The government’s confidential witness in its attempt to put a right-wing meme maker in jail is making stuff up. That seems to be the conclusion reached by both congressional Republicans and a left-wing journalist, Luke O’Brien, who said the witness was “full of it.”
The government is prosecuting Douglass Mackey, also known by the online alias “Ricky Vaughn,” over a 2016 joke tweet urging Hillary Clinton supporters to vote by text message.
Having ignored Mackey during Donald Trump’s entire term in office, the Department of Justice charged him with election interference in the first month of Joe Biden’s presidency.
But the government’s case appears to have a problem — its confidential witness in the case is making bizarre claims about him being the target of a “secret right-wing congressional investigation” that is causing even left-wing journalists to question his credibility.
Two sources close to Republicans on the powerful House Judiciary Committee, which is overseeing most of the investigations into the “disinformation” censorship industry, told Breitbart News that they were not aware of any investigations involving O’Brien.
…but who is so full of it that you have to wonder why anyone would put this fascist on the stand, let alone cut a deal to conceal his identity.
THIS IS NOT A GAME.
— Luke O’Brien (@lukeobrien) March 17, 2023
“Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all except the government’s confidential witness against Ricky Vaughn who keeps telling me that I’m a target of a secret right-wing Congressional investigation designed to persecute and silence journalists, but who is so full of it that you have to wonder why anyone would put this fascist on the stand, let alone cut a deal to conceal his identity.” wrote leftist journalist Luke O’Brien in a series of tweets on March 17.
According to O’Brien, claims about secret congressional inquiries were just the start of the witness’s bizarre behavior.
Nah, CW, I’m not enraged. Honestly admiring your gamesmanship at this late stage. Like I’ve always told you, you’re more troll than human at this point.
— Luke O’Brien (@lukeobrien) March 17, 2023
In followup tweets, O’Brien said the witness had begun “raving online about me and my profession, unable to control himself,” and was “wildly misinterpreting reality.”
Hey, CW, just wondering … do you have to get clearance from your FBI handlers to post childish fan fiction in which you identify as a violent narcissistic Disney character and fantasize about assaulting me?
— Luke O’Brien (@lukeobrien) March 20, 2023
“Just wondering,” said O’Brien, in a tweet directed at the witness. “Do you have to get clearance from your FBI handlers to post childish fan fiction in which you identify as a violent narcissistic Disney character and fantasize about assaulting me?”
If this witness is in any way critical to the case against Mackey, it seems the government may have some problems.
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. He is the author of #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election.