Former Georgia elections worker Wandrea "Shaye" Moss testified Tuesday that she loved her job — a job she held for 10 years — because her grandmother instilled in her the importance of voting.
But Moss, then an election worker at the Fulton County Department of Registration & Elections in Georgia, and her mother Ruby Freeman, also an election worker, were targeted by conspiracy theorists in the weeks after the election.
Users on websites like 4chan and Twitter zoomed in on CCTV footage, falsely claiming Freeman and Moss were moving a “suitcase” of illegal ballots. In reality, the “suitcase” was a regular box of ballots, NBC News reported. Freeman and Moss were identified by conspiracy theorists and far-right influencers, who falsely claimed the video served as evidence of a rigged election.
The conspiracy theories were later pushed by Trump in the days before Jan. 6, 2021, including in a call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
“I have lost my name and I have lost my reputation,” a visibly shaken Freeman said in a video of a previous interview played at Tuesday's hearing. “All because a group of people starting with number 45 and his ally Rudy Giuliani decided to scapegoat me and my daughter.”
Following the threats, intimidation and harassment she faced, Freeman said she won’t wear her favorite shirt that has her nickname, “Lady Ruby” on it, she won’t introduce herself by her name anymore and she even gets nervous at the grocery store.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox.> Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
“I get nervous when I bump into someone in the grocery store who knows my name,” she said.
U.S. & World
“There is nowhere I feel safe. Nowhere,” she said during another segment. “Do you know how it feels to have the President of the United States to target you? The president of the United States is supposed to represent every American. Not to target one.”
On Jan. 4, 2021, Freeman was visited by Trevian Kutti, a former publicist for Kanye West, who attempted to make Freeman admit to election crimes she did not commit, NBC News reported. Heeding advice from law enforcement, Freeman fled her home prior to Jan. 6, 2021. On that day, protesters surrounded Freeman’s home, which she had fled days earlier.
Freeman has since filed lawsuits against Gateway Pundit, One America News Network and Rudy Giuliani for their false reporting.
This is a live update. Click here for complete coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings.
