11-28-2020
Former Overstock.com CEO claims to have an army of ‘hackers and cyber sleuths’ that can prove Trump won reelection.
The former CEO of Utah-based Overstock.com — an eccentric millionaire who resigned last year after saying he had a romantic relationship with alleged Russian spy Maria Butina at the request of the FBI — said this week that he’s now funding an army of hackers to try to prove that President Donald Trump won reelection.
Patrick Byrne made the claim Tuesday during an interview on One America News, a far-right, pro-Trump cable channel. His accusations that Democrats manipulated the election and stole votes from Trump are unfounded.
Still, he said: “I’ve funded a team of hackers and cybersleuths, other people with odd skills” in an attempt to show otherwise.
Byrne, 57, also spoke about his plans this week on several YouTube shows and podcasts hosted by individuals who promote the QAnon conspiracy theory, which alleges a cabal of elites and liberals are involved in a worldwide child pedophile ring that Trump is fighting. At the center of the conspiracy is an anonymous character known as “Q” who posts cryptic messages online. The FBI has labeled the group a potential domestic terror threat.
“I’m a free agent, and I’m self-funded, and I’m funding this army of various odd people,” Byrne told a QAnon supporter during one podcast later reported on by The Daily Beast. “It’s really going to make a great movie someday.”
Byrne said he’s been concerned since August that the voting machines used in the election were faulty and changed the vote tallies against Trump. And he believes his team of “hackers and crackers” have the proof. That’s partly the same argument that Trump’s team of lawyers has claimed, as well, in calling for a recount.
But the voting machine company has repeatedly denied any malfunctions with the equipment. And there is no evidence that any votes were miscounted or altered as Byrne claims. He did not provide any proof during his interviews.
In an emailed statement Saturday, Byrne added only: “For some months I proudly have been funding a Bad News Bears collection of just the right spooks, lawyers and ethical hackers, patriots all, to reverse engineer, infiltrate, and disrupt this coup.”
A spokesperson for Byrne also included a link to his blog that calls the election “rigged.”
Trump lost the election to President-elect Joe Biden. Recounts in battleground states have reinforced that, as well, and multiple judges have tossed out Trump’s lawsuits as meritless.
Overstock distanced itself from Byrne on Twitter on Saturday night.
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