Following several articles that alleged CloutHub CEO Jeff Brain played a role in the Capitol riot, the founder is consulting possible legal action against the “dishonest” author.
The original news article, written by Hunter Walker, alleged that a CloutHub group called “Patriot Caravans for 45” had “violent overtones,” despite Brain writing in a post that users should “report anyone posting inappropriate content or discussion of violence.”
According to the article, there were three users who posted in the group that contributed to the violence: “Jaybirdy,” “MrM1A2” and “Teeree.”
Jaybirdy posted about leading a meeting in Arlington, Virginia, MrM1A2 made a reference to a battle tank and Teeree discussed plans to rent a bus.
However, in an interview with Just the News, Brain said that there were “no violent posts in the group” and that the article “mischaracterized completely” the users that were mentioned.
Brain said none of those users posted in the “Patriot Caravans for 45” group or wrote any violent posts, and that the group was used for “peaceful purposes only.”
He added that the story was “completely contrived” and that “they’re trying to ding CloutHub.”
“From the start, [we] have had a clean and responsible platform - no hate, porn or violence.”
“Everyone on our platform knows not to discuss violence. I could show you on Facebook and Twitter where they do discuss violence. Out of thousands of posts, no one talked about the Capitol, guns, violence, or protest or unrest. We’ve worked hard to keep this platform responsible and we’re proud of it because people can have civil conversations.”
In an additional article, Walker claimed that Brain had a “role in the violent attack on the Capitol.”
Brain debunked those claims: “I had no role - I was in California. That was dishonest, he’ll be held liable for that statement.”
Brain said he is “consulting attorneys, and I think we have a very good case, and he should be held accountable for what he puts out there. At least be honest. He should at the very least retract it, it’s a completely fabricated story.”
“We put out statements saying we weren’t involved in any Capitol activity. His wording shows how dishonest his intent was,” he added.
Just the News reached out to Walker for a response, which he posted to Twitter.