FACT CHECK: Is Alleged Bomber Cesar Sayoc A Registered Democrat?
UPDATE: After publication of this fact check, the Florida Secretary of State’s office confirmed that it has no record of any previous voter registration or changes in party affiliation for Sayoc. The article has been updated to include that information.
Laura Loomer, a conservative activist who has worked for Project Veritas and right-wing media outlet The Rebel, said in a tweet that Cesar Sayoc Jr., who allegedly sent potential pipe bombs to Democratic figures, is a registered Democrat.
The media is reporting that #CesarSayoc is a Registered Republican.
Documentation actually shows he is a registered DEMOCRAT!
More lies from the media. pic.twitter.com/nssqEhuwAX
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) October 26, 2018
“The media is reporting that #CesarSayoc is a Registered Republican. Documentation actually shows he is a registered DEMOCRAT! More lies from the media,” Loomer tweeted Friday.
Many other laypeople on Twitter also claimed that Sayoc is a registered Democrat.
Verdict: False
Records show that Sayoc registered as a Republican in March 2016. The Florida Secretary of State’s office has no record of any previous voter registration or changes in party affiliation.
Fact Check:
Law enforcement arrested Sayoc in Florida Friday in connection with over a dozen suspicious packages containing what appeared to be pipe bombs sent to CNN headquarters, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama and other Democratic figures. He faces five federal charges and up to 48 years in prison if convicted.
Some people on social media theorized that the packages were a “false flag” operation – sent by Democrats to other Democrats in order to make Republicans look bad before the midterm elections.
Sayoc’s record on Nexis shows that he registered as a Republican in Florida on March 4, 2016. He frequently posted in support of President Donald Trump and criticized Democrats on social media.
Loomer and others pointed to Sayoc’s profile on MyLife, a website that collects information like addresses, birthdays and other public records on adults in the U.S., to back up the claim that he is a registered Democrat.
MyLife listed Sayoc’s party affiliation as the “Democrat Party” as of 3:59 p.m. GMT on Friday, or 11:59 a.m. EST, an archived version of the web page shows. One minute later, it showed his party affiliation was the Republican Party.
It is not clear whether Sayoc’s “Democrat Party” listing was created by MyLife or another user. The company did not respond to a request for comment.
MyLife allows anyone to change public information for a person’s listed political party, ethnicity, religion, income, work history and more. After Sayoc’s arrest, people also edited his profile to say that he worked for the Democratic National Committee and billionaire George Soros and changed his listed religion to “Scientologist” and “Jewish.”
Sayoc is not the only victim of false information on MyLife. The site said that Obama is a member of the Republican Party as of Oct. 27.
ConsumerAffairs reviews for MyLife allege that the website lists incorrect information and that it displays personal information without consent.
Loomer did not respond to a request for comment, but she replied to a correction of her tweet from Daily Caller News Foundation reporter Joe Simonson with skepticism. “He could like Trump but have been a Democrat is [sic] the past. Lots of Democrats changed party affiliation in 2016,” she said. “He clearly changed his registration.”
Nexis does not list any additional party registrations for Sayoc. The Florida Secretary of State’s office told TheDCNF in an email that it has no record Sayoc switched parties from Democrat to Republican.
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