'They've been denied': MAGA host refuses cops access to footage of shooting he reported

Far-right podcaster and influencer Tim Pool reported shots fired at his home in West Virginia over the weekend — but according to TMZ, while local police have taken the report, they cannot corroborate it or investigate further because he refuses to share the security footage of the incident.

Pool spoke publicly about the incident in a post to X, saying that a vehicle drove past his home and someone in it opened fire, but that nobody was hurt, possibly because of his extensive security detail. "This is the price we pay for speaking out against evil," he wrote.

According to TMZ, "The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office tells us a man who identified himself as a security guard for Pool reported shots fired at the house after seeing a gray sedan circle the property multiple times during the day. Authorities went to the house and cleared the call. Later on, officers say they asked Pool for video footage from the property ... but, they say they've been denied. As a result, the 'reports of shots fired at this residence cannot be substantiated at this time.'"

Pool told TMZ that "we were advised not to release" the tape to law enforcement "as it will compromise security, exposing property, personnel, and our security measures" — but said that TMZ could send someone to his West Virginia home and watch the footage for themselves in person to prove he wasn't lying.

Pool, who got his start online by livestreaming the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests, has previously described himself as "center left," but aligns with the MAGA movement on nearly all social issues and has promoted right-wing conspiracy theories.

He was one of a number of online influencers that was found last year to have worked for a company that was exposed as a Russian influence operation. Pool denies knowing the purpose of that operation, and has said the FBI regards him as the victim of a crime in this incident.