The world of fake news just got even weirder.
A woman appears to have tried to trick the Washington Post into publishing her claim that Roy Moore—the Republican Alabama Senate candidate who numerous woman have said engaged in sexual misconduct with them when they were teenagers—impregnated her as a teenager before being caught in a lie.
The Post reported on Monday evening that Jamie Phillips approached them about an alleged sexual relationship with Moore in 1992 that eventually led to an abortion when she was 15. During a series of interviews over two weeks, Phillips repeatedly asked reporters what she thought their opinions were about Moore’s candidacy if her story went public.
However, a Post reporter confronted Phillips about inconsistencies in her story and a GoFundMe campaign she launched to raise money to take a new job in New York where she would be combating the “lies and deceit of the” mainstream media. She denied working for any organizations or filming the Post reporter. But on Monday morning, Post reporters saw her walk into the Long Island, New York, offices of Project Veritas, an organization that films undercover videos and has been known to use deceptive editing techniques in an attempt o shame journalists and left-leaning organizations.
Project Veritas’ founder James O’Keefe—who was convicted in 2010 of using a fake identity to enter a federal building—declined to speak with reporters on Monday about Phillips.
On Twitter, however, O’Keefe said “hidden camera footage” regarding the Washington Post would be released “shortly” on Monday evening. He did not specify whether Phillips was involved with the footage.
Hitting export on hidden camera footage into Washington Post shortly. Project Veritas vs Bezos 100mm monopoly. Fasten your seatbelts.
— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 27, 2017
There is nothing journalistic about the videos produced by Project Veritas—as they have violated laws, ethics, and other rules followed by media members in pursuit of stories and are known to include misleading elements that obscure the facts.
Conservative-leaning outlets such as Breitbart have supported Moore despite what numerous women have come forward and said about his actions–including one woman who said he sexually assaulted her when she was 14 and another who accused Moore of attempting to rape her behind a restaurant when she was 16.
You can read more about the Washington Post discovering Phillips’ possible motive here.