Photo: Alamy
Election integrity group True the Vote has released a statement following the shocking Monday morning arrest of the organization’s founder, Catherine Engelbrecht, and contractor Gregg Phillips in relation to a lawsuit filed by election management software company Konnech.
“True the Vote calls for the immediate release of founder Catherine Engelbrecht and contractor Gregg Phillips, who were jailed for contempt today for refusing to deliver to Konnech the name of the third party who was present at a presentation of evidence of Konnech’s wrongdoing,” True the Vote declared in a Monday statement released via Engelbrecht’s Locals account.
“This evidence was provided to the LA District Attorney’s Office in their investigation of Konnech, which resulted in the arrest of CEO Eugene Yu,” the statement continued. “True the Vote attorneys are expediting an appeal seeking to have Engelbrecht and Phillips released.”
On Oct. 4, Yu was arrested by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office for allegedly storing U.S. polling data on Chinese servers – allegations he had previously sued True the Vote over, claiming that the organization’s statements about Konnech were defamatory and racist.
Although the two cases would appear to be inextricably linked, independent journalist Ivory Hecker, who attended the initial court hearing on Thursday, reported that Reagan-appointed Judge Kenneth Hoyt was oddly insistent that the two cases be treated as separate from one another.
“The judge doesn’t want to hear that the CEO was arrested,” Hecker noted, “even though he was arrested on the same allegations that Konnech is suing True the Vote for defamation over, saying, ‘Oh, you made this up because you’re racist against Chinese.’ Well, then why the heck did LA County just arrest the CEO if it’s made up?”
As part of True the Vote’s Monday statement about her and Phillips’ arrest, Engelbrecht noted:
“Trust, honesty, and respect will always be our highest values regarding both our work and our lives. As a result, we will be held in jail until we agree to give up the name of a person we believe was not covered under the terms of the judge’s TRO [temporary restraining order]. We ask that you keep us in your prayers. Thank you to those who continue supporting and believing in us and our mission to make elections safe for all parties and all people. Ever onward.”
Prior to her arrest, Engelbrecht reassured her Truth Social followers Sunday that, regardless of what came next, she and Phillips would be back in the election integrity fight before long, encouraging: “Be strong. Be courageous. Lead with love. We are a lot more alike than we are different. You have been entrusted to hold the line for this time. You can do it. Finish strong.”