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Lt. Gov. Beckwith says office found no evidence supporting social-media allegations tied to staff departure
Summary
Asked about a staff firing and reports of a deepfake video circulating online, Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith said his office investigated and found no evidence the allegation was true; he said the departing adviser’s position was eliminated for budget/need reasons and vowed to act if wrongdoing is discovered.
A town-hall questioner asked Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith why a staff member had been fired and whether that departure was linked to reports that someone in the office viewed or shared an explicit deepfake video. Beckwith said his office investigated the allegation and found "no evidence any way, shape, or form that it actually ever happened." He also said that if evidence emerges, those responsible "will get fired."
Beckwith told the audience the adviser who assisted in the transition had provided institutional knowledge during the legislative session and that the position was later determined to be unnecessary. "We just didn't have... there wasn't a need for that position anymore," he said, adding that he and the departing adviser remained friends and that the decision was driven by stewardship of tax dollars.
The lieutenant governor declined to confirm the identity of the source of anonymous media allegations. He said news accounts relying on unnamed sources were not substantiated by the office's internal review. No formal law-enforcement action or personnel-record details were announced at the meeting.
