The logo for the Daily Beast's Obsessed website. It reads: 'Obsessed: What to Watch, Binge, See, & Skip'
DAILY BEAST
CrosswordNewsletters
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Obsessed
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Clothing
      • Technology
      • Beauty
      • Home
      • Pets
      • Kitchen
      • Fitness
      • I'm Looking For
      BEST PICKS
      • Best VPNs
      • Best Gaming PCs
      • Best Air Fryers
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      HOMEPAGE
      Tech

      Jacob Wohl Faked Death Threats Against Himself

      RIGHT RICHTER

      One came from a phony account the wingnut provocateur created and ran just before he was banned from Twitter.

      Will Sommer

      Politics Reporter

      Updated May. 08, 2019 6:38PM ET / Published Mar. 13, 2019 11:55AM ET 

      John Middlebrook/Shutterstock

      This story originally appeared in Right Richter, a newsletter by Will Sommer. Subscribe now to see what’s happening in right-wing media from the safety of your inbox.

      Right-wing personality Jacob Wohl appears to have faked death threats against himself and submitted them to police as evidence that he was facing “terroristic threats,” according to newly released documents.

      Wohl and fellow provocateur Laura Loomer went to Minneapolis last month to “investigate” whether their quest to prove that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) married her own brother—a charge based on flimsy blog comments that has been disproven.

      Wohl’s videos to his fans were premised on the idea that Minneapolis is an incredibly dangerous place, and often featured him wearing a bulletproof vest. At one point in a new video about their trip, Wohl goes to a Minneapolis police station to report death threats he says he and his team have received since being in the city.

      NEWSLETTERS
      Right Richter
      See what's happening with the extreme right wing from the safety of your inbox.
      By Clicking "Subscribe" you agree to have read the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

      One of those threats came via direct message from a Twitter account called @Drakehomes612, who described himself as a Minneapolis “diversity coordinator.”

      “I hope you fuckin know that if [I] bump into you in Dinkytown or anywhere else in my city I’m going shoot you and shit on your fucking bodies,” the account wrote to Wohl’s team. “Get that fuck out my city you piece of shit. Now.”

      But @Drakehomes612 isn’t a real account. As journalist Tony Webster first noticed, @Drakehomes612 is one of the fake accounts Wohl created in the run-up to his Twitter ban. A source familiar with Wohl’s fake accounts confirmed to me that @Drakehomes612 was run by Wohl before being deleted by Twitter. That means Wohl was sending himself fake death threats, presumably in an attempt to up the drama during his Minneapolis videos.

      Wohl submitted the faked messages to police as proof that he was facing “terroristic threats” via Twitter. The faked messages threatening to “shit on your fucking bodies” were included in a packet of police documents related to the case issued on Wednesday by the Minneapolis Police Department.

      This isn’t Wohl’s first brush with controversy. In 2017, he became the youngest person to receive a lifetime ban from futures trading. Last year, he was involved in a scheme to smear Special Counsel Robert Mueller with sexual assaults allegations. Months later, the accuser Wohl had lined up told USA Today that Wohl had made all of the allegations up.  

      Loomer, who didn’t go to the police station, said she wasn’t involved in the report. Wohl didn’t respond to requests for comment. But he’s already lost one of his top allies on the right.

      Activist Ali Alexander, who organized Wohl’s trip to Minneapolis and went with him to the police station, posted a video early Wednesday morning trying to distance himself from Wohl. Alexander claims that Wohl showed the faked direct messages to the police.

      In the documentary, Alexander compares Wohl to both Batman and Iron Man. But now, he’s backing away fast, saying Wohl may be a “bad actor.”    

      “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but man, it doesn’t involve me, and I’m pretty excited about that,” Alexander said.

      Alexander went on to suggest that his issue with Wohl isn’t that he lied, but that he did it in a clumsy way.

      “It confirms that he’s not operating at a level where there’s useful misinformation, but kind of stupid, vanity-filled, ego-fueled disinformation,” Alexander said. “And that won’t look good for Jacob.”

      Alexander distanced himself further from Wohl in an interview with The Daily Beast on Wednesday. Alexander, whose name is also on the police report, said he didn’t know whether or not Wohl faked the messages. But he said he’d be happy to work with police if they decide to investigate Wohl.

      “If they do, I can’t wait to cooperate,” Alexander said.

      Will Sommer

      Politics Reporter

      @willsommerWilliam.Sommer@thedailybeast.com

      Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

      READ THIS LIST

      DAILY BEAST
      • Cheat Sheet
      • Politics
      • Entertainment
      • Media
      • World
      • Innovation
      • U.S. News
      • Scouted
      • Travel
      • Subscription
      • Crossword
      • Newsletters
      • Podcasts
      • About
      • Contact
      • Tips
      • Jobs
      • Advertise
      • Help
      • Privacy
      • Code of Ethics & Standards
      • Diversity
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Copyright & Trademark
      • Sitemap
      • Best Picks
      • Coupons
      • Coupons:
      • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
      • HP Coupon Codes
      • Chewy Promo Codes
      • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
      • NordVPN Coupons
      • JCPenny Coupons
      • Nordstrom Coupons
      • Samsung Promo Coupons
      • Home Depot Coupons
      • Hotwire Promo Codes
      • eBay Coupons
      • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
      © 2023 The Daily Beast Company LLC