An attempt to discredit in advance reporting about a sexual assault accusation against special counsel Robert Mueller appears to rely on two well-known conspiracy theorists, Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, according to media reports and publicly available information about domain name registration, phone numbers, and other identifying details. Mueller is leading an independent investigation for the Justice Department into whether Russia used undue influence in the 2016 presidential election.
After the special counsel office’s spokesman Peter Carr told CNBC the morning of Oct. 30 that it had referred “false claims” about Mueller to the FBI for investigation, several media outlets reported that they had received emails over the past few weeks from a woman who claimed that Burkman, a Republican lobbyist, had offered her more than $20,000 to claim the special counsel had committed workplace harassment and engaged in sexual misconduct.
These emails appear to be part of a baroque approach—pioneered by far-right activist James O’Keefe—to discredit reporting by enticing media outlets into using an unreliable source, and then expose its journalists for promulgating “fake news” for buying into it.
In this case, the sender of the emails accusing Burkman appears to be a fabricated persona. Several media outlets attempted unsuccessfully to verify her identity or speak to her by phone, which she declined in all cases.
Burkman said this morning he would hold a press conference on Nov. 1 presenting “the first” person accusing Mueller of sexual assault. Earlier, he had discussed on his Facebook page that he was investigating misconduct allegations against Mueller.
Previously, Burkman shopped around several theories about the murder of Seth Rich. (Washington, D.C., police say Rich, a former staffer at the Democratic National Committee, was killed in a robbery. But his death continues to spark theories of Democratic misdeeds that lack supporting evidence.) In Nov. 2017, Burkman held a press conference to present a client who would expose harassment by a sitting member of Congress, but the person never appeared.
The Hill Reporter received the emails accusing Burkman over the $20,000 payment. When the Reporter contacted Burkman, he declined to discuss his investigation with the site. And when reporter Ed Krassenstein asked about Surefire Intelligence, Burkman said it was run by Jacob Wohl. Wohl is a right-wing online personality, who writes for the far-right conspiracy site The Gateway Pundit.
Someone using a Surefire Intelligence email on Oct. 22 contacted Jennifer Taub, a law professor at Vermont Law School, seemingly searching for improprieties by Mueller in past dealings and offering payment. Taub told the Atlantic that she had never had any contact with Mueller, and reported the emails to Mueller’s office.