Catherine Engelbrecht, seen right here in 2015, based the controversial nonprofit True the Vote. A brand new lawsuit alleges that Engelbrecht and True the Vote defamed a small firm that makes software program for election staff.
Anadolu Company/Getty Pictures
conceal caption
toggle caption
Anadolu Company/Getty Pictures
Catherine Engelbrecht, seen right here in 2015, based the controversial nonprofit True the Vote. A brand new lawsuit alleges that Engelbrecht and True the Vote defamed a small firm that makes software program for election staff.
Anadolu Company/Getty Pictures
Konnech, a small Michigan firm that makes election logistics software program, says a “smear marketing campaign” whipped up by the controversial group True the Vote has led to loss of life threats and compelled the corporate’s CEO to go away dwelling in concern for his and his household’s lives. The corporate believes a driving power behind the threats is xenophobia; Konnech’s CEO immigrated to the U.S. from China within the Nineteen Eighties and have become an American citizen in 1997.
Up to now, the manager of a comparatively unknown firm may need chosen to disregard such claims to attempt to deprive them of consideration.
However within the wake of the conspiracy-fueled Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol, and within the period of QAnon and Pizzagate — weird and baseless theories which have contributed to very actual violence — that technique might not be tenable. The expertise of the election know-how firm Dominion Voting Programs, which turned the goal of widespread conspiracy theories concerning the 2020 election, additionally underscored how wild claims might considerably harm an organization’s enterprise.
Just some weeks after accusations in opposition to the corporate first surfaced, Konnech turned to the federal courts and filed a lawsuit. Konnech was “not going to take any possibilities and felt very strongly that it wanted to behave and act shortly,” mentioned Jon Goldberg, an organization spokesperson.
Konnech, which makes scheduling software program for ballot staff, joined a rising variety of election officers and firms which have used defamation legislation to attempt to battle again in opposition to election-related conspiracies.
Dominion Voting Programs, in addition to one other election know-how firm, Smartmatic, have filed a number of lawsuits in opposition to media shops and distinguished Trump-world figures that unfold allegedly defamatory claims about them within the 2020 election. Georgia election staff Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss, the latter of whom testified in entrance of the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, have additionally filed lawsuits alleging that they have been defamed by election conspiracy theories and subjected to “vitriol, threats, and harassment.” A Pennsylvania postal service worker additionally took authorized motion, and alleged that he was falsely accused of manipulating vote-by-mail ballots within the 2020 election. Conspiracy theories concerning the 2020 election have continued to unfold, however there’s some indication that these lawsuits have pushed such claims farther from the mainstream of conservative media and towards the fringes, with some on the self-publishing digital e-newsletter platform Substack.
Konnech’s lawsuit targets True the Vote, which has made a reputation for itself with doubtful claims of widespread voter fraud, together with the movie “2,000 Mules,” and has been more and more linked to QAnon. Konnech claims in its lawsuit that True the Vote and its leaders, Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips, have falsely accused Konnech of orchestrating “a purple Chinese language communist op run in opposition to america” and improperly accessed Konnech’s information.
“I’ll state clearly and unequivocally: neither Eugene Yu nor Konnech are in any means related to the Chinese language Communist Social gathering,” mentioned Goldberg.
In an uncommon transfer, a federal decide agreed to subject a short-term restraining order in opposition to True the Vote, which requires the group to show over “all property and information obtained from Konnech’s protected computer systems,” and blocks True the Vote from “utilizing, disclosing, or exploiting the property and information downloaded from Konnech’s protected computer systems.”
Moreover, Goldberg, the corporate’s spokesperson, advised NPR that the corporate “has been and is working intently with legislation enforcement at a number of ranges relating to True the Vote’s claims.”
The corporate additionally added an “election misinformation advisory” to its web site to attempt to fight “false and malicious claims” from True the Vote.
True the Vote has denied any wrongdoing. “All the pieces we’ve ever mentioned about any of that is true,” mentioned Engelbrecht in a livestream the day the lawsuit was filed. “The allegations made by Konnech are meritless. True the Vote appears to be like ahead to a public dialog about Konnech’s makes an attempt to silence examination of its actions by means of litigation.”
A consultant of True the Vote additionally supplied NPR with a letter despatched to Konnech’s legal professional, which claims that Konnech has made unspecified “inaccuracies and misrepresentations” to the courtroom, and asserts that an unnamed “third get together” first obtained Konnech’s information — not True the Vote.
How the specter of authorized motion affected “2,000 Mules”
Engelbrecht and Phillips beforehand govt produced and supplied the analysis for the extensively debunked election conspiracy idea movie, “2,000 Mules.” And there is some indication that the specter of defamation lawsuits might have slowed the unfold of claims from the movie.
The best-wing provocateur Dinesh D’Souza, who directed “2,000 Mules,” mentioned that he determined to not embody “poll trafficking” allegations in opposition to particular, named organizations within the movie on account of authorized issues. Fox Information has largely prevented protecting the “2,000 Mules,” which D’Souza urged is said to Fox’s concern of litigation.
Final month, the writer of an upcoming e-book model of “2,000 Mules” additionally abruptly recalled copies from bookstores. NPR obtained the recalled model of the e-book, which, in contrast to the movie, makes allegations in opposition to particular nonprofit teams, and accuses them of “organized crime.”
After a type of teams mentioned the e-book’s contents have been utterly false and doubtlessly “libelous,” True the Vote distanced itself from the e-book.
In the meantime, the group has pivoted away from the “2,000 Mules” and towards Konnech.
True the Vote weaves a spy novelesque story
At an occasion in August dubbed “The Pit,” Engelbrecht and Phillips unveiled what they referred to as the “Tiger Venture,” which targeted on Konnech. In interviews with far-right podcasters, Phillips has spun a cloak-and-dagger story that he in comparison with a James Bond film, during which he helped uncover a supposed Chinese language plot to infiltrate American elections.
In Phillips’ telling, he first heard concerning the firm from “my guys” — unnamed “colleagues and buddies” who invited him to their room within the Hilton Anatole lodge in Dallas one late evening in January 2021.
“I get there and so they’re placing towels, rolled up towels, underneath the doorways and you realize, and all my guys are armed,” Phillips mentioned on the podcast “1819 Information.”
Phillips mentioned his colleagues confirmed him private info for 1.8 million American ballot staff, together with “identify, handle, date of delivery, Social Safety quantity, banking info,” which supposedly was held on a server in China.
Konnech maintains that this declare is solely false, and that each one of its information on American clients is saved solely within the U.S.
After seeing this presentation, Phillips claims that he and Engelbrecht introduced Konnech’s information to the FBI, which he claims then labored with them for greater than a yr on a supposed “counterintelligence” operation wanting into Konnech. At one level, Phillips mentioned he had a “secret squirrels” assembly with the FBI in Milwaukee to share info. Finally, nonetheless, the FBI “utterly betrayed us,” Phillips mentioned, and advised True the Vote that they have been themselves underneath scrutiny from legislation enforcement.
True the Vote has not publicly supplied proof to help the declare of a “counterintelligence” operation alongside these strains, nor has NPR discovered any corroboration. The FBI didn’t reply to a request for remark.
True the Vote’s attraction to QAnon
Konnech argues that this wild story is a piece of fiction.
“Konnech is extraordinarily assured within the a number of ranges of safety it employs to guard its clients’ information,” mentioned Goldberg, who famous that Konnech doesn’t even possess info on 1.8 million ballot staff. The true quantity is underneath 250,000, the corporate says. However quite than ignore True the Vote’s claims that they noticed Konnech’s safe information, Goldberg mentioned, Konnech primarily determined to take True the Vote’s claims at face worth. Of their lawsuit, Konnech alleges that True the Vote admitted to violating the Laptop Fraud and Abuse Act by accessing the corporate’s information.
Not less than thus far, the claims in opposition to Konnech haven’t acquired widespread consideration in additional established conservative media. This case nonetheless demonstrates how allegations can unfold by means of fringe on-line networks.
Phillips has particularly inspired followers of the far-right QAnon conspiracy idea — so-called “anons” — to analysis and publish about Konnech.
“These persons are probably the most wonderful patriots that I’ve ever are available in contact with,” Phillips mentioned of QAnon followers. Phillips additionally appeared on an on-line present hosted by QAnon influencers, the place he reiterated his reward of the “anons.” The left-leaning media watchdog group Media Issues documented extra ties between True the Vote and QAnon. In an indication of how QAnon has moved nearer to the mainstream of the Republican Social gathering, former President Donald Trump has repeatedly posted messages from the group’s followers on-line, and featured a QAnon-linked music at a rally over the weekend.
A digital e-newsletter hosted by the web platform Substack has amplified the concept Konnech represents “Chinese language infiltration” of U.S. election methods. A spokesperson for Substack declined NPR’s request for remark.
Former Trump adviser turned podcaster Steve Bannon additional promoted that Substack e-newsletter about Konnech in a publish on the social media community Gettr. A spokesperson for Bannon additionally declined to remark.
The misinformation about Konnech has helped feed on-line harassment and threats in opposition to Konnech’s CEO and his household, Goldberg mentioned.
“May need to e-book flights again to Wuhan earlier than we dangle you till useless!” reads one electronic mail to the CEO cited within the firm’s lawsuit.
One other side of Konnech’s choice to go to courtroom, Goldberg mentioned, concerned the significance of sustaining religion in U.S. elections.
“They’re going through a gaggle that, by means of its personal actions and by spreading falsehoods and misinformation, [is] primarily focusing on the election course of,” mentioned Goldberg.
That sentiment gave the impression to be echoed within the restraining order handed down in Konnech’s defamation case.
Federal Choose Kenneth Hoyt wrote in his order that the proof offered by Konnech confirmed {that a} restraining order “would actually profit the general public’s expectation of integrity within the U.S. election course of.”
