Conspiracies about rigged elections are now believed by millions of people in the United States, and conferences being held across the country that feature prominent figures pushing such theories are one reason why.

It has not been verified by the agencies, and spokespeople for the Justice Department and FBI declined to comment. A US official told CNN on Thursday that Byrne met earlier this year with Justice Department officials and shared with them similar information about a romantic relationship with Butina encouraged by the FBI. 'We are the good guys, we don't work like the bad guys, but we need to ask you to rekindle a romantic relationship with Maria Butina.' But she said she was skeptical about his claim that the bureau later encouraged him to have a "romantic relationship" with Butina. But if the FBI had asked him to have a romantic relationship, "that to me seems incredibly suspect only because there is a lot of legal liability that's involved with that.

Larry French/Getty Images for Clear Channel(CNN) - The outspoken CEO of online home goods retailer Overstock.com resigned Thursday, days after he issued a press release entitled "Comments on Deep State" that claimed he helped the FBI carry out "political espionage." The strange post from longtime Overstock chief Patrick Byrne triggered a steep decline in Overstock's stock price last week. The phrase "Deep State" is used to suggest there is an architecture of government that operates outside the democratic system. But for months Byrne has worked to turn Overstock into a venture focused on blockchain, the technology behind cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Jonathan Johnson, the president of Overstock-owned blockchain company Medici Ventures, will serve as interim CEO.

Efforts to sell the retail business have recently heated up, CEO Patrick Byrne told CNN Business. Bill Baker, an analyst with GARP Research, previously told CNN Business that the retail business could be worth $100 million. Overstock decided to get out of the retail business and into blockchain because blockchain is a rapidly growing opportunity and retail is increasingly competitive and challenging. The crown jewel of Overstock's bitcoin businessIf Overstock is able to sell the retail business, the company would change its name, Byrne said. The crown jewel of Overstock's blockchain business is tZero, which the company spent $150 million building.