UPDATE
Twitter has suspended the once-verified account of @DrJialun:
So, when do we get an explanation from Twitter on just what went on here?
The @DrJialun account is finally suspended. Will @TwitterSupport now tell us how an account that looks like it was formed specifically to promote CCP propaganda somehow got verified?
— Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) April 4, 2021
ORIGINAL POST
A verified Twitter account with the handle of @DrJialun that was started in March 2021 and has only 84 followers is going viral right now after falsely claiming “Trump insurrectionists” attacked the Capitol today:
Trump insurrectionists are attacking our Capitol again. Multiple reports that 2 Capitol police have been shot. https://t.co/gkGad08mou
— Dr. Jialun (@DrJialun) April 2, 2021
That, of course, was fake news but the account is still blaming former President Trump for what happened:
Earlier I made a tweet, in my misjudgement claiming today's attack on the Capitol was done by Trump supporting insurrectionists. This wasn't the case, however Trump and his supporters have denigrated the sanctity of the Capitol building and laid the ground work for future attacks
— Dr. Jialun (@DrJialun) April 2, 2021
If Trump supporters didn't storm the Capitol on January 6th, today's attack would have never happened. Trump is responsible. Republicans are responsible.
— Dr. Jialun (@DrJialun) April 2, 2021
But there’s something else going on here. This account is “super weird” to say the least:
Super weird twitter account. Blue check with 50 followers. Started account in march with a bunch of chinese propaganda https://t.co/yv1MCrPZqI
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) April 2, 2021
One of the account’s followers is Chen Weihua from the state-affiliated China Daily:
Even weirder? The LinkedIn bio (the link no longer works but we have a screenshot) from the Twitter profile makes no sense. Hospital Santa Cruz is in Brazil yet the account’s location is in the San Francisco Bay Area (and who even knows what job this “medical doctor” has):
That bio also claimed an affiliation with CNN:
Not surprising at all. pic.twitter.com/FMCErmWfth
— Andrew D Brooks???️?✝️ (@andrewdbrooks) April 2, 2021
It also appears that now-deleted LinkedIn bio was copied from this woman at Yale:
Their linkedin account has the exact same "About" section as this other profile https://t.co/JJ5cRIHIYU
They even stole the sas credential ID numbers! Which you can verify belong to leyi zhang, not chen jialun.
This is a clear fake. How the hell does this get verified?
— Chris Lamping (@ChrisLamping) April 2, 2021
From her LinkedIn page:
The header photo also appears to be unrelated to his current employment and appears in multiple other places. For example:
And now for the pro-China commentary:
China has administered 65 million COVID-19 vaccinations as of today. This is a big achievement by China's National Health Commission.https://t.co/O4Fn89zBSU
— Dr. Jialun (@DrJialun) March 15, 2021
China has invested in Xinjiang, modernizing the cities, building 21 airports, $1.2 billion in the last five years on upgrading and building new schools for children, linking the region with bullet trains etc.https://t.co/Vecz5vP6LC
— Dr. Jialun (@DrJialun) March 15, 2021
Xinjiang And Uyghurs – What You’re Not Being Toldhttps://t.co/Vecz5vP6LC
— Dr. Jialun (@DrJialun) April 2, 2021
Chinese FM: Over 60 countries authorized use of Chinese #vaccines. #China plans to set up vaccination stations for overseas Chinese in countries where conditions allow and roll out health certificates for international travelers to facilitate safe and orderly flow of personnel pic.twitter.com/TasRaG3NRr
— Dr. Jialun (@DrJialun) March 11, 2021
Over to you, Twitter. What is going on and how did this account get verified?
Screenshots for posterity:
***
Editor’s note: This post has been updated.
