Its disgusting. The AT&T buildingon Second Avenueis owned by BellSouth Telecommunications, an operating company of AT&T, according to local records. The same Facebook post also said Dominion voting machines were being audited in the AT&T building that was destroyed by a bomb in Nashville. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Voting rights restored to more than 55,000 Minnesotans under new law It wasn't meant to kill people, but to destroy a building. AT&T got a contract to do forensic audit on Dominion voting machines and those machines were being moved to Nashville this past week, read one post. ", More:Nashville police bodycam footage shows raw moments of chaos before and after explosion. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. And then run the ballots through the machine a few times. The investigation of the Nashville bombing is ongoing, but the Facebook post is inaccurate and ridiculous. "Fuck a drag bill," they wrote in an Instagram post. With unfounded fraud claims swirling, red California county dumps Dominion voting machines. All of these businesses were reported to be damaged in the blast (here). There are currently two voting systems which are certified by the State of Florida's Division of Elections. Jim Greer, a spokesperson for AT&T, told USA TODAY the claims are "not true. Nashville's date on June 7 at GEODIS Park will feature Kelsea Ballerini and BRELAND -- and now, The Boykinz. The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has dismissed the claim of an election hacking and vote manipulation operation known as Hammer and Scorecard. (here). The services and oversight found in the Secretary of State's office reach every department and agency in state government. Once a hacker starts talking to the voting machine through the modem, the hacker cannot just change these unofficial election results, they can hack the software in the voting machine and make it cheat in future elections, he said. (Read more about ourpartnership with Facebook.). "So, the explosion 'just happened . Cerberus Capital did briefly own an AT&T building, but the post is wrong about which one. Dominion was founded in the wake of a different controversy: the failure of punch-card voting machines and their infamous hanging chads in the 2000 election. While the post does not specify which building they believed the machines were held in, a Dominion Voting Systems spokesperson said by email that none of their machines were anywhere in the. One of the largest voting machine suppliers in the U.S. Dominion Voting Systems sued Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, who represented former President Donald Trump, after they . While federal investigators are still looking into the bombing, law enforcement officials have said Warner was responsible and died in the blast. "When we're in the realm of coupling disinformation from both foreign and domestic sources, and government and nongovernment sources, and none of it is really grounded in reality evidence doesn't help much," he said. Note that aspects of Tennessee law may differ with what is seen on the videos. According to the post, that firm ownedthe AT&T building outside of which the Christmas bombing occurred. So did the type of explosives used to detonate the blast. Recently, however, there are signs that elections companies, like some election officials, are pushing back against the false accusations. We can not make our computers perfectly secure," he said. Some of the posts (here) try connect the explosion to Bill Clinton and Barack Obama by claiming that William Kennard, Obamas EU ambassador and Clintons FCC chair, is on AT&Ts board and owns the Nashville AT&T building that was destroyed in the blast. The three largest voting manufacturing companies Election Systems &Software, Dominion Voting Systems and Hart InterCivic have acknowledged they all put modems in some of their tabulators. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. Full text of Commercial and Financial Chronicle : April 6, 1940, Vol Fact check: Debunking conspiracy links between Nashville explosion The post implies that the bombing was an attempt to stop the audit and cover up voter fraud. Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. All rights reserved. 'Online and vulnerable': Experts find nearly three dozen U.S. voting Before starting Staple Street Capital, Yaghoobzadeh worked as a senior vice president for private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. While the investigation is ongoing, the Federal Bureau of Investigation concluded that a man named Anthony Warner was responsible for the bombing and was killed in the blast ( here , here ). David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994 as a creative outgrowth of his wide-ranging interests in a variety of subjects (particularly folklo read more. He has independently become part of the broader Dominion conspiracy theories, though, with some claiming he's Joe Biden's brother-in-law. "I've been threatened more times than I could even count. On Tuesday, Coomer sued the Trump campaign and a number of allies, alleging defamation. . However, the firm cited in that version of the claim Cerberus Capital Management doesnt own Dominion nor is it connected to Staple Street Capital, whichacquired Dominion in 2018. The City of Rochester government and police did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. Dominion Voting Systems lost a sale of more than 1,400 new machines on Wednesday after commissioners for Stark County, Ohio, voted down the purchase against a recommendation from the. Social media users have been sharing content online that claims AT&T had a contract to do a forensic audit on Dominion Voting Systems machines and that the Dec. 25 explosion in Nashville, which damaged an AT&T building, was tied to this audit. Staple Street Capital has a managing director and co-founder named Stephen Owens. The bomb was located in a recreational vehicle owned by Warner. The video, which was posted by a Facebook page called Red Pill Radio on Dec. 28, shows the outline of buildings and a highway in Nashville. An executive at Dominion Voting Systems moved to dismiss Newsmax as a defendant in a defamation lawsuit Friday after reaching a settlement with the right-wing media organization. With the 2020 presidential election only ten months away, Appel and Skoglund believe all modems can and should be removed from election systems. Coomer oversees product strategy and security for Dominion Voting Systems, the Denver-based company that has suddenly found itself at the center of many of President Trump's false claims about. On Christmas Day, an RV in Nashville, Tennessee, exploded, severelydamaging many of the buildings around it in the explosion. And thats not what were about. Thank you for supporting our journalism. Some of Trump's supporters have focused on Coomer as the supposed evil mastermind. "I'm in fear for my family's safety. And I don't know that all these jurisdictions are aware of that because ES&S is advertising otherwise.. Vandoliers Play Tennessee Concert in Dresses to Protest State's New A public relations firmtold the Associated Presson behalf of Dominion that the company "has no connection to AT&T, the building, Nashville, family members of the Bidens or the Clintons, and Staple Street is not owned by Cerberus. The claim implies the explosion was an elaborate plot to destroy voting machines that might have yielded evidence of fraud in the 2020 election. Facebook post:The Nashville bombing was an attempt to stop an AT&T audit into Dominion software and cover up election corruption. We kept hearing from election officials that voting machines were never on the internet, he said. ES&S confirmed they had sold scanners with wireless modems to at least 11 states. The explosion injured three other people and damaged businesses in downtown Nashville, including an AT&T switching center, which resulted in widespread communications outages. Americans should continue to seek information from verifiable, trusted sources, such as law enforcement authorities, Dominion Voting Systems added. Powell is named in Coomer's suit, along with the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. The post was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. IE 11 is not supported. The FBI confirmed that a man named Anthony Warner was responsible for the bombing and was killed in the blast. CLAIM: AT&T got a contract to do a forensic audit of Dominion Voting Systems machines and those machines were recently moved to Nashville, Tennessee to the same AT&T building that was damaged in a Christmas morning explosion. But he has no idea if that will ever be possible. "The minute I saw it, it left a big pit in my stomach," he said. In the weeks following the election, the election technology firm Dominion Voting Systems has been the target of baseless allegations of election fraud, according to the Washington Post.Now a viral Facebook post attempts to connect President-elect Joe Biden to the company by claiming his sister is married to Stephen Owens, who, the post alleges, owns Dominion Voting Systems. As people experience their own individual Internet bubbles, it can be hard to recognize just how much misinformation exists and how the current information ecosystem compares with previous years. We should not connect our voting machines directly to the computer networks. Read more about our fact-checking work here . A post on Facebook theorized that the two disasters were connected by a plot to steal the election. Similar claims have been shared in hundreds of public posts, according to CrowdTangle, a social media insights tool. THE FACTS: As federal officials work to piece together a motive for the blast that rattled downtown Nashville on Christmas morning, social media users have invented their own far-fetched theories. "AT&T got a contract to do forensic audit on Dominion voting machines and those machines were being moved to Nashville this past week," one Dec. 27 post says. The post's creator did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. More:Fact check: No, Joe Biden's brother-in-law does not own Dominion Voting Systems. Dominion Voting Systems which commands more than a third of the voting-machine market without having Washington lobbyists has hired its first, a high-powered firm that includes a. Dominion Voting Systems, a voting machine manufacturer founded in Canada, made equipment that is used in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Posted By: Dreadnought, 2/28/2023 9:52:47 PM Dominion Voting Systems' $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News highlights former House Speaker Paul Ryan's alleged influence over Fox News Channel's (FNC) editorial control, reportedly urging . Breitbart, by Hannah Bleau Original Article. Mike Lindell Says FBI Surrounded Him and Seized His Cellphone Dominion's Defamation Lawsuits Are Still Active - FactCheck.org Its true that an AT&T-owned building in Nashville was one of many buildings damaged in Fridays bombing, causing widespread communications outages. CLAIM: AT&T got a contract to do a forensic audit of Dominion Voting Systems machines and those machines were recently moved to Nashville, Tennessee to the same AT&T building that was damaged in a Christmas morning explosion. A Dec. 14 Facebook video, viewed more than 23,000 times, claimed in its caption that "Trump WON The Election NEW Evidence Shows" because "a forensics report done on Dominion voting machines . Conspiracy theorists say the suicide bombing that rocked downtown Nashville was actually the result of a missile strike. These two tech experts also agree on the path forward, saying they are comforted by the fact that most Americans will vote this year on hand-marked paper ballots which are counted by machine and can be recounted by hand if the situation warrants. "The specific steps taken would depend on the recommendation and the timeline required to make changes effectively.. Other posts on social media have gone a step further, alleging that Dominion is tied to the bombing through ownership of the affected AT&T building. Their evidence: a grainy black-and-white video. No amount of transparency at the county and state level can really combat the sort of megaphone that Trump wields, Kiniry says. A Dominion spokeswoman said other company employees have also gone to more secure locations, been threatened and been digitally stalked. He claimed on his podcast that he'd infiltrated a call with Denver-area antifa members that included a man identified as "Eric from Dominion.". Early Christmas morning, police in Nashville came across an RV parked on Second Avenue, outside an AT&T transmission building, whileresponding to reports of shots fired in the area, Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Don Aaron told The Tennessean that day. The bomb squad was en route. Both companies have also denied that AT&T held a contract to audit machines from Dominion Voting Systems (other Fact Checks on these claims can be seen here and here ). Heres more information on Facebooks fact-checking program: https://www.facebook.com/help/1952307158131536. Thank you for supporting our journalism. Joe Bidens Brother in Law, Steven Owens, is the cofounder of Staple Street Execs along with William Kennard (mentioned above).. Trump has repeatedly made comments about Dominion's voting machines and retweeted reports perpetuating the conspiracy theory, calling the company's voting machines "a disaster all over the . But the company did not account for the new voting centers, so the Williamson County. Posts online claim that the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville was an attempt to cover up election fraud because AT&T was conducting an audit of Dominion Voting Systems machines and that the equipment was recently relocated to the companys building that was damaged in the blast. It is no longer federally certified. More:Neighbor recalls warning, countdown before Nashville explosion. he instructions and videos shown here have been prepared by the manufacturers and are general in nature. Did AT&T Have a Contract to Audit Dominion Voting Systems? That building is located at 333 Commerce St., roughly a quarter mile from where the bomb went off. But companies that specialize in the subject said it is getting exponentially worse. AT&T was not contracted to audit Dominion Voting Systems' machines, and no Dominion machines were being held in the building outside of which the bomb exploded, spokespeople for both AT&T and Dominion confirmed. Earlier this week, Skoglund showed NBC three election systems were still online even after officials had been told they were vulnerable. (Photo by James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images). Immediately, Coomer knew things would blow up. The House Committee on Administration held a congressional hearing yesterday which was the first time the heads of the three major vendors, representing at least 80 percent of U.S. voting machines, appeared together for questioning. Generally speaking, the media in those locations are kinda clamoring to get unofficial results as quickly as possible., When asked if the desire for speed was at odds with accuracy and security, Burt said, its not my place to judge that.. "And I probably will. Last fall, when ES&S gave NBC News an exclusive tour at its headquarters in Omaha, Neb., Chief Executive Officer Tom Burt defended using modems when asked about the Sprint and Verizon modems seen in ES&S's testing area. His top goal right now is pretty simple hoping one day it'll be safe to return home. Three days later, on November 6th, AT&T named William "Bill" E. Kennard Chairman of its Board of Directors. 2023 www.statesman.com. Heres more information on Facebooks fact-checking program: https://www.facebook.com/help/1952307158131536, Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. ", Below the headline is an image that looks like its a picture from a CNN broadcast, with chyron that announces the Nashville bomber "died from COVID.". RUMOR ALERT: Dominion Voting Systems Fraud Claims There is no evidence to support the claim that the explosionin Nashville and fire in Rochester, New York,that occurred around the holidays point toward a broader conspiracy to hide election malfeasance. the post reads. New Dominion filing made public as defamation lawsuit heads to trial Skoglund said that they identified only one company among the systems they detected on line, ES&S. The bomb is in this vehicle and will explode." James Murphy, a spokesperson for MetLife, confirmed the company owns the building. TheBatman-shaped skyscraper was first owned by Prefco XIV, a limited partnership ofPitney Bowes, which bought the building in 1994 for $100.8 million, according to the building's deed. Secretary Hargett is the chief executive officer of the Department of State with oversight of more than 300 employees. However, both AT&T and Dominion have disclaimed the notion that the former company was engaged in audit of the latter, or that any Dominion-related systems were being moved to Nashville in preparation for a "forensic audit" (by anyone). These are real, tangible things coming out of these baseless accusations.". Dominion did not respond to numerous requests from NBC News for their sales numbers. Dominion Voting Systems previously sent OAN letters threatening to sue, accusing the network of spreading the unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that the election-technology company manipulated. Dominion is a company that supplies voting machines in more than two-dozen states, including Ohio. The ATT building in Nashville that was affected by the bomb was owned by Cerebus (sic) Capital. The three largest voting manufacturing companies Election Systems &Software, Dominion Voting Systems and Hart InterCivic have acknowledged they all put modems in some of their tabulators and scanners. Chinese parts, hidden ownership, growing scrutiny: Inside - NBC News A Dominion voting machine in Georgia. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 2023 Tennessee Secretaryof State |Web and Social Media Policies. Dominion Voting Systems hits conservative networks, Trump ally with $1. AT&T had a contract to conduct a forensic audit of Dominion Voting Systems in Nashville just prior to a December 2020 explosion in that city. Dominion provides election equipment and software to 28 states, including many of the swing states on which Trump has focused his post-election ire. The posts on social mediaallege the bombing is tied to Dominion Voting Systems, an election technology supplier that's been central to many right-wing, QAnon-adjacent conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. The post, which has been shared almost 900 times, makes two claims: A building damaged in the Nashville explosion was holding Dominion Voting Systems machines set to be audited, and in New. Whether it's the standard online trolls, voicemails that are left almost on a daily basis, being called a traitor to this country, I can't even begin to describe what effect this has had on my life," he said. Others are not so sure, and the state has set up an advisory committee. The post, which has been shared almost 900 times,makes two claims:A buildingdamaged in the Nashville explosion was holding Dominion Voting Systems machines set to be audited, and in New York, the company that burned was under investigation for printing and shipping fake ballots to Pennsylvania.