Why FBI is investigating Joy Reid’s blog after she says hackers are to blame for homophobic comments
The FBI has reportedly launched a probe into claims that blog account for Joy Reid from 10 years ago was hacked.
After new homophobic posts surfaced this week the popular MSNBC talk show host found herself in the hot seat.
Joy Reid maintains that the horrifying homophobic posts that were recently revealed were the work of a hacker.
And now, according to her lawyer, the FBI is getting involved.
“We have received confirmation the FBI has opened an investigation into potential criminal activities surrounding several online accounts, including personal email and blog accounts, belonging to Joy-Ann Reid,” Reid’s lawyer, John H. Reichman, said in a statement that was provided to The Hollywood Reporter by MSNBC.
“Our own investigation and monitoring of the situation will continue in parallel, and we are cooperating with law enforcement as their investigation proceeds.”
On Tuesday night, a spokeswoman for MSNBC shared documents with CNNMoney, and a statement from security consultant Jonathan Nichols, who said he has “significant evidence” that some of the posts are fake.
Joy Reid came under fire last year for blog posts she had written in the past that many felt contained anti-gay language. The posts were aimed at then-Florida Governor Charlie Crist. In the posts, Reid reportedly called the politician “Miss Charlie” and claimed that he was a closeted gay man, criticizing him for his anti-gay stances in the process.
—Joy-Ann Reid apologizes for ‘insensitive, tone deaf’ anti-gay posts—
Since then more damning posts have been uncovered by left-wing Twitter user (Jamie Maz) that have been criticized as bigoted and vicious toward the gay community.
But Nichols claims he “discovered that login information used to access the blog was available on the Dark Web and that fraudulent entries — featuring offensive statements — were entered with suspicious formatting and time stamps.
—Auntie Maxine Waters to Donald Trump: ‘Please resign’—
Joy-Ann Reid released her own statement to Mediaite after the site shared some of the incendiary material:
“In December I learned that an unknown, external party accessed and manipulated material from my now-defunct blog, The Reid Report, to include offensive and hateful references that are fabricated and run counter to my personal beliefs and ideology.
“I began working with a cyber-security expert who first identified the unauthorized activity, and we notified federal law enforcement officials of the breach. The manipulated material seems to be part of an effort to taint my character with false information by distorting a blog that ended a decade ago.
“Now that the site has been compromised I can state unequivocally that it does not represent the original entries. I hope that whoever corrupted the site recognizes the pain they have caused, not just to me, but to my family and communities that I care deeply about: LGBTQ, immigrants, people of color and other marginalized groups.”
