Who is Tim Pool and why is he threatening to sue Kamala Harris for defamation?

YouTube personality Tim Pool and Vice President Kamala Harris are currently entangled in a legal battle surrounding a defamation claim.

For those enjoying a blissful existence free from YouTube political commentators, Pool started his career as a citizen journalist during the Occupy Wall Street movement. He gained recognition for his innovative use of live-streaming technology to cover events in real-time, a strategy that earned him accolades and even a spot in Time Magazine’s Person of the Year issue in 2011. Over the years, Pool transitioned from traditional journalism to becoming a popular YouTube commentator, often discussing political and social issues from what he describes as a centrist perspective.

As the famous saying goes, you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain. In recent years, he has been using his platform to promote right-wing views and conspiracy theories. His coverage of topics like immigration, social justice movements, and election integrity has frequently echoed conservative talking points, leaving some questioning his self-proclaimed political stance. As if that wasn’t controversial enough, Pool is now going after Harris for supposedly taking his words out of context.

Tim Pool vs. Kamala Harris defamation legal battle

The controversy centers around a Kamala HQ X account video clip posted on August 31, 2024. The post included the following text: “Trump operatives say their Project 2025 plan is to give Trump total, unchecked legal power so they can jail and execute those who don’t support Trump if he wins (They have since scrubbed this video from YouTube).” The video features Pool talking about how, after Trump’s victory, measures must be taken to persecute Democratic politicians who the YouTuber considers criminals.

Pool’s speech leaves no questions about his political alliances and shows how his “centrist” position is a farce he sustains to give himself more credibility. However, there seems to have been some confusion about the origin of the video. The podcast episode is still available online, just not on YouTube. Furthermore, the episode is not about the infamous Project 25.

Laura Loomer, a guest on the episode from which the video clip was taken, has provided additional context. According to Loomer, the episode was removed from YouTube during the live broadcast, not because of any discussion about Project 2025 but due to concerns about violating platform policies. Loomer states that she mentioned the constitutional punishment for treason being death, prompting Pool to end the YouTube stream and move it to Rumble to avoid potential penalties.

This is a complicated subject. Project 2025, mentioned in the Kamala HQ post, is indeed a genuine initiative overseen by the conservative Heritage Foundation. It includes detailed policy proposals for the next Republican administration. However, Pool states that he has never supported Project 2025 or called for jailing or executing political opponents. He argues that the Harris campaign’s post not only misrepresents his views but also poses a threat to his safety by potentially inciting violence against him.

Then again, while the video in question was not about Project 2025, Pool does have an entire podcast episode about the authoritarian initiative. Plus, Pool’s guest, Loomer, is up for executing traitors in the same episode. Of course, she also implies Democrats are traitors. So, there is some truth in the controversial tweet about Pool’s allegiances and political preferences.

For now, it seems like Pool has lawyered up and is going after the reparations he thinks are due to him. He’ll have to prove the Harris campaign lied about his political beliefs to win the case. That won’t be an easy task, even considering the context of the video used by the Kamala Harris HQ tweet.