How an X account pushed an unsubstantiated Tim Walz abuse allegation

With Election Day just weeks away, a pro-Donald Trump X account claimed to have insider knowledge that Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz had “an inappropriate relationship with a minor” when he was a public schoolteacher.

The X account, which posts under the username @DocNetyoutube and goes by the name “Black Insurrectionist” is known for spreading unsubstantiated claims. In September, the X account elevated the unverified account that an ABC News whistleblower had said the network conspired with Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign to set up the presidential debate in Harris’s favour.

On October 13, Black Insurrectionist posted that an unnamed, male former Walz student had contacted the X account in August, alleging Walz had sexually abused him in the 1990s when he was a student at Alliance High School in Nebraska.

Through more than 20 posts shared over almost 48 hours, Black Insurrectionist built the narrative around this allegation. But much of the purported evidence contained inconsistencies and inaccuracies. And the X account never offered verifiable proof to support the claim.

Still, some of Black Insurrectionist’s X posts about Walz were viewed millions of times. And this baseless story has spread to other social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads and TikTok.