21 hours Ago
Dinesh D’Souza — the conservative filmmaker behind the widely debunked conspiracy film “2000 Mules” — apologized to a Georgia man accused of ballot fraud during the 2020 election and admitted the documentary relied on “inaccurate information.” The film, released in 2022, became a rallying cry for many conservatives for years, who claimed, without evidence, that the 2020 race was stolen from Donald Trump . Trump himself praised the film, which pointed to cellphone location data filmmakers said suggested ballot “mules” were paid to illegally collect and drop off ballots in key swing states that voted for Joe Biden during that race.
Experts and election official from both parties quickly debunked those claims, but D’Souza vehemently defended his work for years. But he issued a mea culpa over the weekend saying he had recently learned the cell phone evidence didn’t support the “mule” theory. “We recently learned that surveillance videos used in the film may not have actually been correlated with the geolocation data,” D’Souza said.
“I know that the film and my book create the impression that these individuals were mules that had been identified as suspected ballot harvesters ...
” he went on. “While all of these individuals’ images were blurred and unrecognizable, one of the individuals has since come forward publicly and has initiated a lawsuit over the use of his blurred image in the film and the book. I owe this individual, Mark Andrews, an apology.
” D’Souza said if he had known the true nature of the cell phone geolocation data, “I would have clarified this and produced and edited the film differently.” “We operated in good faith and in reliance on True the Vote,” he said. “We continue to have confidence in their work and also in the basic message of ‘2000 Mules.
’” Andrews, with his face blurred out, is seen in the film as he places ballots in a drop box in Georgia. A voiceover by D’Souza says the man is committing a crime, claiming he was depositing “fraudulent votes.” The New York Times notes the state investigated that claim and found Andrews had legally cast ballots for himself and his family at the same address.
The man filed a lawsuit against D’Souza in 2022, which is ongoing. The case claims D’Souza and others named in the suit “knew that their portrayals of Mr. Andrews were lies, as was the entire narrative of ’2000 Mules.
’” “But they have continued to peddle these lies in order to enrich themselves,” lawyers for Andrews wrote, per The Associated Press. The case also notes that video used to promote the film includes unblurred images of Andrews and the license plate on his car. True the Vote, a nonprofit that supplied the cellphone geolocation data, is also named in the suit.
The group said Monday the main points of the film remain “accurate,” but said it had no editorial control over the the documentary’s message. D’Souza said in his statement this month his apology was not related to a settlement or under any “duress ..
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Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. “While I do not believe Mr.
Andrews was ever identified by the film or book, I am sorry for any harm he believes he and his family has suffered as a result of ‘2000 Mules,’” D’Souza said. Related From Our Partner.
