Jack Burkman
American lobbyist / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jack Burkman (born 1965 or 1966[1]) is an American conspiracy theorist, fraudster, convicted felon and conservative lobbyist.[2][3][4] Burkman and far-right conspiracy theorist Jacob Wohl have allegedly been responsible for multiple unsuccessful plots to frame public figures for fictitious sexual assaults, including in October 2018 against U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, in April 2019 against 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, and in April 2020 against White House Coronavirus Task Force member Anthony Fauci.[5][6][7][8]
Jack Burkman | |
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Born | 1965 or 1966 (age 57–58) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Education | University of Pittsburgh (BA) Georgetown University (MS, JD) |
Occupation | Lobbyist |
Known for | False claims against political figures |
Political party | Republican |
Criminal charges | Telecommunications fraud |
Criminal penalty | Fine, probation, and community service |
In August 2020, Burkman and Wohl made tens of thousands of robocalls to residents of battleground states, in a campaign that prosecutors have alleged intentionally targeted communities of color to spread disinformation in an attempt to suppress voting in the 2020 presidential election. As a result of the campaign, Burkman and Wohl each pleaded guilty to one felony charge of telecommunications fraud in Ohio,[9] were found to have violated federal and state civil rights laws in a civil case in New York,[10] and are facing a criminal suit in Michigan.[11] In June 2023, the Federal Communications Commission imposed a fine of more than $5 million against both Burkman and Wohl over the robocall scheme.[12]
Burkman was also involved in spreading conspiracy theories about the 2016 murder of Seth Rich, and in 2017 Burkman was shot in the buttocks and thigh and hit with a car by a man he had hired to assist him in an independent attempt to solve Rich's murder.[13][14] Burkman drew significant media attention in 2014 for organizing a protest against the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL after the team signed Michael Sam, an openly gay football player, to its practice squad.[15][16][17]
Burkman is the president of the lobbying firm J.M. Burkman & Associates and the head of the conservative organization American Decency.[lower-alpha 1][18][19] He was the host of the Behind the Curtain podcast and radio talk show.[3][20]