Ex-CIA agent seeking to crowdfund Twitter acquisition so that she can shut down Donald Trump's account
Former undercover operative Valerie Plame Wilson using GoFundMe to raise cash for ambitious plot to buy social media site in order to evict tweet-happy President
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson is looking to crowdfund enough money to buy Twitter so President Donald Trump can't use it.
Wilson launched the fundraiser last week, tweeting: “If @Twitter executives won't shut down Trump's violence and hate, then it's up to us. #BuyTwitter #BanTrump.” The GoFundMe page for the fundraiser says Trump's tweets “damage the country and put people in harm's way.”
As of Wednesday morning, she had raised less than $6,000 of her $1 billion goal.
In an emailed statement, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the low total shows that the American people like the President's use of Twitter.
“Her ridiculous attempt to shut down his first amendment is the only clear violation and expression of hate and intolerance in this equation,” the statement read.
Wilson wrote on the fundraiser's GoFundMe page that she hopes to raise enough money to buy a controlling interest of Twitter stock. If she doesn't have enough to purchase a majority of shares, she said that she will explore options to buy “a significant stake” and champion the proposal at Twitter's annual shareholder meeting.
If Plame were to hit her $1 billion goal, she'd still fall far short of gaining a controlling interest in the company. As of Wednesday, a majority stake would cost roughly $6 billion. But a $1 billion stake would make her Twitter's largest shareholder and give her a very strong position to exert influence on the company.
Twitter declined to comment Wednesday on Wilson's tweet about seeking to buy the San Francisco-based company.Wilson's identity as a CIA operative was leaked by an official in President George W. Bush's administration in 2003 in an effort to discredit her husband, Joe Wilson, a former diplomat who criticised Bush's decision to invade Iraq. She left the agency in 2005.
AP
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments