New posts stir up old unproven claims about Dominion Voting Systems, election rigging, Eric Coomer

Ahead of Election Day, former President Donald Trump’s supporters are resharing an unproven 2020 claim that a high-ranking Dominion Voting Systems employee told antifa members he "made sure" Trump wouldn’t win.

"Don’t worry about the election, Trump’s not gonna win. I made f-----g sure of that!" says a Nov. 1 Instagram post. The post attributes the quote to Eric Coomer, identified as Dominion’s director of strategy and security. The post also says Coomer made the statement while "talking on an antifa conference call." 

Other text on the post says, "(Repost) if you don’t trust Dominion voting machines and want paper ballots instead," and its caption says, in part, "More than ever we must rise up for the final battle!! TRUMP WILL WIN!! No WAY AROUND THAT!!!" 

The Instagram post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

Nearly identical images also are being shared on Facebook and X. They include no indication that this allegation originated in 2020.

This claim is unproven and is the subject of a defamation lawsuit. A judge fined the person who originally made the claim $1,000 a day for failing to produce evidence to corroborate the allegation. That fine is currently on hold pending an appeal.

On Nov. 9, 2020, nearly a week after Election Day, Colorado conservative activist Joe Oltmann claimed he had been able to listen in on an "antifa conference call" before the election during which a man named Eric from Dominion promised Trump wouldn’t win. Oltmann referred to him as "the Dominion guy."

"They're talking on this call and he responds, and I'm paraphrasing this, right. ... ‘Don't worry about the election. Trump is not going to win. I made effing sure of that. Ha ha.’ And everyone's like, ‘Yeah.’ And then somebody else responds ‘effing right,’" Oltmann said on his podcast, the Conservative Daily.

Trump allies and pro-Trump cable news networks such as One America News and Newsmax  amplified Oltmann’s claim.

PolitiFact has found no credible evidence that Dominion’s machines affected any vote tallies, and our reporting found Dominion Voting Systems was used only in a few counties that experienced minor problems which were quickly resolved. Those problems were the result of either human error or temporary malfunctions. Republicans and Democrats who run elections also say there was no vote-rigging using Dominion systems.

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stated on October 13, 2024 in social media posts

Video shows former Vice President Mike Pence endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Dominion Voting Systems was the subject of many debunked claims during and after the 2020 election. The company won a $787 million settlement against Fox News for repeatedly airing the false claims.

Coomer, who was Dominion’s director of product strategy and security during the 2020 election, did post anti-Trump comments on his Facebook page in 2016. Oltmann found the comments and aired them on his podcast.

"I don’t give a damn if you're friend, family or random acquaintance," Coomer wrote in one post. "(If you) pull the lever, mark an oval, touch the screen for that carnival barker ... UNFRIEND ME NOW."

Coomer told The New York Times in 2021 that the Facebook posts were authentic. But he said he never participated in an antifa conference call and never said the things Oltmann claimed he did.

"I did not participate in a scheme to rig votes," Coomer said in a court sworn statement. "I did not participate in an Antifa conference call or boast about my supposed ability to rig the election. Such conduct is antithetical to my belief system and would constitute criminal conduct."

Coomer filed a defamation lawsuit against OItmann and others who amplified the claim.

Oltmann has yet to provide evidence about the "antifa conference call" or how he gained access to the meeting. He has never provided details about the person who gave him access to Coomer’s private Facebook account, USA Today reported in September.

Oltmann also has yet to provide any evidence corroborating that Coomer said the things Oltmann has claimed.

A judge in the defamation case ruled in September 2024 that Oltmann owes Coomer $1,000 a day for as long as he continues to withhold evidence of his claims of election rigging, Colorado Politics reported. In October, the court agreed to put the fines on hold pending an appeal.

Newsmax also has retracted its claims about Coomer.

"Newsmax has found no evidence that Dr. Coomer interfered with Dominion voting machines or voting software in any way, nor that Dr. Coomer ever claimed to have done so," a 2021 Newsmax statement said. "Nor has Newsmax found any evidence that Dr. Coomer ever participated in any conversation with members of 'antifa,' nor that he was directly involved with any partisan political organization."

We rate this claim False.