Hillary Clinton on Sunday endorsed a website targeted toward her 2016 presidential campaign supporters, created by former adviser Peter Daou.
“I’m excited to sign up for Verrit, a media platform for the 65.8 million!” Clinton tweeted on Sunday, referencing the 65.8 million people who voted for her during the 2016 presidential election. “Will you join me and sign up too?”
According to Recode, the platform, which was created by former Clinton adviser Peter Daou, “is his attempt to create an online hub for Clinton backers so that they can find easy-to-share facts, stats and other ‘information you can take out to social media when you’re having debates on key issues people are discussing.'”
“[Leela Daou] and I founded [Verrit] because Hillary Clinton’s voters – an inspiringly diverse coalition – are unrepresented in the media,” Daou unironically declared in a series of tweets. “[Verrit] is necessary because we need to talk about how misogyny, sexism, and racism plague our politics and impact our elections… [Verrit] is necessary because if you’re #StillWithHer, you endure constant harassment and bullying from the radical right and fringe left.”
Verrit, which was quietly launched in June, has already been cited and sourced by Democrat figures, such as former DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile, and has published posts blaming Bernie Sanders and the mainstream media for Clinton’s presidential loss.
After the website went offline following Clinton’s endorsement, several mainstream news outlets reported that the platform had been hit with a cyberattack.
Recode, The Week, CNET, The International Business Times, and CNBC all reported that the site had “suffered a cyberattack,” citing Daou’s claims, but users on Twitter questioned whether the site going down was due to a cyberattack or simply an influx of traffic as a result of Clinton’s endorsement.
“They haven’t learned a thing,” declared The Next Web’s Matthew Hughes in an article titled, “Why did Hillary Clinton endorse this terrible media startup?”
“For starters, the phrase ‘a media platform for the 65.8 percent’ should give you pause. It refers to the number of people who voted for Clinton, which immediately undermines its credibility, particularly in a country that is increasingly polarized between its two political extremes,” he continued. “From the get-go, it’s apparent that Verrit isn’t about building bridges or creating understanding, but rather pushing a particular narrative. Daou himself has said as much.”
“It’s just so disheartening. Is this the best we’ve got? Is this our best idea, and that’s why Secretary Clinton used her influence to endorse it?” concluded Hughes. “If so, God help us. We’re fucked.”
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington and Gab @Nash, or like his page at Facebook.