Right-wing provocateurs reportedly asked men to make false accusations against Pete Buttigieg


Two right-wing agitators have been approaching men and asking them to falsely accuse Pete Buttigieg of sexual assault, a Republican source told The Daily Beast on Monday.
Buttigieg is the openly gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. The source, who asked The Daily Beast not to use his name over fears of retaliation, alleges he was asked last week by Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl to lie and say Buttigieg assaulted him when he was drunk, in an attempt to harm Buttigieg politically. Burkman and Wohl used false names, the man said, but he recognized Wohl, and knowing his history as an online troll, he decided to record their conversation. An audio forensics expert who listened to the recording for The Daily Beast confirmed that Wohl is one of the speakers.
The source, who described himself as a supporter of President Trump, told The Daily Beast that during the meeting he was thinking the scheme was "the Fyre Festival of political operations." He did not agree to participate.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On Monday, a person using the name Hunter Kelly published a post on Medium accusing Buttigieg of sexually assaulting him in February. Wohl's father, David, tweeted a link to the post, and a right-wing conspiracy website quickly did a writeup about it. The Daily Beast tracked down Kelly, who said he has no control over the Medium account or a Twitter account created this month in his name. He then wrote on Facebook that he "was not sexually assaulted and would never falsely accuse anyone," and told The Advocate that Wohl and Burkman had tried to rope him into their scheme Sunday.
Wohl and Burkman did not respond to The Daily Beast's requests for comment. Buttigieg said the false accusation is "not going to throw us. Politics can be ugly sometimes, but you have to face that when you're in presidential politics." Read more about this convoluted tale at The Daily Beast.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Born With Teeth: ‘mischievously provocative’ play starring Ncuti Gatwa
The Week Recommends ‘Sprightly’ production from Liz Duffy Adams imagines the relationship between Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe
-
Prince charming: Harry’s tea with King sparks royal reconciliation rumours
Talking Point Are the royals – and the UK public – ready to welcome the Duke of Sussex back in?
-
Has Israel’s Qatar strike scuppered a ceasefire?
Today’s Big Question Netanyahu ‘gambles’ on ‘overwhelming strength’ rather than diplomacy in attack on Hamas negotiation team in Doha
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants