Former NBA star Royce White, who played three regular-season games with Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets before heading into politics, has shared conspiracy theories regarding the fires on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
The 32-year-old has demanded an investigation into the blazes, saying that he believes "energy weapons" or "something very military" were the cause of the catastrophic wildfires.
A number of people online have shared unproven conspiracy theories that the destruction was orchestrated by the federal government's directed energy weapons (DEW).
White, who is running for Senate, shared his thoughts on the fires with his 178,000 followers on X, formerly known as Twitter, and said that American citizens should demand "real, transparent and truthful answers."
White is running as a Republican for Senate and has previously shared and has been endorsed by former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
In a monologue video, which has been viewed just over 6,000 times at the time of writing, White starts by saying: "That makes me feel terrible for the people there in Maui, but it's a sign of things to come. And when I say investigate Maui, I say it because regardless of what took place, we, the people should always demand answers.
"We should always demand answers of the people in power in this country. Those are our people. Those are American citizens. I don't care how many miles they are off the coast.
"Those are American citizens and we should demand answers, real, transparent and truthful answers about what took place there."
White shared the theory that "a directed energy weapon or something of that nature, something very military, something very scientific or technologically advanced that took place there."
Continuing with his theme, White said: "Direct energy weapons. I mean, many people don't even know that direct energy weapons exist. They don't even know that direct energy weapons are up and running, up and functional.
"And what's really scary is we think of advanced technology and weapons as a property or as a product that is exclusive to the federal government. Not true. Not the case.
"The private sector and private sector companies that are merchants of the military industrial complex have these types of weapon systems."
We must #InvestigateMaui… The presence of advanced weapons and technology, is reason enough for We The People to demand answers on behalf of our fellow citizens in Hawaii. Anybody who strikes down an investigation is hiding something. I’m running for US Senate in 2024. pic.twitter.com/4zIu2xLm0h
— Royce White 🇺🇸 (@Highway_30) August 17, 2023
Newsweek has contacted White on social media for comment.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), DEWs involve "high energy lasers and other high power electromagnetics" that "use concentrated electromagnetic energy to combat enemy forces and assets."
An April 2023 GAO report has stated that while the Defense Department has spent $1 billion annually on developing these weapons to take down missile and drone threats, the department has had trouble deploying these technologies outside of labs because of a lack of transition planning.
Newsweek also reported earlier this week that some of the devastating wildfires that destroyed much of Maui may have been caused by damage to power lines.
Video footage and electricity grid data have been found to correlate, indicating that the first fire on the island may have begun due to a tree falling onto power lines.
A security camera at the Maui Bird Conservation Center in the eastern region of Upcountry, captured a flash in the woods near the center at around 11 p.m. local time on August 7, followed by a blaze churning out smoke after daybreak.
"I think that is when a tree is falling on a power line," Jennifer Pribble, a senior research coordinator at the center, said in a video posted on Instagram by the Hawaiian Department of Land and Natural Resources. "The power goes out, our generator kicks in, the camera comes back online, and then the forest is on fire."
At the exact same time, 10 sensors in the small town of Makawao, near to the conservation center, recorded a major incident in the power grid, data from Whisker Labs shows. It uses a sensor network to monitor grids across the United States.
"This is strong confirmation—based on real data—that utility grid faults were likely the ignition source for multiple wildfires on Maui," Bob Marshall, the founder and CEO of Whisker Labs, told The Washington Post.
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