Virginia

Hoaxers Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman hold bogus presser, are permanently banned from hotel

After launching murky charges at Gaetz and Giuliani, right-wing hucksters get the heave-ho from D.C.-area hotel

By ZACHARY PETRIZZO
PUBLISHED MAY 13, 2021 10:19PM (UTC)

Blundering right-wing activists and smear merchants Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman held a press conference at the Hyatt Centric in Arlington, Virginia, on Thursday, where they launched meritless allegations against Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and Rep. Matt Gaetz, the embattled Florida Republican. Since both Gaetz and Giuliani face abundant legal difficulties in the real world, the fact that Wohl and Burkman had nothing to offer but spurious rumors was almost remarkable in itself. But that was not the duo's only largest problem. Now Burkman and Wohl have been banned from holding press events at the Arlington Hyatt, a hotel official told Salon.

A manager of the Hyatt Centric property said that the venue's operating team had no knowledge of Wohl and Burkman's extensive past history of scams and schemes, and that the two right-wing operatives had told hotel staff they planned to hold a "book signing," not a press conference. "I'm upset they lied to me," the manager told Salon.

The manager said that Burkman "got into my face and demanded to rent a room" during a personal visit to the hotel several days earlier. According to the hotel employee, Burkman brought a bundle of cash with him and asked the manager to take it on the spot as payment for a conference room.

Asked why he and Wohl had lied to hotel staff about holding a "book signing," Burkman told Salon: "I never lie. I only tell the truth," before describing himself as a "beacon" for the truth. Burkman and Wohl currently face felony charges in several states for a robocall scheme apparently designed to discourage voting by mail and depress voter turnout in Black neighborhoods during the 2020 election.

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You can watch the entire dubious Thursday press conference below, via YouTube:



ZACHARY PETRIZZO
Zachary Petrizzo is a staff writer at Salon. He previously covered politics at Mediaite and The Daily Dot. Follow him on Twitter @ZTPetrizzo. Send him tips: zpetrizzo@salon.com