A conservative activist in the North Country with ties to Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has a long history of anti-Muslim statements and conspiracy theories on social media, NCPR has learned.

Ava Ashendorff, a long-time Republican donor and organizer from Warren County - and a frequent donor to Stefanik's campaign funds - began forming a new Republican women’s club this year. Stefanik promoted the project on her own Facebook page.

Conspiracy theories, anti-Muslim statements

For at least five years, Ashendorff posted messages on Facebook that often characterized Islam as a violent faith, an ideology whose true nature has been hidden by liberals and the media. She also claimed that former President Barack Obama and other government officials are secretly Muslim.

“Our nation and our government have been infiltrated by people who want to destroy us,” Ashendorff wrote, adding, “It will only get worse.”

Ashendorff ran unsuccessfully for the town of Chester board last year as a Republican and has long been active in conservative circles. Screen captures detailing her history of social media commentary were first sent to North Country Public Radio by a source who describes himself as "anti-Trump" and "a Democrat."

NCPR was able to confirm that as early as 2011, Ashendorff was claiming inaccurately that Barack Obama is a Muslim who in Ashendorff’s words “hates Jews.”

In 2015, Ashendorff posted another inaccurate claim that then-CIA director John Brennan converted to Islam secretly while stationed in Saudi Arabia, a conspiracy theory distributed widely in far-right circles.

Stefanik responds with brief statement

NCPR sent a list of detailed questions to Stefanik's office about her association with Ashendorff and the appropriateness of the Republican activist's statements. Spokesman Tom Flanagin declined to respond to the questions, instead sending a brief statement.

"Questions about social media posts of individual constituents unaffiliated with our office should be directed to those individuals," Flanagin wrote.

Stefanik has argued publicly that America needs a more civil political dialogue and said that she's eager to work in a bipartisan way with Democrats. She and her staff declined to comment on the tone or content of Ashendorff's statements.

Flanagin observed that Stefanik's own "positions on policy are public and well known, including her opposition to President Trump's controversial travel ban." (Read Flanagin's full statement below]

A personal connection?

Since 2014, Ashendorff has donated to Stefanik's political campaigns eleven times, according to Federal election records, with gifts totaling more than $1,200.

In numerous Facebook posts and in public letters written to regional newspapers, Ashendorff suggested a close relationship with Stefanik. She described a dinner she shared with the Stefanik and posted a picture of the two of them together at a fundraising event last year in Glens Falls. “I got to know Elise as a person first,” Ashendorff wrote in a letter to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, indicating that they first met in 2013.

“After spending the evening together, I was convinced that she should run for Congress,” Ashendorff added.

In an email to NCPR, she wrote that she had not discussed her views of Islam or President Obama with Stefanik. "We talk about local matters for District 21 only," Ashendorff said. Asked to clarify her ties to Stefanik, she added that they are "close and personal in a business political sense."

Ashendorff also suggested that NCPR's inquiry was part of a "trick" designed to "make me look like a bad little Republican."

Stefanik's office declined to clarify whether Ashendorff's portrayal of their relationship is accurate. During Stefanik’s first run for office in 2014, the candidate named Ashendorff to sit on her Adirondack Park Advisory Coalition.

Three months ago, Stefanik also posted about Ashendorff on her political campaign’s Facebook page, saying that she was “excited” about a new Republican women’s group that Ashendorff was helping to form. Stefanik urged supporters in April to contact Ashendorff and then provided the activist’s email.

It's unclear whether that group has begun to meet.

Hillary Clinton accused of murder

In her Facebook posts, Ashendorff claimed that President Obama is secretly a Muslim and shared another far right-wing conspiracy theory, that Obama failed to take the presidential oath of office. Ashendorff also shared a video post by another commentator who argued that the terror group ISIS has revealed the true nature of Islam.

"ISIS is Islam," the man claimed. "We are finally seeing Islam without the lipstick." After sharing the man's video, Ashendorff commented, "This man does speak truth."

In her email to NCPR, however, Ashendorff said that she had never made "direct comments" describing Islam as a violent faith. "Terrorists do not speak for the peaceful religion of Islam," she said. "However most terrorists are of the Muslim faith. That is a proven statistic."

North Country Public Radio could find no evidence or data to support the assertion that "most terrorists" are worshippers of Islam. Some studies appear to show that Muslim terrorism represents a small risk to the American public that may be over-reported.

Click here for more context about Islam and terrorism, from a Pew study published last week.

In a separate 2015 post, Ashendorff described the American people as “stupid” for voting twice for Obama and she claimed that during Obama’s tenure, ISIS established itself in fifteen US states. That claim echoes a propaganda statement issued by ISIS, which no US intelligence or law enforcement agency has confirmed.

Ashendorff also suggests that former New York Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton may be guilty of murderer, suggesting a link between Clinton and the death of a Democratic National Committee staffer last year.

In her email to NCPR, Ashendorff wrote, "Don't you find it even remotely odd that so many have died under both Clinton administrations? Have you reviewed the list? I never made that direct correlation but stand by my statement that it's odd!"

Full statement from Rep. Stefanik's office

"Congresswoman Stefanik has encouraged women in our district to join the local chapter of the New York State Federation of Republican Women as part of her efforts to increase civic engagement in our community. The Congresswoman's positions on policy are public and well known, including her opposition to President Trump's controversial travel ban. Questions about social media posts of individual constituents unaffiliated with our office should be directed to those individuals." - Tom Flanagin, on behalf of Rep. Stefanik