values, and Glenn Youngkin’s failure to condemn it,” the statement read. “The Youngkin campaign is enraged by our reminder of Charlottesville for one simple reason: Glenn Youngkin wants Virginians to forget that he is Donald Trump’s candidate.”

Youngkin accepted Trump’s endorsement for governor, but Youngkin has not brought him on the campaign trail.