A transgender military pilot is suing after MAGA falsely blamed her for the Washington, D.C., air crash that killed 67 people in January, The New York Times reported.
In a defamation lawsuit filed Wednesday, Black Hawk pilot Jo Ellis, 35, accused right-wing influencer Matt Wallace of defaming her by falsely claiming that she intentionally collided with a commercial airliner—and died in the crash.
Wallace tweeted to his 2.3 million followers that Ellis had committed a “trans terrorist attack” because of “depression” and “gender dysphoria.”
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On Jan. 29, a military Black Hawk collided with an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, that was landing at Washington Reagan National Airport.
According to court filings, Wallace’s allegations brought a storm of death threats and harassment on Ellis, her family, and friends, forcing her to post a “proof of life” video on Facebook denying any involvement in the crash.
Ellis said Wallace attempted to “correct” the false information and shift blame by “making excuses for creating viral lies.” Ellis said her life had been “turned upside-down at that point,” and the damage was done nonetheless.
President Donald Trump’s rhetoric blaming the military’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts for the crash fueled anti-trans panic and led Wallace and his MAGA minions to brand Ellis a “trans terrorist.”
The blowback was used to bolster Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order barring transgender people from military service.
“This policy is inconsistent with the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals with gender dysphoria,” the order stated. “This policy is also inconsistent with shifting pronoun usage or use of pronouns that inaccurately reflect an individual’s sex.”
Amid the misplaced blame, Ellis told The Guardian that she was forced to hire private security and carry a loaded firearm.
“Forever on, I’m known as ‘that trans terrorist,‘” said Ellis, who is seeking unspecified damages. The Equality Legal Action Fund, a group of mostly volunteer lawyers who defend LGBTQ people against defamation and harassment, is bringing the lawsuit on her behalf.
“I believe in free speech, but I also believe in consequences to free speech,” Ellis said. “If you can stir up a mob because you say something that’s not true, that’s your right. But once the mob comes after someone, you’ve got to have some consequences.”
The Daily Beast contacted Wallace for comment on the lawsuit but did not receive a reply.
