The owner of 8chan, the online message board that has been linked to mass shootings by liberal media outlets, has been summoned to appear before the House Committee on Homeland Security.
However, members of Congress who made the request on Tuesday are uncertain that he’ll show as little is known about Jim Watkins, 8chan’s owner, including his physical mailing address.
“Please provide the Committee with current physical contact information for you or your authorized representative in the United States so that you can receive communication from the Committee,” the House letter said.
BusinessInsider reports: Watkins, a US Army veteran, is said to have relocated his family in 2004 to the Philippines, where he reportedly lives today — raising pigs and running various websites, including an audiobook company and 8chan.
The letter, which included a Reno, Nevada, address belonging to a “Laughlin Associates,” was said to be delivered by mail, email, and Twitter. In it, the Committee said it “respectfully requested” Watkins’ presence at the hearing. It was not immediately clear what connection the Laughlin Associates address in Reno has to Watkins.
In its tweet announcing the letter, the House Committee included 8chan’s Twitter handle in an apparent attempt to make contact with the company. Given that 8chan then retweeted the letter, it appears the company is aware its owner had been summoned.
The request for Watkins to testify comes in the wake of Saturday’s mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, which left more than 20 people dead. The suspect, a 21-year-old man, is believed to have posted a manifesto on 8chan minutes before the attack advocating anti-immigrant and white supremacy beliefs.