Investigation Finds Thousands of Pro-Trump Comments Fabricated Using Deceased Individuals

A recent probe uncovered that a large portion of the 12,000 comments favoring a Trump-driven plan to let retirement accounts invest in private equity and cryptocurrency were artificially created. The submissions, sent to the Department of Labor, followed five nearly identical templates and were posted daily between April 29 and May 5, lacking signatures, contact information, and geographic data. Some of the purported supporters were dead, including Danna Oderman, who died last December, and Lyngrid Rawlings, who passed away in 2024; their family members said the messages misrepresented their beliefs.

Karl Giberson, a retired professor, also refuted a comment that used his name. The scheme appears to have been orchestrated to inflate perceived public endorsement of the measure, which private-equity firms hope will tap into roughly $10 trillion in workers’ 401(k) assets. Officials at the White House and the Labor Department have not responded to requests for comment, and the General Services Administration was also contacted for a statement.