The New York Sun reported yesterday that Denver mayoral candidate Mike Johnston is a member of Yale’s Skull and Bones club, a secret society whose exclusive membership consists of the elite scions of industry and politics.
Membership in secret societies has long been part and parcel of American politics. Many of the so-called “founding fathers” — George Washington, Ben Franklin, Paul Revere, John Hancock, John Marshall and others — were Freemasons, members of the fraternal organization that traces its origins to the end of the 13th century. Masonry’s elite membership and ties to the Knights Templar and gnosticism — the early Christian heresy which continues to inspire modern occult practices — have made it fodder for a variety of conspiracy theories, from John F. Kennedy assassination to the moon landing to the 9/11 attacks, Masons have been present for a wide variety of notable socio-political events.
Recently, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s trips to Bohemian Grove were reported by ProPublica. Bohemian Grove, a resort in California where wealthy and powerful men — Yale Bonesman George H.W. Bush, Council for National Policy member Joseph Coors, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, among others — take part in bizarre psychodramas in front of a giant owl statue.
With the prevalence of secret societies in American politics, it is not exactly surprising that the race for chief executive of America’s 19th largest city would include a Bonesman, even in a race featuring progressive candidates. Secret societies are one of the few remaining areas of bipartisan agreement. In 2015, while serving as California Attorney General, Vice President Kamala Harris’ (D) aide was arrested for impersonating a police officer, for allegedly serving in a leadership role in an extrajudicial Masonic Fraternal Police Department that claimed to be descended from the Baphomet-worshiping Knights Templar.
Like many of the secret societies patronized by the ruling class, Yale’s Skull and Bones has its share of occult references. New members are given secret names, some are traditional and passed on to successive generations of Bonesmen. According to a 2000 article from The Atlantic, the name “Long Devil” is assigned to the tallest member; Boaz (the pillars from Solomon’s Temple, Boaz and Jachin, feature prominently in Masonic rituals) goes to any member who is a varsity football captain. American magazine magnate Henry Luce was Baal, a reference to the Old Testament demon, and the name Magog, another Old Testament reference, is given to the Bonesman with the most sexual experience, and Gog goes to the new member with the least sexual experience. Presidents William Howard Taft and George H.W. Bush were Magogs.
The Bush family’s involvement in Skull and Bones stretches back generations. According to legend, in 1918 Prescott Bush stole the skull of Apache leader Geronimo from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and brought it back to Yale. A 2009 lawsuit from Geronimo’s descendants sought the return of the remains and other cultural items, but the lawsuit was dismissed in 2010.
Many conspiracy theories involving secret societies also discuss the involvement of wealthy elites in Satanic pedophile rings. According to reporting from Denverite, Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, has contributed $779,804 as of March to an independent expenditure committee supporting Johnston, called Advancing Denver. In 2019, Hoffman was connected to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein through their shared fundraising for the MIT Media Lab. According to Axios, Hoffman invited Epstein to a dinner in 2015 that included Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Hoffman told Axios the interactions were limited and he apologized for the connection.
Johnston, who graduated from Yale in 1997, is facing a runoff election for Denver Mayor against Kelly Brough in June. Johnston and Brough will take part in “In the Hot Seat: A Hot Ones Denver Mayoral Forum” on May 22, where they will eat increasingly spicy hot wings and answer questions.
The Johnston campaign did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
