A Georgia man is receiving an apology from the publishing group behind the film “2,000 Mules” after the video erroneously accused him of voting fraud in the 2020 election.
“America’s leading radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher targeting audiences interested in Christian and family-themed content and conservative values,” according to Salem Media Group’s website.
“We have removed the film from Salem’s platforms, and there will be no future distribution of the film or the book by Salem,” the group stated in the statement.
The extensively disproved movie features surveillance footage of Mark Andrews placing five ballots in a drop box in Lawrenceville, an Atlanta suburb, with his face obscured. Dinesh D’Souza, a conservative pundit and filmmaker, narrates the footage, saying, “What you are seeing is a crime. These are fraudulent votes”.
“It was never our intent that the publication of the 2000 Mules film and book would harm Mr. Andrews. We apologize for the hurt the inclusion of Mr. Andrews’ image in the movie, book, and promotional materials have caused Mr. Andrews and his family,” as per the statement.
Following a state investigation, it was discovered that Andrews was mailing ballots for his wife, three adult children, and himself, all of whom resided at the same location. In Georgia, that is lawful, and according to an investigator, Andrews did nothing improper.
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The movie makes the claim that Democratic-aligned “mules” were paid to gather and distribute ballots illegally in Georgia and four other states that are under careful observation.
It bases this claim on research from the Texas-based nonprofit organization True the Vote. It is predicated on false presumptions, anonymous accounts, and incorrect analysis of cellphone location data, according to an Associated Press investigation.
Salem stated it “relied on representations by Dinesh D’Souza and True the Vote, Inc. that the individuals depicted in the videos provided to us by TTV, including Mr. Andrews, illegally deposited ballots.”
Attorneys for D’Souza and True the Vote did not immediately reply to emails sent on Friday afternoon asking for an explanation about Salem’s remarks.
In October 2022, Andrews brought a federal lawsuit against Salem, True the Vote, and D’Souza. Emails inquiring as to whether the statement was made in response to the lawsuit were not promptly answered by officials for Salem or Andrews’ legal team. The case is still pending.
