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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|03|11}}<ref name="Twitter profile">{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/cassandrarules |website=Twitter |title=Profile |accessdate=June 2, 2020 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200529060401/https://twitter.com/cassandrarules |archive-date=May 29, 2020 }}</ref><!-- NOTE: Primary source inline used per WP:ABOUTSELF exception --><ref name="Facebook profile">{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/cassandra.rules.1 |website=Facebook |title=Profile |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks }}</ref><!-- NOTE: Primary source inline used per WP:ABOUTSELF exception --><ref name="BBC Trending">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-37507542 |title=The social media star who flipped to Trump |work=[[BBC News]] |date=October 5, 2016 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Wendling, Mike}}</ref><ref name="Attention Rapists">{{cite web |url=https://www.glamour.com/story/attention-rapists-youve-met-your-match |title=Attention Rapists: You've Met Your Match |work=[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]] |date=June 6, 2013 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Graves, Ginny}}</ref>
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|03|11}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/cassandra.rules.1/about_contact_and_basic_info |website=Facebook |title=Profile |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks }}</ref><!-- NOTE: Primary source inline used per WP:ABOUTSELF exception --><ref name="Attention Rapists">{{cite web |url=https://www.glamour.com/story/attention-rapists-youve-met-your-match |title=Attention Rapists: You've Met Your Match |work=[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]] |date=June 6, 2013 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Graves, Ginny}}</ref>
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| occupation = [[Digital journalism|Online journalist]]
| occupation = [[Digital journalism|Online journalist]]
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| years_active = 2014–present
| years_active = 2014–present
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| website = {{url|https://districtherald.com/}}<ref>{{cite tweet |number=1144007775921606656 |title=In case you missed it, I made a new website to cover the things I care about |date=June 26, 2019 |access-date=March 7, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190626230006/https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/1144007775921606656 |archive-date=June 26, 2019 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |user=CassandraRules}}</ref>
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'''Cassandra Fairbanks''' (born March 11, 1985) is an American journalist and activist. As a journalist, she has worked for the Russian state-funded international news agency [[Sputnik (news agency)|Sputnik]] (2015–2017), and [[Far-right politics|far-right]]<!--DO NOT REMOVE: Wikipedia pages [[Big League Politics]] and [[The Gateway Pundit]] identify each as far-right--> American [[Digital journalism|media websites]] ''[[Big League Politics]]'' (2017) and ''[[The Gateway Pundit]]'' (2017–present). As an activist, she is best known for "Find the Dancing Man," her 2015 social media campaign against [[Body image|fat shaming]], and for helping to organize the [[DeploraBall]] in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 2017 [[Inauguration of Donald Trump|inauguration of President Donald Trump]].<ref name=DeploraBall/> In 2018, Fairbanks arranged the unexpected appearance of [[List of material published by WikiLeaks#Baghdad airstrike video|prolific leaker]] and [[Transgender rights movement|transgender activist]] [[Chelsea Manning]] at what ''[[The Washington Post]]'' headlined as "a far-right pro-Trump bash".<ref name="WaPo23Jan2018">{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/01/23/chelsea-manning-showed-up-at-a-far-right-pro-trump-bash-infuriating-the-far-left/ |title=Chelsea Manning showed up at a far-right pro-Trump bash, infuriating the far left |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 23, 2018 |last=Swenson |first=Kyle}}</ref>
'''Cassandra Fairbanks''' (born March 11, 1985) is an American journalist and activist. As a journalist, she has worked for the Russian state-funded international news agency [[Sputnik (news agency)|Sputnik]] (2015–2017), and [[Far-right politics|far-right]]<!--DO NOT REMOVE: Wikipedia pages [[Big League Politics]] and [[The Gateway Pundit]] identify each as far-right--> American [[Digital journalism|media websites]] ''[[Big League Politics]]'' (2017) and ''[[The Gateway Pundit]]'' (2017–present). As an activist, she is best known for "Find the Dancing Man," her 2015 social media campaign against [[Body image|fat shaming]], and for helping to organize the [[DeploraBall]] in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 2017 [[Inauguration of Donald Trump|inauguration of President Donald Trump]].<ref name=DeploraBall/> A one-time supporter of [[Bernie Sanders]], Fairbanks has received attention for her political transformation to a supporter of [[Donald Trump]].


In 2020, Fairbanks submitted evidence to the legal team defending [[WikiLeaks]] founder [[Julian Assange]] in his [[Julian Assange#Extradition hearings|London extradition hearing]], and posted audio online of a September 2019 phone call to her from Arthur Schwartz, a conservative consultant with close ties to [[Richard Grenell]], who was then the [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Germany|U.S. Ambassador to Germany]]. Schwartz told Fairbanks that Grenell "took orders from" President Trump when the ambassador secretly brokered Assange's [[Indictment and arrest of Julian Assange#Arrest by the Metropolitan Police|April 2019 arrest]] at Ecuador's London embassy, where Assange had been given [[Right of asylum|political asylum]].
In 2020, Fairbanks submitted evidence to the legal team defending [[WikiLeaks]] founder [[Julian Assange]] in his [[Julian Assange#Extradition hearings|London extradition hearing]].


==Early life==
==Early life==
Cassandra Fairbanks grew up in a small town in central Massachusetts, an hour from Boston.<ref name=Cosmo>{{cite web |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a9653830/cassandra-fairbanks-donald-trump-deplorable/ |title=Cassandra Fairbanks Loved Bernie Sanders. Now She's a Donald Trump Superfan. |work=[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]] |date=May 18, 2017 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Nelson, Rebecca}}</ref> She traces her ancestry<ref name="Ancestry">{{cite tweet |number=1253068870446964741 |title=My family came to the US in 1633 |date=April 22, 2020 |access-date=April 22, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200422211300/https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/1253068870446964741 |archive-date=April 22, 2020 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |user=CassandraRules}}</ref> to [[Jonathan Fairbanks|Jonathan and Grace (Smith) Fairbanks]], English colonists who in 1633 immigrated to New England and circa 1637 built the [[Fairbanks House (Dedham, Massachusetts)|Fairbanks House]], now North America's oldest surviving timber-frame house, in [[Dedham, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fairbankshouse.org/ |title=The oldest Timber Frame House in North America. |publisher=The Fairbanks House |accessdate=April 22, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311073808/https://fairbankshouse.org/ |archive-date=March 11, 2020}}</ref> After high school, she enrolled at the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] to study physics, but dropped out after a few months. Moving to California, she attended the [[Los Angeles Recording School]] and became a [[Audio engineer|sound engineer]].<ref name=Cosmo/> In that capacity, she traveled the country,<ref name=Antisocial/> working for [[List of Warped Tour lineups by year|bands]] in what ''[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]'' calls "the [[Warped Tour]] vein."<ref name=Cosmo/>
Cassandra Fairbanks grew up in a small town in central Massachusetts, an hour from Boston.<ref name=Cosmo>{{cite web |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a9653830/cassandra-fairbanks-donald-trump-deplorable/ |title=Cassandra Fairbanks Loved Bernie Sanders. Now She's a Donald Trump Superfan. |work=[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]] |date=May 18, 2017 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Nelson, Rebecca}}</ref> She says her family came to the United States in 1633 and built the [[Fairbanks House (Dedham, Massachusetts)|Fairbanks House]],<ref name="Ancestry">{{cite tweet |number=1253068870446964741 |title=My family came to the US in 1633 |date=April 22, 2020 |access-date=April 22, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200422211300/https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/1253068870446964741 |archive-date=April 22, 2020 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |user=CassandraRules}}</ref> now North America's oldest surviving timber-frame house, in [[Dedham, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fairbankshouse.org/ |title=The oldest Timber Frame House in North America. |publisher=The Fairbanks House |accessdate=April 22, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311073808/https://fairbankshouse.org/ |archive-date=March 11, 2020}}</ref> After high school, she enrolled at the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] to study physics, but dropped out after a few months. Moving to California, she attended the [[Los Angeles Recording School]] and became a [[Audio engineer|sound engineer]].<ref name=Cosmo/> In that capacity, she traveled the country,<ref name=Antisocial/> working for bands in what ''[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]'' calls "the [[Warped Tour]] vein."<ref name=Cosmo/>


==Activism==
==Activism==
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===Social media===
===Social media===


In 2015, photos posted on the anonymous chat board [[4chan]]<ref name=Cosmo/> created what the [[BBC News|BBC]] called one of the year's "biggest internet sensations"<ref name="BBC Trending" /> by showing an obese, 47-year-old Englishman dancing exuberantly at a concert. "Spotted this specimen trying to dance the other week," the caption read. "He stopped when he saw us laughing."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://time.com/3895459/dancing-man-sean-o-brien-body-shamed-fat-dance-party-los-angeles/ |title=The Fat-Shamed 'Dancing Man' Who Became an Internet Sensation Attends a Party in His Honor in L.A. |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=May 25, 2015 |accessdate=June 1, 2020 |author=Regan, Helen}}</ref> Incensed at the [[Body image|fat shaming]], Fairbanks launched a social media campaign to "Find the Dancing Man".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/03/07/after-witnessing-cruelty-against-overweight-man-la-group-and-stars-offer-to-throw-him-a-party/ |title=After Witnessing Cruelty Against Overweight Man, LA Group And Stars Offer To Throw Him A Dance Party |date=March 7, 2015 |publisher=[[KCBS-TV]] |accessdate=February 25, 2020}}</ref> "If I see something wrong," she said, "then I try and fix it." With a friend, Fairbanks created a [[GoFundMe]] account to locate the man and fly him to Los Angeles, where she lived, for what turned out to be a celebrity-packed party with 1,000 guests<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/man-shamed-dancing-public-gets-star-studded-dance-party |title=Man shamed for dancing in public gets star-studded dance party |publisher=[[MSNBC]] |date=May 27, 2015 |accessdate=February 26, 2020 |author=Todd, Bridget}}</ref> at [[Avalon Hollywood]], one of L.A.'s hottest clubs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/fatshamed-dancing-man-parties-in-la/news-story/3dd80c84e0f7061d35b4639f774f9b6a |title=Fat-shamed 'Dancing Man' parties in LA |publisher=[[News Corp Australia]] |date=May 25, 2015 |accessdate=February 26, 2020}}</ref> The viral campaign raised $70,000 for anti-bullying and positive body image charities in the U.S. and UK, and made Fairbanks, again in the words of the BBC, a "social media star."<ref name="BBC Trending"/>
In 2015, photos posted on the anonymous chat board [[4chan]]<ref name=Cosmo/> created what the [[BBC News|BBC]] called one of the year's "biggest internet sensations"<ref name="BBC Trending">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-37507542 |title=The social media star who flipped to Trump |work=[[BBC News]] |date=October 5, 2016 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Wendling, Mike}}</ref> by showing an obese, 47-year-old Englishman dancing exuberantly at a concert. "Spotted this specimen trying to dance the other week," the caption read. "He stopped when he saw us laughing."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://time.com/3895459/dancing-man-sean-o-brien-body-shamed-fat-dance-party-los-angeles/ |title=The Fat-Shamed 'Dancing Man' Who Became an Internet Sensation Attends a Party in His Honor in L.A. |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=May 25, 2015 |accessdate=June 1, 2020 |author=Regan, Helen}}</ref> Incensed at the [[Body image|fat shaming]], Fairbanks launched a social media campaign to "Find the Dancing Man".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/03/07/after-witnessing-cruelty-against-overweight-man-la-group-and-stars-offer-to-throw-him-a-party/ |title=After Witnessing Cruelty Against Overweight Man, LA Group And Stars Offer To Throw Him A Dance Party |date=March 7, 2015 |publisher=[[KCBS-TV]] |accessdate=February 25, 2020}}</ref> With a friend, Fairbanks created a [[GoFundMe]] account to locate the man and fly him to Los Angeles for a celebrity-packed party with 1,000 guests<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/man-shamed-dancing-public-gets-star-studded-dance-party |title=Man shamed for dancing in public gets star-studded dance party |publisher=[[MSNBC]] |date=May 27, 2015 |accessdate=February 26, 2020 |author=Todd, Bridget}}</ref> at [[Avalon Hollywood]], one of L.A.'s hottest clubs. The viral campaign raised $70,000 for anti-bullying and positive body image charities in the U.S. and UK.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/fatshamed-dancing-man-parties-in-la/news-story/3dd80c84e0f7061d35b4639f774f9b6a |title=Fat-shamed 'Dancing Man' parties in LA |publisher=[[News Corp Australia]] |date=May 25, 2015 |accessdate=February 26, 2020}}</ref>


===Shift to right===
===Shift to right===
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[[File:-Deploraball Smashed!.webm|thumb|Violent protests outside the DeploraBall in Washington, D.C. on January 19, 2017]]
⚫
In 2016, Fairbanks "underwent something of a political transformation," according to [[BBC News]].<ref name="BBC Trending"/> Having begun the year as a supporter of [[Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign|Hillary Clinton]]'s main rival within the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Vermont U.S. Senator [[Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign|Bernie Sanders]], Fairbanks was by fall rallying her 70K Twitter followers to support [[Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign|Donald Trump]].<ref name="BBC Trending"/> In an October 2016 episode of [[BBC Television]]'s ''[[Panorama (British TV programme)|Panorama]]'', Fairbanks said, "I'm going to be voting for Donald Trump. I think that Hillary Clinton is a terribly dangerous person."<ref name=Panorama>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/n3ct18y5 |title=Paxman on Trump v Clinton: Divided America |publisher=[[BBC World News]] |date=October 21, 2016 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Paxman, Jeremy}}</ref>


''Cosmopolitan'' subsequently named her a leader in the defiant [[Basket of deplorables|Deplorable movement]],<ref name=Cosmo /> alluding to a campaign speech by [[Hillary Clinton]]. In January 2017, Fairbanks was one of the organizers of the [[DeploraBall]], an unofficial [[United States presidential inaugural balls|inaugural ball]] at Washington's [[National Press Club (United States)#National Press Building|National Press Club]] to celebrate Trump's victory.<ref name=DeploraBall>{{cite news |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/02/06/trump-supporters-at-the-deploraball |title=Trump Supporters at the DeploraBall |work=[[The New Yorker]] |date=January 30, 2017 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Marantz, Andrew}}</ref> Threatening to shut down the [[Black tie|black-tie event]], [[Antifa (United States)|Antifa]] circulated a list of "high-value" targets including Fairbanks.<ref name=Antisocial>{{cite book | last=Marantz | first=Andrew | title=Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation | publisher=Penguin Publishing Group | year=2020 | isbn=978-0-525-52228-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j5QFEAAAQBAJ | access-date=February 17, 2021 | pages=49-54}}</ref>
⚫
In 2016, Cassandra Fairbanks "underwent something of a political transformation," according to [[BBC News]].<ref name="BBC Trending"/> Having begun the year as a supporter of [[Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign|Hillary Clinton]]'s main rival within the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Vermont U.S. Senator [[Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign|Bernie Sanders]], Fairbanks was by fall rallying her 70K Twitter followers to support [[Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign|Donald Trump]].<ref name="BBC Trending"/> In an October 2016 episode of [[BBC Television]]'s ''[[Panorama (British TV programme)|Panorama]]'', the world's longest-running news television program,<ref name="Longest running">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/07_july/18/panorama.shtml |title=Panorama returns to peak time on BBC ONE |work=[[BBC One]] |date=July 18, 2006 |accessdate=February 25, 2020}}</ref> Fairbanks said, "I'm going to be voting for Donald Trump. I think that Hillary Clinton is a terribly dangerous person."<ref name=Panorama>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/n3ct18y5 |title=Paxman on Trump v Clinton: Divided America |publisher=[[BBC World News]] |date=October 21, 2016 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Paxman, Jeremy}}</ref>


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In 2020, Fairbanks claimed that trespassers set upon her house during on the night of May&nbsp;31, pounding on windows, detonating fireworks directed towards her residence, and shooting firearms; she blamed Antifa for the incident. A supporter set up a [[GoFundMe]] campaign to help with moving costs, which accrued over $24,000.<ref name="dailydot">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/cassandra-fairbanks-fireworks-antifa/|title=Cassandra Fairbanks says she was attacked by antifa. Cops say it was fireworks down the street|work=[[Daily Dot]]|date= June 17, 2020|accessdate=September 25, 2020|author=Goforth, Claire}}</ref> ''[[People for the American Way#Right Wing Watch|Right Wing Watch]]'' published a report contradicting Fairbanks's claims, citing "conversations with eight of Fairbanks' nearby neighbors," "nonexistent coverage in local press," and a report obtained from the [[Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia|Metropolitan Police Department]]—all of which corroborated only the claim that fireworks were detonated approximately 100 feet away and no gunshots were fired.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/cassandra-fairbanks-%e2%80%8bclaims-antifa-attacked-her%e2%80%8b-police-reports-and-neighbors-say-otherwise/ |title=Cassandra Fairbanks Claims Antifa Attacked Her. Police Reports and Neighbors Say Otherwise |work=[[People for the American Way#Right Wing Watch|Right Wing Watch]] |date=June 17, 2020 |accessdate=September 25, 2020 |author=Holt, Jared}}</ref>
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[[File:-Deploraball Smashed!.webm|thumb|Violent protests outside the DeploraBall in Washington, D.C. on January 19, 2017]]
''Cosmopolitan'' subsequently named her a leader in the defiant [[Basket of deplorables|Deplorable movement]], alluding to Hillary Clinton's campaign description of half of Donald Trump's supporters as "racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Reilly |first1=Katie |title=Read Hillary Clinton's 'Basket of Deplorables' Remarks on Trump Supporters |url=http://time.com/4486502/hillary-clinton-basket-of-deplorables-transcript/ |accessdate=January 23, 2017 |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=January 22, 2017}}</ref> In January 2017, Fairbanks was one of the organizers of the [[DeploraBall]], an unofficial [[United States presidential inaugural balls|inaugural ball]] at Washington's [[National Press Club (United States)#National Press Building|National Press Club]] to celebrate Trump's victory.<ref name=DeploraBall>{{cite news |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/02/06/trump-supporters-at-the-deploraball |title=Trump Supporters at the DeploraBall |work=[[The New Yorker]] |date=January 30, 2017 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Marantz, Andrew}}</ref> Threatening to shut down the [[Black tie|black-tie event]],<ref name="Clashes">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-inauguration-protests-violence-deploraball-deplorables-riot-police-james-allsup-hillary-a7536826.html |title=Donald Trump Inauguration: Violent clashes outside pro-Trump 'DeploraBall' |work=[[The Independent]] |date=January 20, 2017 |accessdate=February 28, 2020 |author=Lusher, Adam}}</ref> [[Antifa (United States)|Antifa]] circulated a list of "high-value" targets including Cassandra Fairbanks.<ref name=Antisocial>{{cite book |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/562022/antisocial-by-andrew-marantz/ |title=Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation |publisher=[[Viking Press]] |author=Marantz, Andrew |author-link=Andrew Marantz |year=2019}}</ref> Three alleged accomplices with [[DisruptJ20]], a Washington, D.C.-based group of mostly anarchists<ref name="Baffler">{{cite news |url=https://thebaffler.com/latest/interviews-for-resistance-carrefour |title=Trump Interruption: A Conversation with Legba Carrefour |work=[[The Baffler]] |date=January 19, 2017 |accessdate=February 28, 2020 |author=Jaffe, Sarah}}</ref> that included the DC Antifascist Coalition, plotted to infiltrate the ball and infect the ventilation system with [[butyric acid]],<ref name="Acid">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/protester-pleads-guilty-to-conspiring-to-disrupt-deploraball-for-trump-supporters/2017/03/07/3f55f3da-0347-11e7-b1e9-a05d3c21f7cf_story.html |title=Protester pleads guilty to conspiring to disrupt DeploraBall for Trump supporters |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=March 7, 2017 |accessdate=February 28, 2020 |author=Hermann, Peter}}</ref> which can burn skin and lead to loss of vision.<ref name="DisruptJ20">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/protesters-vowed-to-shut-down-the-city-police-vowed-to-protect-the-inauguration-they-clashed/2017/01/20/0a1b2d1a-df4e-11e6-ad42-f3375f271c9c_story.html |title=Protesters vowed to shut down the city. Police vowed to protect the inauguration. They clashed. |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 20, 2017 |accessdate=February 28, 2020 |author=Hermann, Peter and Theresa Vargas & Perry Stein}}</ref> A 34-year-old Washington, D.C. man later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit assault in connection with the planned attack.<ref name="Acid"/>

⚫
In 2020, after criticizing [[George Floyd protests|nationwide riots]] against police brutality and racism, Fairbanks claimed to have received death threats from "Antifa members" on her [[Twitter]]. Fairbanks later claimed that trespassers set upon her house during on the night of May&nbsp;31, pounding on windows, detonating fireworks directed towards her residence, and shooting firearms, at which point Fairbanks fled. A supporter set up a [[GoFundMe]] campaign to help with moving costs, which accrued over $24,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rebelnews.com/gofundme_cassandra_fairbanks_driven_out_of_washington_dc_house_by_antifa_rioters |title=Cassandra Fairbanks driven from home by Antifa rioters (here's how you can help) |work=[[Rebel News]] |date=June 2, 2020 |accessdate=June 2, 2020}}</ref> ''[[People for the American Way#Right Wing Watch|Right Wing Watch]]'' published a report contradicting Fairbanks's claims, citing "conversations with eight of Fairbanks' nearby neighbors," "nonexistent coverage in local press," and a report obtained from the [[Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia|Metropolitan Police Department]]—all of which corroborate only the claim that fireworks were detonated approximately 100 feet away and no gunshots were fired. Fireworks were also detonated elsewhere in the area that night, and there was no evidence Fairbanks was specifically targeted. Fairbanks refused to provide corroborating information and accused the reporter of harassment for interviewing her neighbors.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/cassandra-fairbanks-%e2%80%8bclaims-antifa-attacked-her%e2%80%8b-police-reports-and-neighbors-say-otherwise/ |title=Cassandra Fairbanks Claims Antifa Attacked Her. Police Reports and Neighbors Say Otherwise |work=[[People for the American Way#Right Wing Watch|Right Wing Watch]] |date=June 17, 2020 |accessdate=September 25, 2020 |author=Holt, Jared}}</ref> On Twitter, she denied the report and called the reporter a “leftist conspiracy theorist” and “antifa apologist”.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/cassandra-fairbanks-fireworks-antifa/|title=Cassandra Fairbanks says she was attacked by antifa. Cops say it was fireworks down the street|work=[[Daily Dot]]|date= June 17, 2020|accessdate=September 25, 2020|author=Goforth, Claire}}</ref>


==Journalism==
==Journalism==
Fairbanks's writing career began in 2014 as an outgrowth of her activism. For nine months at the Free Thought Project,<ref name=FTP>{{cite web |url=https://thefreethoughtproject.com/author/cassandra/ |title=Cassandra Fairbanks |publisher=Free Thought Project |date=2014–2015 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Fairbanks, Cassandra}}</ref> she reported mostly about [[Police brutality in the United States|police brutality]].<ref name=Cosmo/> In 2015 she wrote for [[Photography is Not a Crime|PINAC News]], continuing to chronicle controversial policing around the United States.<ref name="PINAC">{{cite web |url=https://newsmaven.io/pinacnews/user/@cassandrarules/ |title=Conversations by @cassandrarules |publisher=[[Photography is Not a Crime|PINAC News]] |year=2015 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Fairbanks, Cassandra}}</ref> That summer, she [[Live streaming|live streamed]] her own arrest while covering anti-police brutality protests on [[Interstate 70 in Missouri|Interstate 70]] in St. Louis.<ref name="Livestream Own Arrest">{{cite news |url=https://newsmaven.io/pinacnews/citizen-journalism/pinac-reporter-cassandra-fairbanks-live-streams-own-arrest-PLCGCve77kqepPrNndYGlA |title=PINAC Reporter Cassandra Fairbanks Live Streams Own Arrest |publisher=[[Photography is Not a Crime|PINAC News]] |date=August 10, 2015 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Miller, Carlos}}</ref>
Fairbanks's writing career began in 2014 as an outgrowth of her activism. At the Free Thought Project, she reported mostly about [[Police brutality in the United States|police brutality]].<ref name=FTP>{{cite web |url=https://thefreethoughtproject.com/author/cassandra/ |title=Cassandra Fairbanks |publisher=Free Thought Project |date=2014–2015 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Fairbanks, Cassandra}}</ref><ref name=Cosmo/> In 2015 she wrote for [[Photography is Not a Crime|PINAC News]], continuing to chronicle controversial policing around the United States.<ref name="PINAC">{{cite web |url=https://newsmaven.io/pinacnews/user/@cassandrarules/ |title=Conversations by @cassandrarules |publisher=[[Photography is Not a Crime|PINAC News]] |year=2015 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Fairbanks, Cassandra}}</ref> That summer, she [[Live streaming|live streamed]] her own arrest while covering anti-police brutality protests on [[Interstate 70 in Missouri|Interstate 70]] in St. Louis.<ref name="Livestream Own Arrest">{{cite news |url=https://newsmaven.io/pinacnews/citizen-journalism/pinac-reporter-cassandra-fairbanks-live-streams-own-arrest-PLCGCve77kqepPrNndYGlA |title=PINAC Reporter Cassandra Fairbanks Live Streams Own Arrest |publisher=[[Photography is Not a Crime|PINAC News]] |date=August 10, 2015 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Miller, Carlos}}</ref>


Also in 2015, Fairbanks was hired as a reporter for the Russian state-funded international news agency [[Sputnik (news agency)|Sputnik]], and moved to Washington, D.C., for the position.<ref name=Cosmo/> Her first article (sans [[byline]]<ref name="Sputnik bylines">{{cite tweet |number=583751854439407617 |title=no bylines at Sputnik, it's cool though |date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=March 7, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104220622/https:/twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/583751854439407617 |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |user=CassandraRules}}</ref>), "NSA Struggles to Recruit New Talent in US Post-Snowden," appeared in April 2015.<ref name="Sputnik first">{{cite tweet |number=583734844565413889 |title=Heres my first article with Sputnik :) |date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=March 7, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104220622/https:/twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/583734844565413889 |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |user=CassandraRules}}</ref> She remained at Sputnik until May 2017.<ref name="Sputnik last">{{cite tweet |number=864876823833870336 |title=It's my last day at Sputnik and it's so weird. I feel like I've been there forever. |date=May 17, 2017 |access-date=March 7, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104191628/https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/864876823833870336 |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |user=CassandraRules}}</ref> In early 2016, while still with Sputnik, Fairbanks also wrote 10 bylined articles for ''[[Teen Vogue]]''.<ref name="Teen Vogue">{{cite web |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/contributor/cassandra-fairbanks |title=Cassandra Fairbanks |work=[[Teen Vogue]] |date=January–February 2016 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Fairbanks, Cassandra}}</ref>
Also in 2015, Fairbanks was hired as a reporter for the Russian state-funded international news agency [[Sputnik (news agency)|Sputnik]], and moved to Washington, D.C., for the position.<ref name=Cosmo/> In early 2016, while still with Sputnik, Fairbanks also wrote 10 bylined articles for ''[[Teen Vogue]]''.<ref name="Teen Vogue">{{cite web |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/contributor/cassandra-fairbanks |title=Cassandra Fairbanks |work=[[Teen Vogue]] |date=January–February 2016 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Fairbanks, Cassandra}}</ref> While working for Sputnik, Fairbanks was often a target of conspiracy theories by [[Louise Mensch]]; Fairbanks filed a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center against Mensch for cyber stalking and harassment.<ref>{{cite web | last=Feldman | first=Brian | title=Anti-Trump Twitter-Hero Louise Mensch Has #Resisted Her Way Into Legal Complaint | website=Intelligencer | date=April 11, 2017 | url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/04/louise-mensch-has-resisted-her-way-into-a-legal-complaint.html | access-date=February 17, 2021}}</ref>


In April 2017, Fairbanks and right-wing provocateur<ref name="SPLC">{{cite web |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/mike-cernovich |title=Mike Cernovich |publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]] |accessdate=February 25, 2020}}</ref> [[Mike Cernovich]] posed for a photo behind the [[lectern]] in the [[James S. Brady Press Briefing Room|White House briefing room]], each making an [[OK gesture]] at the camera. According to Britain's ''[[The Independent]]'', this "sparked outcry on social media" because the hand sign can symbolize [[White supremacy|white power]]. Fairbanks denied the gesture was racist, citing her partial Puerto Rican ancestry (her mother is from [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]]<ref name="Mother">{{cite web |url=https://www.newsweek.com/pro-trump-media-personalities-struggle-leave-alt-right-792085 |title=Pro-Trump media personalities struggle to shake 'toxic waste' of 'alt-right' brand |work=[[Newsweek]] |date=January 28, 2018 |accessdate=February 27, 2020 |author=Hayden, Michael Edison}}</ref>) to corroborate that she is not a white supremacist.<ref name=Shugerman>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/white-power-hand-symbol-cassandra-fairbanks-mike-cernovich-alt-right-white-house-a7709446.html |title=Two members of alt-right accused of making white supremacist hand signs in White House after receiving press passes |last=Shugerman |first=Emily |date=April 29, 2017 |work=[[The Independent]] |accessdate=February 25, 2020 }}</ref> After journalist Emma Roller tweeted the photo, which she captioned "just two people doing a white power hand gesture in the White House," Fairbanks sued in federal court alleging defamation.<ref name="Roller suit">{{cite news |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/a-pro-trump-writer-just-sued-a-fusion-reporter-for-accusing |title=A Pro-Trump Writer Just Sued A Fusion Reporter For Accusing Her Of Making A "White Supremacist" Gesture |work=[[BuzzFeed News]] |date=June 1, 2017 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Bernstein, Joseph}}</ref> A year later, the court found that Fairbanks failed to show that Roller posted the image with actual malice.<ref name="No defamation">{{cite news |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/writer-loses-defamation-claim-over-journalists-tweet/ |title=Writer Loses Defamation Claim Over Journalist's Tweet |date=June 7, 2018 |agency=[[Courthouse News Service]] |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Eakin, Britain}}</ref>
In April 2017, Fairbanks and [[Mike Cernovich]] posed for a photo behind the [[lectern]] in the [[James S. Brady Press Briefing Room|White House briefing room]], each making an [[OK gesture]] at the camera. According to Britain's ''[[The Independent]]'', this "sparked outcry on social media" because the hand sign can symbolize [[White supremacy|white power]]. Fairbanks denied the gesture was racist, citing her partial Puerto Rican ancestry (her mother is from [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]]).<ref name=Shugerman>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/white-power-hand-symbol-cassandra-fairbanks-mike-cernovich-alt-right-white-house-a7709446.html |title=Two members of alt-right accused of making white supremacist hand signs in White House after receiving press passes |last=Shugerman |first=Emily |date=April 29, 2017 |work=[[The Independent]] |accessdate=February 25, 2020 }}</ref> After journalist Emma Roller tweeted the photo, which she captioned "just two people doing a white power hand gesture in the White House," Fairbanks sued in federal court alleging defamation.<ref name="Roller suit">{{cite news |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/a-pro-trump-writer-just-sued-a-fusion-reporter-for-accusing |title=A Pro-Trump Writer Just Sued A Fusion Reporter For Accusing Her Of Making A "White Supremacist" Gesture |work=[[BuzzFeed News]] |date=June 1, 2017 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Bernstein, Joseph}}</ref> A year later, the court found that Fairbanks failed to show that Roller posted the image with actual malice.<ref name="No defamation">{{cite news |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/writer-loses-defamation-claim-over-journalists-tweet/ |title=Writer Loses Defamation Claim Over Journalist's Tweet |date=June 7, 2018 |agency=[[Courthouse News Service]] |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Eakin, Britain}}</ref>


Upon leaving Sputnik, Fairbanks spent April–November 2017 as a senior reporter at ''[[Big League Politics]]'',<ref name="BLP">{{cite web |url=https://bigleaguepolitics.com/author/cassandra/ |title=Cassandra Fairbanks |work=[[Big League Politics]] |date=April–November 2017 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Fairbanks, Cassandra}}</ref> which ''The New York Times'' has called "an obscure right-wing news site" given to promoting conspiracy theories and writing favorably about white nationalist candidates.<ref name="Obscure right-wing news site">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/us/politics/northam-fairfax-big-league-politics.html |title=With Northam Picture, Obscure Publication Plays Big Role in Virginia Politics |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 4, 2019 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Gabriel, Trip and Michael M. Grynbaum}}</ref>
Upon leaving Sputnik, Fairbanks spent April–November 2017 as a senior reporter at ''[[Big League Politics]]''.<ref name="Roller suit" /> In December 2017, Fairbanks became the Washington bureau chief for ''[[The Gateway Pundit]]''.<ref>{{cite web | website=LinkedIn | url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandra-fairbanks-504635b4 | title=Cassandra Fairbanks | access-date=February 17, 2021}}</ref>


===WikiLeaks===
===WikiLeaks===
{{Primary sources|date=February 2021}}
In October 2017, Fairbanks reported for ''Big League Politics'' that U.S. Representative [[Dana Rohrabacher]] (R-CA), after visiting Julian Assange at the [[Embassy of Ecuador, London|Embassy of Ecuador]] in London, where the WikiLeaks founder was in asylum, said that in exchange for a pardon, Assange would provide evidence that Russia did not hack the [[Democratic National Committee]] (DNC) during the [[2016 Democratic National Committee email leak|2016 U.S. presidential campaign]].<ref name="Washington insider">{{cite news |url=https://bigleaguepolitics.com/exclusive-washington-insider-tells-blp-president-trump-asking-seth-rich/ |title=DC WHISPERS Exclusive: Washington Insider tells BLP what President Trump is asking about Seth Rich |work=[[Big League Politics]] |date=October 25, 2017 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Fairbanks, Cassandra}}</ref>


In January 2020, [[NPR|National Public Radio]] subpoenaed Fairbanks seeking documents and electronically stored information relating to her conversations with Assange, among others, including journalists. The subpoena was part of a defamation lawsuit against NPR by Texas [[Money management|money manager]] [[Ed Butowsky]] over his purported involvement in a now-retracted [[Fox News]] story alleging that the murder of DNC staffer [[Murder of Seth Rich|Seth Rich]] was connected to the 2016 leak of DNC emails to WikiLeaks. Fairbanks's attorney responded that since the subpoena requested work product protected under the District of Columbia's [[Shield laws in the United States|reporter shield law]], "no documents or other things will be produced pursuant to the subpoena."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-subpoenaed-communications-ongoing-defamation-suit/ |title=Journalist subpoenaed for communications in ongoing defamation suit |work=U.S. Press Freedom Tracker |publisher=[[Freedom of the Press Foundation]] |date=March 3, 2020 |accessdate=March 3, 2020}}</ref> Fairbanks tweeted her loyalty to Assange, recalling that she'd camped outside Ecuador's London embassy for days "confronting the cops" who [[Indictment and arrest of Julian Assange#Arrest by the Metropolitan Police|ultimately arrested him]]. "NPR lawyers are on 90 different drugs if they think I would ever give up a single sentence of a convo I've had with him."<ref name="Drugs">{{cite tweet |number=1223810158314299393 |title=NPR lawyers are on 90 different drugs if they think I would ever give up a single sentence of a convo I've had with him |date=February 1, 2020 |access-date=March 7, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202164821/https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/1223810158314299393 |archive-date=February 2, 2020 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |user=CassandraRules}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=February 2021}}
In October 2017, Fairbanks wrote a story for ''Big League Politics'' about [[Julian Assange]].<ref name="Washington insider">{{cite news |url=https://bigleaguepolitics.com/exclusive-washington-insider-tells-blp-president-trump-asking-seth-rich/ |title=DC WHISPERS Exclusive: Washington Insider tells BLP what President Trump is asking about Seth Rich |work=[[Big League Politics]] |date=October 25, 2017 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Fairbanks, Cassandra}}</ref> In January 2020, [[NPR|National Public Radio]] subpoenaed Fairbanks seeking documents and electronically stored information relating to her conversations with Assange, among others, including journalists. The subpoena was part of a defamation lawsuit against NPR by Texas [[Money management|money manager]] [[Ed Butowsky]]. Fairbanks's attorney responded that since the subpoena requested work product protected under the District of Columbia's [[Shield laws in the United States|reporter shield law]], "no documents or other things will be produced pursuant to the subpoena."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/journalist-subpoenaed-communications-ongoing-defamation-suit/ |title=Journalist subpoenaed for communications in ongoing defamation suit |work=U.S. Press Freedom Tracker |publisher=[[Freedom of the Press Foundation]] |date=March 3, 2020 |accessdate=March 3, 2020}}</ref>


On February 24, 2020, ''[[Politico]]'' reported that Fairbanks had submitted evidence to the legal team defending Assange in his London extradition hearing.<ref name= Politico>{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/24/assange-grenell-intelligence-117244 |title=Assange fight draws in Trump's new intel chief |work=[[Politico]] |date=February 24, 2020 |accessdate=February 26, 2020 |author=Bertrand, Natasha}}</ref> The evidence consists of screenshots and recorded phone calls spanning October 2018 – September 2019 that Fairbanks had with Arthur Schwartz, identified by ''The New York Times'' as a "conservative consultant who is a friend and informal adviser to [[Donald Trump Jr.]]" Schwartz also had close ties to Richard Grenell, U.S. ambassador to Germany.<ref name="NYT 8-25-2019">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/25/us/politics/trump-allies-news-media.html |title=Trump Allies Target Journalists Over Coverage Deemed Hostile to White House |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 25, 2019 |accessdate=February 26, 2020 |author=Vogel, Kenneth P. and Jeremy W. Peters}}</ref> Schwartz told Fairbanks that Ambassador Grenell was "taking orders from the president" when, through covert, back-channel negotiations,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-gave-verbal-pledge-death-penalty-assange-sources/story?id=62414643 |title=US Gave Verbal Pledge of No Death Penalty for Assange |first=Tara |last=Palmeri |first2=Aicha El Hammar |last2=Castano |date=April 15, 2019 |work=[[ABC News]]}}</ref> Grenell facilitated Assange's April 2019 arrest by London's [[Metropolitan Police Service]] at the Ecuadorian embassy.<ref name= Politico/>
On February 24, 2020, ''[[Politico]]'' reported that Fairbanks had submitted evidence to the legal team defending Assange in his London extradition hearing.<ref name= Politico>{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/24/assange-grenell-intelligence-117244 |title=Assange fight draws in Trump's new intel chief |work=[[Politico]] |date=February 24, 2020 |accessdate=February 26, 2020 |author=Bertrand, Natasha}}</ref> The evidence consists of screenshots and recorded phone calls spanning October 2018 – September 2019 that Fairbanks had with Arthur Schwartz, identified by ''The New York Times'' as a "conservative consultant who is a friend and informal adviser to [[Donald Trump Jr.]]".<ref name="NYT 8-25-2019">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/25/us/politics/trump-allies-news-media.html |title=Trump Allies Target Journalists Over Coverage Deemed Hostile to White House |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 25, 2019 |accessdate=February 26, 2020 |author=Vogel, Kenneth P. and Jeremy W. Peters}}</ref>


On February 27, 2020, ''[[The Daily Dot]]'' reported that Fairbanks posted audio of a September 2019 phone call from Schwartz to her in which he stated that Ambassador Grenell "took orders from the president" in brokering Assange's arrest.<ref name="DailyDot">{{cite web |url=https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/assange-arrest-trump-grenell/ |title=Far-right blogger claims Trump ordered arrest of Julian Assange |work=[[The Daily Dot]] |date=February 27, 2020 |accessdate=February 27, 2020 |author=Goforth, Claire}}</ref>
On February 27, 2020, ''[[The Daily Dot]]'' reported that Fairbanks posted audio of a September 2019 phone call from Schwartz to her in which he stated that Ambassador Grenell "took orders from the president"<ref name="Periscope 25Feb2020 0141">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.pscp.tv/w/1ZkKzLgobAyJv |title=The phone call |publisher=[[Periscope (app)|Periscope]] |date=February 25, 2020 |accessdate=February 27, 2020 |people=Cassandra Fairbanks |medium=video}}</ref> in brokering Assange's arrest.<ref name="DailyDot">{{cite web |url=https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/assange-arrest-trump-grenell/ |title=Far-right blogger claims Trump ordered arrest of Julian Assange |work=[[The Daily Dot]] |date=February 27, 2020 |accessdate=February 27, 2020 |author=Goforth, Claire}}</ref> In a separate video,<ref name="Periscope 25Feb2020 1231">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.pscp.tv/w/1djGXQmwjYzJZ |title=So here's the story about that phone call and why I recorded it |publisher=[[Periscope (app)|Periscope]] |date=February 25, 2020 |accessdate=February 27, 2020 |people=Cassandra Fairbanks |medium=video}}</ref> likewise linked by ''The Daily Dot'' via embedded tweets from Fairbanks, she said that when she visited Assange at the embassy in January 2019, she told him the U.S. was arranging his arrest. In March, Fairbanks again visited Assange. After being sequestered in a room locked from the outside as officials demanded Assange submit to a full-body search,<ref name="Locked room">{{cite web |url=http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2019/march/26/julian-assange-clashes-with-ecuadorian-officials-after-embassy-locks-us-journalist-in-a-surveilled-room/ |title=Julian Assange Clashes With Ecuadorian Officials After Embassy Locks US Journalist in a Surveilled Room |publisher=[[Foundation for Rational Economics and Education#Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity|Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity]] |date=March 26, 2019 |accessdate=February 29, 2020 |author=Fairbanks, Cassandra}}</ref> Fairbanks was allowed to speak with him for only eight minutes (instead of the allotted two hours) in a conference room that she said was "filled with bugs and video cameras." Fairbanks also said Schwartz told her the U.S. would not "go after" Assange over the DNC leaks or for [[Vault 7]]—leaked [[CIA]] files detailing the agency's electronic surveillance and cyber warfare capabilities that WikiLeaks published in 2017. Instead, Assange would be charged only in connection with [[List of material published by WikiLeaks#Baghdad airstrike video|Chelsea Manning's 2010 leaks]].<ref name="DailyDot"/>


On September 21, 2020, Fairbanks's written statement was read in a London court during extradition proceedings against Assange. She recounted receiving advanced details from Schwartz about U.S. plans to charge Assange in connection with the Manning leaks. The [[Barristers in England and Wales|barrister]] representing the U.S. government questioned the partiality of Fairbanks, an acknowledged WikiLeaks supporter, and argued that "the truth of what Ms. Fairbanks was told by Arthur Schwarz was not in her knowledge." Fairbanks also said when Schwarz phoned her in October 2018, he "was extremely angry" and alluded to her nine-year-old child, "which I perceived as an intimidation tactic." He repeatedly told her, said Fairbanks, to stop advocating for WikiLeaks and Assange, saying a pardon would not happen. She added that besides informing Assange of all this during her January 2019 visit with him, "I also met with Chelsea Manning in person and told her that I feared they might come after her again."<ref name="Trump implicated">{{cite web|url=https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252489356/Trump-implicated-in-plans-to-prosecute-Assange-over-war-leaks |title=Trump implicated in plans to prosecute Assange over war leaks |work=[[Computer Weekly]] |date=September 21, 2020 |accessdate=September 21, 2020 |author=Goodwin, Bill}}</ref>
On September 21, 2020, Fairbanks's written statement was read in a London court during extradition proceedings against Assange. She recounted receiving advanced details from Schwartz about U.S. plans to charge Assange in connection with the Manning leaks. The [[Barristers in England and Wales|barrister]] representing the U.S. government questioned the partiality of Fairbanks, an acknowledged WikiLeaks supporter, and argued that "the truth of what Ms. Fairbanks was told by Arthur Schwarz was not in her knowledge." Fairbanks also said when Schwartz phoned her in October 2018, he "was extremely angry" and alluded to her nine-year-old child, "which I perceived as an intimidation tactic." He repeatedly told her, said Fairbanks, to stop advocating for WikiLeaks and Assange, saying a pardon would not happen. She added that besides informing Assange of all this during her January 2019 visit with him, "I also met with Chelsea Manning in person and told her that I feared they might come after her again."<ref name="Trump implicated">{{cite web|url=https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252489356/Trump-implicated-in-plans-to-prosecute-Assange-over-war-leaks |title=Trump implicated in plans to prosecute Assange over war leaks |work=[[Computer Weekly]] |date=September 21, 2020 |accessdate=September 21, 2020 |author=Goodwin, Bill}}</ref>


===Chelsea Manning===
===Chelsea Manning===
Fairbanks sent [[Chelsea Manning]] personal letters while Manning was in prison. After Manning's release, she and Fairbanks were on opposing sides in a protest in the Bay Area, though they later met over coffee to converse. In January 2018, Fairbanks provided a complimentary ticket and VIP wristband for [[Chelsea Manning]] to attend "A Night for Freedom" gala for Trump supporters.<ref name=DB>{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/chelsea-manning-i-was-a-spy-not-a-racist |title=Chelsea Manning on Her Alt-Right Partying: I Was a Spy, Not a Racist |work=[[The Daily Beast]] |date=January 26, 2018 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Burns, Katelyn}}</ref>
{{Primary sources|date=February 2021}}
"I don't believe anyone has done anything as remarkable as [[Chelsea Manning]] in my lifetime," tweeted Cassandra Fairbanks in 2013,<ref>{{cite tweet |number=394125926683770880 |title=I don't believe anyone has done anything as remarkable as Chelsea Manning in my lifetime |date=October 26, 2013 |access-date=March 7, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104234404/https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/394125926683770880 |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |user=CassandraRules}}</ref> two months after the soldier was sentenced to 35 years in prison and a dishonorable discharge for having disclosed to WikiLeaks nearly 750,000 military and diplomatic documents.<ref name="Manning sentenced">{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bradley-manning-sentenced-35-years-leaking-secrets/story?id=20021288 |title=Bradley Manning Sentenced to 35 Years for Leaking Secrets |work=[[ABC News]] |date=August 21, 2013 |accessdate=February 26, 2020 |author=Martinez, Luis and Arlette Saenz}}</ref> "I've been relentlessly supporting WikiLeaks since the first time I heard of them, and Manning," Fairbanks added in 2017.<ref>{{cite tweet |number=840206475440066563 |title=I've been relentlessly supporting wikileaks since the first time I heard of them, and Manning |date=March 10, 2017 |access-date=March 7, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104192936/https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/840206475440066563 |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |user=CassandraRules}}</ref>

However, after Manning's early release in 2017,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/exclusive-chelsea-manning-tells-abc-news-past-affect/story?id=47452624|title=Chelsea Manning released: The past 'is only my starting point, not my final destination'|website=ABC News|date=May 17, 2017|first=Nadine|last=Shubailai }}</ref> Fairbanks was disappointed to see her siding with [[Antifa (United States)|Antifa]] in a "March Against White Supremacy" at [[2017 Berkeley protests|Berkeley, California]], one day before a conservative "Free Speech Week" was set to begin.<ref name="Berkeleyside">{{cite web |url=https://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/09/24/chelsea-manning-addresses-crowd-anti-fascist-anti-milo-marchers |title=Chelsea Manning addresses crowd of anti-fascist, anti-Milo marchers |work=[[Berkeleyside]] |date=September 24, 2017 |accessdate=February 26, 2020}}</ref><ref name="East Bay Times">{{cite news |url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/09/23/uc-berkeley-free-speech-week-officially-canceled/ |title=UC Berkeley's 'Free Speech Week' officially canceled, appeared to be set-up from the start |work=[[East Bay Times]] |date=September 23, 2017 |accessdate=February 26, 2020 |author=Deruy, Emily and Louis Hansen & Lisa P. White |quote=For Manning with Antifa see photo gallery images 3 and 6.}}</ref> "It's a real shame," Fairbanks tweeted, "since many of us (like me) fought for her right to free speech for fucking years."<ref>{{cite tweet |number=911712800367550465 |title=It's a real shame since many of us (like me) fought for her right to free speech for fucking years |date=September 23, 2017 |access-date=March 7, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104184520/https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/911712800367550465 |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |user=CassandraRules}}</ref> Manning responded privately, angling to leverage the journalist's connections with [[Washington, D.C.|D.C.-area]] media influencers. In January 2018, Fairbanks provided a complimentary ticket and VIP wristband for Manning to attend<ref name=DB>{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/chelsea-manning-i-was-a-spy-not-a-racist |title=Chelsea Manning on Her Alt-Right Partying: I Was a Spy, Not a Racist |work=[[The Daily Beast]] |date=January 26, 2018 |accessdate=February 25, 2020 |author=Burns, Katelyn}}</ref> "A Night for Freedom" hosted by Mike Cernovich. In reporting the "far-right pro-Trump bash," ''The Washington Post'' identified Cassandra Fairbanks as a "prominent far-right Internet figure."<ref name=WaPo23Jan2018/>

[[File:Chelsea Manning, 20 January 2018.jpg|thumb|Chelsea Manning outside "A&nbsp;Night for Freedom" in New York City on January 20, 2018]]

Fairbanks later got involved in a public dispute with Manning, particularly over Manning's association of events Fairbanks invited her to with white supremacist-led violence at the August 2017 [[Unite the Right rally]] in [[Charlottesville, Virginia]].<ref name=DB/> "I&nbsp;really really really wanted to go along with everything because she has been through so much," Fairbanks tweeted, "but she equated me and my friends to Charlottesville knowing damn well that's bullshit. Sorry Chelsea, not cool."<ref>{{cite tweet |number=957010260212043777 |title=I really really really wanted to go along with everything because she has been through so much |date=January 26, 2018 |access-date=March 7, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028233533/https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/957010260212043777 |archive-date=October 28, 2018 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |user=CassandraRules}}</ref> Fairbanks insisted that "A Night for Freedom" was not a white supremacist event, and that Manning had been well received. "Tons of people went up to Chelsea and thanked her for what she did. Not one person was rude to her, even those who disagree with her actions. I would have impaled them with my stiletto if they had been—but our crowd isn't like that."<ref>{{cite tweet |number=955151745365233666 |title=Tons of people went up to Chelsea and thanked her for what she did |date=January 21, 2018 |access-date=March 7, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025104304/https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/955151745365233666 |archive-date=October 25, 2018 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |user=CassandraRules}}</ref>

===''The Gateway Pundit''===

In December 2017,<ref name="Begin GP">{{cite tweet |number=941069250667704320 |title=Former Young Turks Reporter @JordanChariton Sues HuffPost for $23.5 Million Over 'False Sexual Assault Allegations' |date=December 13, 2017 |access-date=March 7, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104182634/https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/941069250667704320 |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |first=Cassandra |last=Fairbanks |user=CassandraRules}}</ref> Fairbanks joined [[Radical right (United States)|far-right]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/02/15/media/far-right-blames-fbi-florida-shooting/index.html|title=Far-right says FBI, distracted by Russia probe, missed warning signs in Florida shooting|last=Darcy|first=Oliver|date=February 15, 2018|access-date=February 15, 2018|publisher=[[CNN]]|last2=Gold|first2=Hadas|quote=The Gateway Pundit, a far-right website known for peddling misinformation and conspiracy theories [...] }}</ref> news and opinion website ''[[The Gateway Pundit]]'' as its Washington bureau chief.<ref name=Antisocial/>


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 00:00, 18 February 2021

Cassandra Fairbanks
Born (1985-03-11) March 11, 1985 (age 39)[1][2]
OccupationOnline journalist
NationalityAmerican
Years active2014–present

Cassandra Fairbanks (born March 11, 1985) is an American journalist and activist. As a journalist, she has worked for the Russian state-funded international news agency Sputnik (2015–2017), and far-right American media websites Big League Politics (2017) and The Gateway Pundit (2017–present). As an activist, she is best known for "Find the Dancing Man," her 2015 social media campaign against fat shaming, and for helping to organize the DeploraBall in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 2017 inauguration of President Donald Trump.[3] A one-time supporter of Bernie Sanders, Fairbanks has received attention for her political transformation to a supporter of Donald Trump.

In 2020, Fairbanks submitted evidence to the legal team defending WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his London extradition hearing.

Early life

Cassandra Fairbanks grew up in a small town in central Massachusetts, an hour from Boston.[4] She says her family came to the United States in 1633 and built the Fairbanks House,[5] now North America's oldest surviving timber-frame house, in Dedham, Massachusetts.[6] After high school, she enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to study physics, but dropped out after a few months. Moving to California, she attended the Los Angeles Recording School and became a sound engineer.[4] In that capacity, she traveled the country,[7] working for bands in what Cosmopolitan calls "the Warped Tour vein."[4]

Activism

Fairbanks's activism began with Greenpeace environmentalism, followed by animal rights protests at SeaWorld and circuses. In 2013, she took part in the hacktivist collective Anonymous and helped run a popular Anonymous Twitter account.[4] By then living in Pittsburgh, she traveled to Ohio and helped organize the outcry over the Steubenville High School rape case.[2] In 2015, Fairbanks spent several months with Black Lives Matter in Ferguson, Missouri, amid civil unrest stemming from the 2014 fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer.[8]

Social media

In 2015, photos posted on the anonymous chat board 4chan[4] created what the BBC called one of the year's "biggest internet sensations"[9] by showing an obese, 47-year-old Englishman dancing exuberantly at a concert. "Spotted this specimen trying to dance the other week," the caption read. "He stopped when he saw us laughing."[10] Incensed at the fat shaming, Fairbanks launched a social media campaign to "Find the Dancing Man".[11] With a friend, Fairbanks created a GoFundMe account to locate the man and fly him to Los Angeles for a celebrity-packed party with 1,000 guests[12] at Avalon Hollywood, one of L.A.'s hottest clubs. The viral campaign raised $70,000 for anti-bullying and positive body image charities in the U.S. and UK.[13]

Shift to right

Violent protests outside the DeploraBall in Washington, D.C. on January 19, 2017

In 2016, Fairbanks "underwent something of a political transformation," according to BBC News.[9] Having begun the year as a supporter of Hillary Clinton's main rival within the Democratic Party, Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Fairbanks was by fall rallying her 70K Twitter followers to support Donald Trump.[9] In an October 2016 episode of BBC Television's Panorama, Fairbanks said, "I'm going to be voting for Donald Trump. I think that Hillary Clinton is a terribly dangerous person."[14]

Cosmopolitan subsequently named her a leader in the defiant Deplorable movement,[4] alluding to a campaign speech by Hillary Clinton. In January 2017, Fairbanks was one of the organizers of the DeploraBall, an unofficial inaugural ball at Washington's National Press Club to celebrate Trump's victory.[3] Threatening to shut down the black-tie event, Antifa circulated a list of "high-value" targets including Fairbanks.[7]

In 2020, Fairbanks claimed that trespassers set upon her house during on the night of May 31, pounding on windows, detonating fireworks directed towards her residence, and shooting firearms; she blamed Antifa for the incident. A supporter set up a GoFundMe campaign to help with moving costs, which accrued over $24,000.[15] Right Wing Watch published a report contradicting Fairbanks's claims, citing "conversations with eight of Fairbanks' nearby neighbors," "nonexistent coverage in local press," and a report obtained from the Metropolitan Police Department—all of which corroborated only the claim that fireworks were detonated approximately 100 feet away and no gunshots were fired.[16]

Journalism

Fairbanks's writing career began in 2014 as an outgrowth of her activism. At the Free Thought Project, she reported mostly about police brutality.[17][4] In 2015 she wrote for PINAC News, continuing to chronicle controversial policing around the United States.[18] That summer, she live streamed her own arrest while covering anti-police brutality protests on Interstate 70 in St. Louis.[19]

Also in 2015, Fairbanks was hired as a reporter for the Russian state-funded international news agency Sputnik, and moved to Washington, D.C., for the position.[4] In early 2016, while still with Sputnik, Fairbanks also wrote 10 bylined articles for Teen Vogue.[20] While working for Sputnik, Fairbanks was often a target of conspiracy theories by Louise Mensch; Fairbanks filed a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center against Mensch for cyber stalking and harassment.[21]

In April 2017, Fairbanks and Mike Cernovich posed for a photo behind the lectern in the White House briefing room, each making an OK gesture at the camera. According to Britain's The Independent, this "sparked outcry on social media" because the hand sign can symbolize white power. Fairbanks denied the gesture was racist, citing her partial Puerto Rican ancestry (her mother is from San Juan).[22] After journalist Emma Roller tweeted the photo, which she captioned "just two people doing a white power hand gesture in the White House," Fairbanks sued in federal court alleging defamation.[23] A year later, the court found that Fairbanks failed to show that Roller posted the image with actual malice.[24]

Upon leaving Sputnik, Fairbanks spent April–November 2017 as a senior reporter at Big League Politics.[23] In December 2017, Fairbanks became the Washington bureau chief for The Gateway Pundit.[25]

WikiLeaks

In October 2017, Fairbanks wrote a story for Big League Politics about Julian Assange.[26] In January 2020, National Public Radio subpoenaed Fairbanks seeking documents and electronically stored information relating to her conversations with Assange, among others, including journalists. The subpoena was part of a defamation lawsuit against NPR by Texas money manager Ed Butowsky. Fairbanks's attorney responded that since the subpoena requested work product protected under the District of Columbia's reporter shield law, "no documents or other things will be produced pursuant to the subpoena."[27]

On February 24, 2020, Politico reported that Fairbanks had submitted evidence to the legal team defending Assange in his London extradition hearing.[28] The evidence consists of screenshots and recorded phone calls spanning October 2018 – September 2019 that Fairbanks had with Arthur Schwartz, identified by The New York Times as a "conservative consultant who is a friend and informal adviser to Donald Trump Jr.".[29]

On February 27, 2020, The Daily Dot reported that Fairbanks posted audio of a September 2019 phone call from Schwartz to her in which he stated that Ambassador Grenell "took orders from the president" in brokering Assange's arrest.[30]

On September 21, 2020, Fairbanks's written statement was read in a London court during extradition proceedings against Assange. She recounted receiving advanced details from Schwartz about U.S. plans to charge Assange in connection with the Manning leaks. The barrister representing the U.S. government questioned the partiality of Fairbanks, an acknowledged WikiLeaks supporter, and argued that "the truth of what Ms. Fairbanks was told by Arthur Schwarz was not in her knowledge." Fairbanks also said when Schwartz phoned her in October 2018, he "was extremely angry" and alluded to her nine-year-old child, "which I perceived as an intimidation tactic." He repeatedly told her, said Fairbanks, to stop advocating for WikiLeaks and Assange, saying a pardon would not happen. She added that besides informing Assange of all this during her January 2019 visit with him, "I also met with Chelsea Manning in person and told her that I feared they might come after her again."[31]

Chelsea Manning

Fairbanks sent Chelsea Manning personal letters while Manning was in prison. After Manning's release, she and Fairbanks were on opposing sides in a protest in the Bay Area, though they later met over coffee to converse. In January 2018, Fairbanks provided a complimentary ticket and VIP wristband for Chelsea Manning to attend "A Night for Freedom" gala for Trump supporters.[32]

References

  1. ^ Fairbanks, Cassandra. "Profile". Facebook. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Graves, Ginny (June 6, 2013). "Attention Rapists: You've Met Your Match". Glamour. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Marantz, Andrew (January 30, 2017). "Trump Supporters at the DeploraBall". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Nelson, Rebecca (May 18, 2017). "Cassandra Fairbanks Loved Bernie Sanders. Now She's a Donald Trump Superfan". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  5. ^ Fairbanks, Cassandra [@CassandraRules] (April 22, 2020). "My family came to the US in 1633" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "The oldest Timber Frame House in North America". The Fairbanks House. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Marantz, Andrew (2020). Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation. Penguin Publishing Group. pp. 49–54. ISBN 978-0-525-52228-7. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  8. ^ McKew, Molly (October 3, 2018). "Brett Kavanaugh and the Information Terrorists Trying to Reshape America". Wired. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  9. ^ Regan, Helen (May 25, 2015). "The Fat-Shamed 'Dancing Man' Who Became an Internet Sensation Attends a Party in His Honor in L.A." Time. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  10. ^ "After Witnessing Cruelty Against Overweight Man, LA Group And Stars Offer To Throw Him A Dance Party". KCBS-TV. March 7, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  11. ^ Todd, Bridget (May 27, 2015). "Man shamed for dancing in public gets star-studded dance party". MSNBC. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  12. ^ "Fat-shamed 'Dancing Man' parties in LA". News Corp Australia. May 25, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  13. ^ Paxman, Jeremy (October 21, 2016). "Paxman on Trump v Clinton: Divided America". BBC World News. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  14. ^ Goforth, Claire (June 17, 2020). "Cassandra Fairbanks says she was attacked by antifa. Cops say it was fireworks down the street". Daily Dot. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  15. ^ Holt, Jared (June 17, 2020). "Cassandra Fairbanks Claims Antifa Attacked Her. Police Reports and Neighbors Say Otherwise". Right Wing Watch. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  16. ^ Fairbanks, Cassandra (2014–2015). "Cassandra Fairbanks". Free Thought Project. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  17. ^ Fairbanks, Cassandra (2015). "Conversations by @cassandrarules". PINAC News. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  18. ^ Miller, Carlos (August 10, 2015). "PINAC Reporter Cassandra Fairbanks Live Streams Own Arrest". PINAC News. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  19. ^ Fairbanks, Cassandra (January–February 2016). "Cassandra Fairbanks". Teen Vogue. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  20. ^ Feldman, Brian (April 11, 2017). "Anti-Trump Twitter-Hero Louise Mensch Has #Resisted Her Way Into Legal Complaint". Intelligencer. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  21. ^ Shugerman, Emily (April 29, 2017). "Two members of alt-right accused of making white supremacist hand signs in White House after receiving press passes". The Independent. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  22. ^ a b Bernstein, Joseph (June 1, 2017). "A Pro-Trump Writer Just Sued A Fusion Reporter For Accusing Her Of Making A "White Supremacist" Gesture". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  23. ^ Eakin, Britain (June 7, 2018). "Writer Loses Defamation Claim Over Journalist's Tweet". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  24. ^ "Cassandra Fairbanks". LinkedIn. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  25. ^ Fairbanks, Cassandra (October 25, 2017). "DC WHISPERS Exclusive: Washington Insider tells BLP what President Trump is asking about Seth Rich". Big League Politics. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  26. ^ "Journalist subpoenaed for communications in ongoing defamation suit". U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. Freedom of the Press Foundation. March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  27. ^ Bertrand, Natasha (February 24, 2020). "Assange fight draws in Trump's new intel chief". Politico. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  28. ^ Vogel, Kenneth P. and Jeremy W. Peters (August 25, 2019). "Trump Allies Target Journalists Over Coverage Deemed Hostile to White House". The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  29. ^ Goforth, Claire (February 27, 2020). "Far-right blogger claims Trump ordered arrest of Julian Assange". The Daily Dot. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  30. ^ Goodwin, Bill (September 21, 2020). "Trump implicated in plans to prosecute Assange over war leaks". Computer Weekly. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  31. ^ Burns, Katelyn (January 26, 2018). "Chelsea Manning on Her Alt-Right Partying: I Was a Spy, Not a Racist". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 25, 2020.

Further reading

External links

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