In a rapidly spreading conspiracy theory, currently racking up millions of views on X (formerly Twitter), claims are being made that Janeen DiGuiseppi, the Assistant Director of the FBI’s insider threat office, orchestrated an assassination attempt on Donald Trump. This “baseless” theory has been debunked by BBC Disinformation Journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh, who pointed out that the woman in question is not DiGuiseppi.
Where the Conspiracy Theory Originated & What It Is
The conspiracy theory claims that a female supporter seen behind Trump during the shooting incident was Janeen DiGuiseppi, implying she was helping the shooter. Despite these accusations being unsubstantiated, several high-profile accounts have been spreading this misinformation, contributing to its viral nature.
One of the most prominent accounts amplifying this false narrative is “Dom Lucre,” whose post now sits at over 9.2 million views in the past hour alone. His tweet suggested that the woman seen in the video did not flinch when shots were fired and instead started recording Trump, falsely identifying her as DiGuiseppi.
The Debunking
Shayan Sardarizadeh from BBC Disinformation was quick to debunk this theory. He clarified that the woman in the video and Janeen DiGuiseppi are two different individuals. Sardarizadeh tweeted, “A new conspiracy theory, currently racking up millions of views, baselessly claims that a female supporter seen behind Trump when he got shot is assistant director of the FBI’s insider threat office Janeen DiGuiseppi, who was helping the shooter. Those are two different women.”
The Impact of Misinformation
This conspiracy theory is a glaring example of how misinformation can spread like wildfire on social media platforms, particularly under the management of Elon Musk. Despite the lack of any factual basis, these dangerous, racist, and misogynistic lies are gaining traction, fueled by the platform’s engagement-driven algorithms.
The Kansas City Defender previously reported on the spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories in the aftermath of the Trump shooting. The current situation underscores the ongoing disintegration of the information ecosystem, where lies are not only thriving but are often encouraged for the sake of paid engagement.
