‘Black Insurrectionist’ Account Behind Fake ‘ABC Whistleblower’ Is a White Guy From Upstate New York: Report
CNN
The Associated Press has uncovered the identity of a fringe figure on Twitter/X who pushed the baseless conspiracy theory that ABC News helped Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of her debate against former President Donald Trump, and he has been misrepresenting himself in more ways than one.
The AP’s Brian Slodysko published a deep dive Friday into the true identity behind so-called “Black Insurrectionist,” a Twitter/X user who helped push the fake story that was shared or promoted by several right-wing figures including billionaire Bill Ackman, Twitter/X owner Elon Musk, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Even when ABC News denied the report was true — and even despite the highly dubious nature of the “documents” that the “Black Insurrectionist” provided, the story reached a wide audience before it was debunked once and for all.
So, who is the person the AP linked to the account that used the handle “Black Insurrectionist – I FOLLOW BACK TRUE PATRIOTS” and used an avatar of a Black soldier? For one thing, he’s not Black. He’s White. His name is Jason G. Palmer, and he lives in Upstate New York. For the story, the AP reviewed “public records, open source data, and interviews with a half-dozen people who interacted closely with Palmer over the past two decades” to paint a more accurate picture of Palmer than the one he was presenting online:
The records and personal accounts offer a portrait of an individual who has repeatedly been accused of defrauding business partners and lenders, has struggled with drug addiction and whose home was raided by the FBI over a decade ago. He also owes more than $6.7 million dollars in back taxes to the state of New York.
The AP was also able to contact Palmer directly:
In emails and phone conversations, Palmer, 51, made a series of seemingly contradictory claims about his involvement with the account, which was deactivated last week several hours after the AP first reached out to Palmer for comment.
He acknowledged in an email that he was involved with the account, but said that he did not create it. He also claimed to have owned it at one point before selling it in April or May to a person who he declined to identify.
“I do not know what is going on with this account,” Palmer wrote in an email last Thursday.
But in an interview on Tuesday he said had been involved in making claims about [Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz] that were posted to the account this month. And he suggested that he worked as a “researcher” with a broader group.
“We did that with big people. National people,” Palmer said. “I have no comment on anything else regarding that.”
Twitter/X also had no comment when asked by the AP.
Another claim that Palmer made was that “the account was primarily operated by a friend of his who is Black. He repeatedly declined to identify who that was, or put the AP in touch with the person.”
The story goes into intricate detail about Palmer’s internet history and describes several business ventures that went sideways, mostly related to real estate. An attorney who was involved with one of the cases against Palmer was privy to his state of mind when it came to politics:
Maureen Bass, a bankruptcy attorney in Rochester, said she wasn’t surprised by Palmer’s connection to an X account spreading conspiracy theories. Bass represented Wells Fargo in a commercial foreclosure case against Palmer and recalled that he once sent her old firm a lengthy email “manifesto” that accused local government officials of conspiring against him.
She described the email to the AP: “It was rambling. He had been a victim of the ‘Axis of Evil.’ Politicians had done things to him, and had taken his assets. So this doesn’t surprise me.”
