Emerald Robinson, Newsmax White House reporter, reports from the White House in March 2020. Newsmax/YouTube
Newsmax's White House reporter Emerald Robinson wrote a bizarre conspiracy theory.
Tweet falsely claimed that COVID-19 vaccine contained a "bioluminescent mark" to track people.
Robinson was quickly discredited by the network.
Right-wing news network Newsmax disassociated itself from one its top reporters on Thursday, after she tweeted a bizarre claim about COVID-19's vaccine. She claimed that it contained a bioluminescent marker which allows tracking.
Emerald Robinson, the White House correspondent for Network America, tweeted that "Dear Christians": "Dear Christians! The vaccines contain a bioluminescent marker named LUCIFERASE to allow you to be tracked. To see the end, read the New Testament's last book.
She was retweeting a claim that the Moderna COVID vaccine contained the substance.
Although the tweet was removed for violating Twitter's rules and Justin Baragona, Daily Beast media reporter, captured a screenshot.
Newsweek reported that Robinson was temporarily suspended from Twitter in protest of the violation.
Insider reached out to Newsmax for comment but they did not respond immediately. According to The Hill, Elliot Jacobson, CEO of Newsmax, stated that the network believes COVID-19 vaccines "are overarchingly safe, effective, and in good faith."
Newsmax found no evidence that bioluminescent substances were present in COVID-19 vaccines.
A spokesperson for Newsmax told The Hill that "so many false claims have never been reported by Newsmax."
Reuters reported that the chemical luciferin and the enzyme luciferase produce bioluminescence after they react. This was based on a May report fact-checking online claims regarding the substance's inclusion in Moderna's vaccine.
Luciferase was used in some research to improve COVID-19 treatment and testing, but it is not on any of the approved COVID-19 vaccinations' ingredient lists, according to the agency.
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These chemicals are popular in anti-vaxxer conspiracy theories that falsely claim that the COVID-19 vaccination is intended to track people.
These substances' satanic names - which derive from the Latin "lucifer," meaning light-bearing - could also be why conspiracy theorists in Christianity are so keen to find out about them.
Conservative Christian Dr Sherritenny was identified by the Center for Countering Digital Hate as one of the 12 most responsible for spreading anti-vaxxer material via Facebook. She shared a long video on luciferase to her Telegram followers in June.
Robinson is not the only one to share anti-vax talk points with conservative Christian slants on Twitter. She also called vaccine mandates the "Mark of the Beast" in October.
This is the second Newsmax controversy this week. Insider's Natalie Musumeci, Jacob Shamsian, and Jacob Shamsian reported earlier this week that Smartmatic, a voting technology company, is suing the company.
Smartmatic claims that both outlets have defamed it by spreading conspiracy theories about the company's work in the administration of the 2020 presidential election.
Business Insider has the original article.
