. Thank you for supporting our journalism. The media intelligence platform Zignal Labs, in an analysis performed at NPR's request, found that misinformation narratives related to vote-by-mail systems alone were mentioned across the media spectrum more than 40 million times since Election Day. Thats an interesting coincidence., Some posts read: So, the explosion just happened to be at the AT&T location where they just so happen to control the cooling system for the super computer and house the dominion voting machines and drives for forensic audit. Oltmann claimed that Coomer said with a laugh on the call that he would make sure Trump didn't win the election. We therefore again respectfully request that EAC investigate and take action to correct this serious issue., Once you add that modem, you are de-certifying it, Skoglund said. The claim: Dominion Voting Systems is tied up in the Nashville bombing, based on the affected AT&T building's ownership and that the cellular company was contracted to audit Dominion's. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. While the voting machines themselves are not designed to be online, the larger voting systems in many states end up there, putting the voting process at risk. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. He was present when the bomb went off, and he perished in the bombing," Cochran said. But now, some state officials worry that the machines may pose a security risk and are pushing to have the modems removed. The same Facebook post also said Dominion voting machines were being audited in the AT&T building that was destroyed by a bomb in Nashville. "Conspiracy theory links false claim of AT&T election audit to bombing, Fact check: Hugo Chvez's family does not own Dominion Voting Systems, Fact check: Dominion voting machines didn't delete votes from Trump, switch them to Biden, Live politics updates: Dominion says it may sue over election conspiracy theories, subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy, Cision PR Newswire archive, July 16, 2018, ", The Tennessean archives, July 23, 2004, ", News Channel 5 Nashville archives, Dec. 18, 2006, ", Email correspondence withJim Greer, a spokesperson for AT&T, Email correspondence with a spokesperson for Dominion Voting Systems. Theres a small percentage of jurisdictions in the country -- a lot of them are in Florida -- who have decided they want to modem unofficial results to the election office, he said. All those. Spokespeople for AT&T and Dominion confirmed to the AP that AT&T had no contract to audit Dominion machines, and no Dominion machines were to be sent to Nashville. The Trump followers believe that the explosion was actually a missile strike aimed at destroying. This is bogus. Generally speaking, the media in those locations are kinda clamoring to get unofficial results as quickly as possible., When asked if the desire for speed was at odds with accuracy and security, Burt said, its not my place to judge that.. But companies that specialize in the subject said it is getting exponentially worse. There is a bomb. The bomb is in this vehicle and will explode." Here are the facts: CLAIM: President-elect Joe Biden's sister is married to Stephen Owens, the co-founder of the private equity firm Staple Street Capital, which owns Dominion Voting Systems . The explosion in the heart of Nashville injured three people and damaged businesses including an AT&T switching center, disrupting mobile, internet and TV services across central Tennessee and parts of four other states (here). Dominion did not respond to numerous requests from NBC News for their sales numbers. Its crazy, the amount of misinformation that you see, Mealy said. Since the 2016 election, Michigan authorized $82 million dollars to upgrade its election systems. It really is. Serious political tensions and fears of COVID-19 have led record-breaking numbers of Americans to vote early this year, either by mail or in person. These are conspiracies manufactured out of whole cloth. The 35 systems Skoglunds team found represent a fraction of total voting systems nationwide, though he believes they only captured a portion of the systems that are or have been online. Both companies have also denied that AT&T held a contract to audit machines from Dominion Voting Systems (other Fact Checks on these claims can be seen here and here ). Coomer oversees product strategy and security for Dominion Voting Systems, the Denver-based company that has suddenly found itself at the center of many of President Trump's false claims about November's election, spread by allies and pro-Trump media. Critics also argue ES&S has mislead jurisdictions into thinking their DS200 tabulators with modems are certified by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a claim they say is grounds for an investigation. https://archive.is/qqjBh Paul E. Singer-Elliott Management, aka "The Vulture", reportedly controls CNN parent, AT&T, as well as Twitter. The three largest voting manufacturing companies Election Systems &Software, Dominion Voting Systems and Hart InterCivic have acknowledged they all put modems in some of their tabulators. Its true that an AT&T-owned building in Nashville was one of many buildings damaged in Fridays. Coomer oversees product strategy and security for Dominion Voting Systems, the Denver-based company that has suddenly found itself at the center of many of President Trump's false claims about. A post on Facebook theorized that the two disasters were connected by a plot to steal the election. There is no evidence to support the claim that the Nashville bombing or City Blue Imaging's fire were connected to election malfeasance, so we rate this claim FALSE. The New York Attorney Generals office said they could not confirm nor deny any investigation. Jake Rollow, director of communications for the Michigan Department of State, said in a statement to NBC News, Even though the results are unofficial, if these unofficial results were disrupted or manipulated, it could still cause confusion on Election Day., "The department will consider the advisory commissions recommendations to improve the security of the process," Rollow continued. Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. The user who created the post did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. While William Kennard serves on Staple Street Capitals board, he is not one of the companys co-founders as these posts claim (here). A Facebook post (here) shared more than a thousand times has falsely claimed: In New York a printing press company, under investigation for printing and shipping fake voting ballots into Pennsylvania, burned to the ground Xmas morning.. causing widespread communications outages. The electronic voting system company accused the television network of spreading lies that Dominion machines were used to rig the 2020 election against Donald Trump. On Nov. 21, a group protested in front of Dominion's Denver headquarters, waving American flags and signs saying "fraud equals arrests." The investigation of the Nashville bombing is ongoing, but the Facebook post is inaccurate and ridiculous. The ATT building in Nashville that was affected by the bomb was owned by Cerebus (sic) Capital. The complicated theory began circulating soon after an RV exploded in downtown Nashville. A Michigan judge ordered the release Monday of an independent forensic audit report of the Dominion Voting Systems machines used in Antrim County, which flipped from a win for Democrat Joe Biden to President Donald Trump after a glitch was discovered and corrected. Its disgusting. He claimed on his podcast that he'd infiltrated a call with Denver-area antifa members that included a man identified as "Eric from Dominion.". The conspiracy theory appears to have originated in a tweet by Lin Wood, an attorney and Trump supporter, who has pushed a number of false election claims. Let's start here: The man behind the Dec. 25 bombing in downtown Nashville, Tenn., died of COVID-19, according to a popular and wrong Facebook post. While a building was destroyed in a blast in Nashville on Christmas Day, and a printing company in New York state caught fire on Christmas Eve and later burned down, neither building held evidence related to the U.S. elections. That is just inviting trouble.. That user did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment, either. The explosion injured three other people and damaged businesses in downtown Nashville, including an AT&T switching center, which resulted in widespread communications outages. View list by county(.pdf) and learn more about each system using the links below. This screengrab is being shared on social media without that context. "It does appear that the intent was more destruction than death," said David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, inan interview on NBC's "Today." The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has dismissed the claim of an election hacking and vote manipulation operation known as Hammer and Scorecard. (here). There is no reason to suppose that it would be likely, or even possible, that these buildings, would be used to audit voting machines. CLAIM: AT&T got a contract to do a forensic audit of Dominion Voting Systems machines and those machines were recently moved to Nashville, Tennessee to the same AT&T building that was damaged in a Christmas morning explosion. These are real, tangible things coming out of these baseless accusations.". But none of this is true. Then Acting Undersecretary for Cybersecurity and Communications at the Department of Homeland Security Jeanette Manfra said those words in 2017, testifying before Congress while she was responsible for the security of the nations voting system. Jim Greer, a spokesperson for AT&T, told USA TODAY the claims are "not true. Social media users have been sharing content online that claims AT&T had a contract to do a forensic audit on Dominion Voting Systems machines and that the Dec. 25 explosion in Nashville,. Breitbart, by Hannah Bleau Original Article. The extent of our relationship is this: In 2009, Smartmatic licensed the use of a Dominion voting machine for use in the Philippines. Select an Infowars smear of Dominion Voting Systems. Kevin Monahan is a producer for the NBC News Investigative Unit. The company put the building back on the market shortly thereafter; MetLife Inc., throughsubsidiary Prefco Fourteen, now owns the building, public records show. Did AT&T Have a Contract to Audit Dominion Voting Systems? Cerberus Capital did briefly own an AT&T building, but the post is wrong about which one. In a Dominion-themed segment, an Infowars host speaking during a November Washington, D.C., rally presaged the January 6 violence by hyping the . The Nashville outlet found . TheBatman-shaped skyscraper was first owned by Prefco XIV, a limited partnership ofPitney Bowes, which bought the building in 1994 for $100.8 million, according to the building's deed. There may not be answers to the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville anytime soon. On Christmas Day, an RV in Nashville, Tennessee, exploded, severelydamaging many of the buildings around it in the explosion. Those modems connect to cell phone networks, which, in turn, are connected to the internet. There's a third company, Clear Ballot Group which is currently under testing by the state of Florida, the official audit review of their software began May 17th, but that is not . Note that aspects of Tennessee law may differ with what is seen on the videos. The three largest voting manufacturing companies Election Systems &Software, Dominion Voting Systems and Hart InterCivic have acknowledged they all put modems in some of their tabulators and scanners. Our mission is to exceed the expectations of our customers, the taxpayers, by operating at the highest levels of accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and accountability in a customer-centered environment. Heres more information on Facebooks fact-checking program: https://www.facebook.com/help/1952307158131536, Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. An executive for a voting machine company that has been the target of conspiracy theories in the aftermath of Donald Trump's 2020 election loss and been baselessly accused of swinging the. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. No available external evidence suggests AT&T was involved in any such audit, either. The voting rights of more than 55,000 formerly incarcerated Minnesotans were restored on Friday, as Gov. The report claims the results of the election in . All rights reserved. ", Both Snopes and AFP reached the same conclusion. Owens, the other co-founder of Staple Street Capital,did not work for Cerberus, despite the post's claim. Next theory: The bombing was an attempt to stop an AT&T audit into Dominion software and cover up election corruption. For election systems to be online, even momentarily, presents a serious problem, according to Appel. It is no longer federally certified. "You may want to read a book some day to learn about my reference to rising like a #phoenix. The post, which has been shared almost 900 times,makes two claims:A buildingdamaged in the Nashville explosion was holding Dominion Voting Systems machines set to be audited, and in New York, the company that burned was under investigation for printing and shipping fake ballots to Pennsylvania. The AT&T building the posts likely refer to was not the one outside which the bomb exploded on Christmas morning. "You can see as theres a line flying in, theres a little bit of a glow and then theres the explosion," a narrator says in the video. The explosion disrupted AT&T wireless and internet services, leading to widespread 911 issues in the Nashville area, The Tennessean reported. "Anthony Warner is the bomber. Fact check: No, Joe Biden's brother-in-law does not own Dominion Voting Systems, Nashville police bodycam footage shows raw moments of chaos before and after explosion, Three firefighters hurt battling three-alarm blaze in Rochester, "Nashville bombing: What we know about downtown explosion on Christmas morning, FBI Memphis Special Agent in Charge Announces Identity of Remains Discovered in Nashville Explosion Site; Multi-Agency Investigation Continues, FBI identifies suspect in Nashville bombing, After devastating fire, City Blue Imaging looks toward future. Hismotive is unknown. Dominion Voting Systems, a company beset by dubious election fraud claims in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, said "human error" was to blame after machines in a Pennsylvania. But election integrity advocates worry the disinformation won't truly begin to recede until political leaders such as Trump stop questioning the election's legitimacy. Authorities still dont know the reason for the Christmas day bombing, but theres no evidence it was election related. All of these businesses were reported to be damaged in the blast (here). One of the co-founders of Staple Street Capital (staplestreetcapital.com/ ), not Staple Street execs, Hootan Yaghoobzadeh, worked at Cerberus prior to starting Staple Street in 2009 (here). Once they had identified such systems, they contacted the relevant election officials and also provided the information to reporter Kim Zetter, who published the findings in Vices Motherboard in August. Coomer said the first barb aimed at him came five days after the election. In an interview with Rochester's ABC 13, City Blue Imagingsales manager John Mealy condemned misinformation about the tragedy and dismissed the claims again. Kevin Skoglund, senior technical advisor at the National Election Defense Coalition. All rights reserved. Dominion representatives havealsodenouncedthe conspiracy theory, calling it another "bizarre lie" with "zero credibility.". Recently, however, there are signs that elections companies, like some election officials, are pushing back against the false accusations. "Very, very interesting.". "Dominion and AT&T have both called on the media and the public to reject the baseless rumors circulating on social media, which suggest without evidence that there was some election-related connection to the Nashville explosion," a spokesperson for Dominion told USA TODAY. Claims that two buildings that were destroyed on Christmas Day were both holding evidence related to the 2020 U.S. presidential election are untrue. The Christmas morning bomb went off on Second Avenue, outside an AT&T transmission building. Copyright 2023 Politifact. Dominion Voting Systems and Election Systems & Software. "Thats an interesting coincidence.". Skoglund said that they identified only one company among the systems they detected on line, ES&S. Three days later, on November 6th, AT&T named William "Bill" E. Kennard Chairman of its Board of Directors. Now the process of counting these votes . Some users seemed to recognize the story as fake, but others didnt. In . "The minute I saw it, it left a big pit in my stomach," he said. Cerberus Capital Management, the firm named in the posts, does not own Dominion, nor does it own the company that does own Dominion, Staple Street Capital. Secretary Hargett is the chief executive officer of the Department of State with oversight of more than 300 employees. Similar claims have already been debunked by Reuters (here). Some on social media have speculated that AT&T was contracted to audit Dominion Voting Systems, an election technology supplier that has become central to false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. AT&T and Verizon and so on try and protect as best they can the security of their phone network from the rest of the internet, but its still part of the internet, Appel explained. The Genesius Times describes itself as the "most reliable source of fake news on the planet" and that it strives "to provide the most up-to-date, accurate fake news on the Internet,", "Nashville explosion a missile strike??" The question is.. Cynthia McFadden is the senior legal and investigative correspondent for NBC News. "Coincidence? Bogus conspiracy theory spreading online claims the Nashville bombing was an attempt to cover up voter fraud. Last week, Dominion filed its fourth defamation lawsuit, this one a $1.6 billion whopper charging that Fox News spread the bogus conspiracy claim in order to boost ratings that plummeted after. But Skogland points to some good news. The RV was parked on Second Avenue in Nashville, outside an AT&Ttransmission building, among other businesses and residences. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. In 2006, Cerberus Capital acquired it, according to a 2006 News Channel 5 Nashville report. Other posts on social media have gone a step further, alleging that Dominion is tied to the bombing through ownership of the affected AT&T building. Federal officials have identified the man believed to be behind the bombing, and they are working to discern a motive. Examples can be seen here , here and here . The bomb was located in a recreational vehicle owned by Warner. 2023 www.statesman.com. The post, which has been shared almost 900 times, makes two claims: A building damaged in the Nashville explosion was holding Dominion Voting Systems machines set to be audited, and in New. The Company offers voting systems and scanning devices, as well as resource planning, training management, quality control . (Photo by James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images). The voting conspiracy theories that have led millions of Republicans to feel as though the election was stolen from them, which are still spreading, have also led to calls for Coomer's head. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. "The loud speaker was to warn people that the bomb was going to go off.. 5:30a on Christmas morning was picked to ensure that nobody was around.. ", More:Nashville police bodycam footage shows raw moments of chaos before and after explosion. The posts on social mediaallege the bombing is tied to Dominion Voting Systems, an election technology supplier that's been central to many right-wing, QAnon-adjacent conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. It also claims the AT&T building that was affected by the bomb is where those machines were being stored. Dominion Voting Systems previously sent OAN letters threatening to sue, accusing the network of spreading the unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that the election-technology company manipulated. The House Committee on Administration held a congressional hearing yesterday which was the first time the heads of the three major vendors, representing at least 80 percent of U.S. voting machines, appeared together for questioning. Before starting Staple Street Capital, Yaghoobzadeh worked as a senior vice president for private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. Last month Dominion filed a $1.6bn defamation suit against Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, accusing it of trying to boost ratings by amplifying the bogus claims. We should be unplugging all of these machines from the internet, Skoglund said. The post provides no links to evidence for their allegations. Then, a plume of smoke rises behind three light poles. In preparing for this November's election, the company gamed out all sorts of worst-case scenarios, but it wasn't on anyone's radar that Dominion and its employees could become the targets of threats. According to Dominion, vote-switching and software malfunction allegations are "all baseless claims" that "have been debunked by election officials, subject matter experts and third-party fact. With unfounded fraud claims swirling, red California county dumps Dominion voting machines. It was an assurance designed to bolster public confidence in the way America votes: Voting machines are not connected to the internet.. That agreement is long over, and they no longer have the . That building is located at 333 Commerce St., roughly a quarter mile from where the bomb went off. The post reads: In Nashville 2 days ago an RV pulled up to a building and over a loud speaker announced to clear the area..the RV then blew up taking half a building with it..oh, minor detail - inside that building were the Dominion voting machines being audited. While the post does not specify which building they believed the machines were held in, a Dominion Voting Systems spokesperson said by email that none of their machines were anywhere in the area of the explosion or were being audited in Nashville that day. Reuters found no evidence that Cerberus Capital Management (www.cerberus.com/) owns Dominion. Spokespersons for both Dominion Voting Systems and AT&T told Reuters by email that claims that Dominion voting machines related to the election were held in the building were untrue. The post was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. While federal investigators are still looking into the bombing, law enforcement officials have said Warner was responsible and died in the blast. "I actually am in fear for my safety," Coomer said recently, speaking by video call from an undisclosed location to Colorado Public Radio. First, QAnon. Posts online claim that the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville was an attempt to cover up election fraud because AT&T was conducting an audit of Dominion Voting Systems machines and that the equipment was recently relocated to the companys building that was damaged in the blast. There is no evidence to support the claim that the explosionin Nashville and fire in Rochester, New York,that occurred around the holidays point toward a broader conspiracy to hide election malfeasance. Rating: False About this rating On Christmas. Did City Blue Imaging Print Voting Ballots, Then Burn Down? The AT&T building in downtown Nashville. These two tech experts also agree on the path forward, saying they are comforted by the fact that most Americans will vote this year on hand-marked paper ballots which are counted by machine and can be recounted by hand if the situation warrants. Heres more information on Facebooks fact-checking program: https://www.facebook.com/help/1952307158131536. By Helen Coster and Jack Queen (Reuters) -A new filing from Dominion Voting Systems became public on Monday, as an April trial approaches in the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit brought by the voting technology company against Fox News over the U.S. cable news giant's coverage of the 2020 presidential election. President Donald Trump's attorney Lin Wood reportedly experienced a series of ups and downs Sunday in a court battle to ensure Georgia elections officials do not wipe Dominion voting machines, and won a temporary restraining order following a night-time Zoom hearing. "I've been threatened more times than I could even count. Heres why:In the wake of theChristmas morning explosion in Nashville, Tenn., a baseless conspiracy theory startedcirculatingonlinethat claims Nashvilles downtown AT&T complex, which was damaged in the blast, had gotten a contract to conduct a "forensic audit" on Dominion Voting Systems machines. Thank you for supporting our journalism.
Hatsune Miku Text Art Copy And Paste,
Champion Homes Lawsuit,
Loudoun County Circuit Court Civil Division,
At4 Rocket Launcher Legal To Own,
Articles D