Superstorm Sandy Rumors Cost Congressional Campaign Manager His Job

[trailmonkee]

Source: abc news

The congressional campaign manager who confessed to spreading falsehoods on Twitter during Hurricane Sandy has resigned from Christopher Wright’s New York City congressional campaign.

Shashank Tripathi, under the guise of his Twitter handle @ComfortablySmug, sent out several pieces of misinformation during the worst of the storm Monday.

He is being blamed for spreading the now-widely debunked rumor that the New York Stock Exchange trading floor had been flooded with 3 feet of standing. The rumor was eventually picked up by CNN and New York Magazine until NYSE officials shot it down.
In a message on his Twitter account late Tuesday, Tripathi apologized and offered his resignation on Wright’s House campaign for the 12th congressional district.

Tripathi was first ousted by BuzzFeed.

“I wish to offer the people of New York a sincere, humble and unconditional apology,” Tripathi wrote. “During a natural disaster that threatened the entire city, I made a series of irresponsible and inaccurate tweets.”

Other rumors included a false report that power would be shut down in all off Manhattan and that the New York subway would be closed for the entire week.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/superstorm-sandy-rumors-cost-congressional-campaign-manager-his-job/

[lastlib]

1. Hanging's too good for the evil basturd.

[FrodosPet]

36. Did people DIE from his stupidity?

As someone who is opposed to capital punishment even for the most vile murderers, I am not about to support the execution of someone who's crime is being a smug moron.

Lawsuits? Hell yeah! Jail? Maybe, but that is pushing it considering the fact that some people who have specifically and deliberately injured people walking free.

Death because he fooled a bunch of Twits who did not have the sense to VERIFY his information? No absolutely not.

[lastlib]

38. Take ur meds, dude. Calm down. Chill.

Nobody's gonna lynch him.

[BlueToTheBone]

2. Now if only his candidate will lose too.

btw and ot...is that a Tibetan Prayer Flag in your sig line?

[barbtries]

3. he might have been right

about the subway?

what a terrible thing to do in the middle of a catastrophic event.

[gateley]

4. Yay, BuzzFeed!

[peacebird]

5. I think he should face criminal charges (screaming fire in a crowded theater comes to mind)

The power was out and many folks were depending on twitter for news of the storm.

[SoapBox]

22. Agreed.

[Tribalceltic]

28. I also agree. nt

[Marrah_G]

32. I don't

He fucked up and twitter something that he didn't verify first. He's lost his job.

Twitter is not news, twitter is not the government, anyone can say anything on twitter at any time.

If you are believing everything you read on twitter, I think perhaps you might want to revisit the wisdom of that.

[FrodosPet]

37. This!

WTF is up with people?

Remember folks, A) you don't have to be a cynic to be a skeptic, and B) Breaking news is usually broken.

[Berlum]

6. Sick, sick, sick Republican "values"

Republicans are a shameful lot of entities...

[Iggo]

7. But that pic of a shark swimming down the main drag is real, right?

[deutsey]

8. Why the hell would someone do that?

[Monk06]

34. To create panic and confusion in order to make the Dem candidate look ineffectual.

[deutsey]

40. Yeah, I guess I'm plagued with a sense of decency and humanity

that goes beyond political bullshit.

What a jerk that guy is.

[valerief]

9. Why?????? I don't understand why he'd do this, unless he's 12 years old.

on edit:
Oh, I see he's Republican. That explains it.

[SCVDem]

10. Terrorism

Let's call it what it is.

Were people terrified as a result of his actions? Yes!

Call Homeland Security!

[Ino]

11. So, ABC News didn't think to mention Tripathi & Wright are Repukes

I had to go looking to find out. Wright's own webpage has that bit of info well-buried on a subpage.

If they lied about a hurricane & hidden their affiliation, what else have they lied about and hidden, eh? Typical.

[JackRiddler]

30. It's Wight. And his campaign lit doesn't mention it either.

I've seen one sign and one worker for him, handing out generic campaign lit. No indication of what party, since this is New York City and all. I asked her, "Does this guy have a party affiliation?" He wasn't going to break 25% against Maloney, now he won't make 20%.

The older thread has more and better info, btw:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014284490

[LynneSin]

12. Personally I don't think firing the guy is enough

How many hours were wasted by Emergency Personnel following up on issues from these false stories. Hours that could have been spent helping those truly in need.

I think the guy should be held accountable for the trouble he caused.

[bluedigger]

13. That's not his job - he's a hedge fund guy.

The campaign thing was over in a few days anyways - they're just cutting loose the dead weight. I like the domestic terrorism charges idea.

[NBachers]

14. His days of being Comfortably Smug are over

Change it to Squashable Bug

Why oh why anyone would ever vote for a republican is beyond me. They are vermin scum rotting disease on humanity.

[Raster]

15. Lyin' Asshole (R)

[Ikonoklast]

16. Domestic Terrorism. Deliberately inciting fear and panic.

He should be charged, the hedge fund asshole.

[Javaman]

17. Smug no more.

moron.

[TuxedoKat]

27. Indeed

his choice of a Twitter name says a great deal about him.

[kestrel91316]

18. They'll hire him back as an independent consultant. Repukes LOVE this kind of person.

[ashling]

19. What are these people thinking?!

oh .. yeah I forgot about the meth

[LiberalElite]

20. He probably figured Why Not? Romney does it and no one cares. n/t

[DisgustipatedinCA]

21. Why fire a Republican for spreading vicious lies? It's what they do. n/t

.

[MADem]

23. You know he will continue to manage the campaign via a surrogate.

Republicans are never actually "sorry," they just issue faux apologies when their feet are held to the fire.

[geek tragedy]

24. Subways actually will be closed for an entire week, but that was a guess. nt

[Tab]

25. "I made a series of inaccurate and irresponsible tweets"

Nowadays tweets are public declarations, not simple little instant messages you send to your boy/girlfirend, or private phone calls. They're more like standing on a box on a streetcorner and shouting through a megaphone. How disingenuous to minimize it.

[Stargazer09]

26. What an ass

Hey buddy, I take Adderall, too, and it doesn't make me tweet a bunch of lies during a natural disaster.

Oh, and by the way, fuck you for thinking that what you did was wrong *only* because you got caught.

[BlueInPhilly]

29. CNN picked up his Tweets

CNN!!! Which really just shows how bad the quality of its "news" really is.

Ted Turner must be turning in his grave. Except he's not dead yet.

CNN: News brought to you by totally not confirmed sources

[efhmc]

31. Why?

[naaman fletcher]

33. getting mad at this douchebag is easier

Than being mad at the media and ourselves for believing things that random, anonymous people say on the internet

[Monk06]

35. A state of emergency had already been called. I think there are serious felony charges for this sort

disinformation during a disaster.

[ArcticFox]

39. His name is Shawshank?