Bumble Doesn't Want Alt-Lite Clown Jack Posobiec, Or Even Someone Impersonating Him, Using Their App 

By Anna Merlan  |  January 24, 2018 | 9:35pm
Politics

The feminist dating app Bumble has deleted an account that looks an awful lot like it belonged to Jack Posobiec, an enthusiastic pro-Trumper and a figure in the so-called “alt-lite” movement (alt-righters who claim not to be antisemitic or Neo-Nazi). Posobiec is best known for spreading Pizzagate conspiracy theories, protesting Julius Caesar for reasons too stupid to recap, and bringing a sign to a Trump protest that read “Rape Melania,” (intended to make it look like leftists were advocating sexual violence against the First Lady). He also recently got married. How ’bout that!

Besides his many other hobbies, Posobiec is a Navy veteran who, among other things, recently had his security clearance as a reservist suspended for an inflammatory tweet about Charlottesville, and who appears from time to time on very normal network InfoWars. On Wednesday, a Twitter user named Lindsey tweeted screenshots of Posobiec’s purported Bumble account, describing him as a “white nationalist” and a “Nazi.”

Posobiec is an extremist, to be sure, but has firmly denied being a neo-Nazi.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has called Posobiec an “alt-right provocateur.” More recently he split off into the so-called alt-lite following a public feud with unreconstructed racist and animate bad haircut Richard Spencer. Posobiec and other members of the alt-lite get very angry when they are said to be part of hate groups, recently yelling at the Anti-Defamation League for suggesting they hold hateful ideas.

All of this is a bit too inside baseball for Bumble, who would just rather not have him—or someone using all his photos and biographical information and posing as him, maybe?—on their platform. In a statement, they told Jezebel they’ve deleted the account:

We appreciate you reaching out to us about this! Jack’s account has been removed. Bumble has a strong stance against hate, and our team will continue to do our very best to maintain our platform as a safe, inclusive, and empowering place. We also established a partnership with the ADL last year to eliminate hate speech from our app. Let me know if you have any other questions here.

Bumble told the Twitter user who first spotted the account the same thing:

Lindsey told us in a brief Twitter exchange that she definitely did not swipe right, in case anyone was left with that lingering question.

We’ve reached out to Posobiec on Twitter for comment and will update if we hear back.

Update, 5:27 p.m.:

Posobiec firmly denies that he was the one who made the account, telling us, “That’s clearly some troll. I have a hot eastern European wife, as everyone knows.” He adds, “This certainly isn’t the first time someone has created a fake account to smear a conservative celebrity.”

I asked if Posobiec found it offensive that a Bumble user would be banned for pretending to be him, with the app stating that it’s due to his hateful views. He responded, “I’m not offended, because I’ve never used that app, and I do not hold hateful views. Anyone claiming otherwise is a liar.”

Update, 9:00 p.m.:

Buzzfeed reports that Bumble told them Posobiec’s account was linked to his Facebook page, making it seem rather more likely that it was really his.

Posobiec has responded by vowing to find the real criminal fraud villains behind that Bumble account, wherever they may be.

 
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