Pro-Trump OAN accused of possible 'criminal activities' by Smartmatic lawyers

Executives at One America News, the pro-Trump cable network that became infamous for peddling bogus conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, potentially engaged in "criminal activities," according to attorneys representing electronic voting systems company Smartmatic.

CNN reports that Smartmatic's lawyers are claiming that OAN President Charles Herring sent an email to Trump lawyer Sidney Powell on January 8th, 2021 that purportedly contained passwords for Smartmatic employees.

This exchange, according to Smartmatic lawyers, shows the president of OAN "may have engaged in criminal activities," as his actions “appear to have violated state and federal laws regarding data privacy.”

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"The court records don’t say how OAN obtained the spreadsheet, or whether the supposed Smartmatic passwords were authentic," notes CNN. "Nobody from OAN has been charged with any crimes. But it came at a time when OAN, Powell and others in their orbit were aggressively peddling false claims that there was massive voter fraud in 2020, and that Smartmatic was to blame."

In the wake of the 2020 election, Powell began pushing conspiracy theories about Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems after receiving an email about the two companies from a woman who claims she can speak with the wind.

CNN also reports that a separate court filing suggests that a similar spreadsheet of passwords was sent to Mike Lindell, the Trump-loving pillow monger who is also being sued for his allegedly defamatory statements about Dominion.