https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/27/b...imes&smtyp=cur
Paul Horner, Fake News Writer Who Took Credit for Trump Victory, Dies at 38
Paul Horner, a writer who trolled the nation with his fabricated news stories and claimed that he was responsible for Donald J. Trump’s election victory, died last week. The cause was a suspected drug overdose, the authorities in Arizona said Wednesday.
Mr. Horner, 38, was found dead in his bed in Laveen, Ariz., on Sept. 18, according to Mark Casey, a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
His family said he had been known to abuse prescription drugs, Mr. Casey said, and “evidence at the scene suggested this could be an accidental overdose.” There were no signs of foul play.
Mr. Horner’s fraudulent articles could be found on Facebook, various news domains that he created, and in years past, on the fake news website National Report.
“My sites were picked up by Trump supporters all the time,” he told The Post. “I think Trump is in the White House because of me. His followers don’t fact-check anything — they’ll post everything, believe anything. His campaign manager posted my story about a protester getting paid $3,500 as fact. Like, I made that up. I posted a fake ad on Craigslist.”
Paul Horner, Fake News Writer Who Took Credit for Trump Victory, Dies at 38
Paul Horner, a writer who trolled the nation with his fabricated news stories and claimed that he was responsible for Donald J. Trump’s election victory, died last week. The cause was a suspected drug overdose, the authorities in Arizona said Wednesday.
Mr. Horner, 38, was found dead in his bed in Laveen, Ariz., on Sept. 18, according to Mark Casey, a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
His family said he had been known to abuse prescription drugs, Mr. Casey said, and “evidence at the scene suggested this could be an accidental overdose.” There were no signs of foul play.
Mr. Horner’s fraudulent articles could be found on Facebook, various news domains that he created, and in years past, on the fake news website National Report.
“My sites were picked up by Trump supporters all the time,” he told The Post. “I think Trump is in the White House because of me. His followers don’t fact-check anything — they’ll post everything, believe anything. His campaign manager posted my story about a protester getting paid $3,500 as fact. Like, I made that up. I posted a fake ad on Craigslist.”
Comment