Thread by @SethAbramson

(🔐) NEW at PROOF: Since I started this project in mid-2018, the top question I've been asked is, "Will Trump be held accountable?" The second most-asked question has been, "Is anyone who matters seeing your research?"

The second question is now answered. sethabramson.substack.com/p/proof-some-n…

1/ This is an issue I should've addressed earlier, and I'm annoyed with myself that I didn't. Critics of the PROOF project benefitted enormously from me not having the time or energy to give readers a sense of how far and wide—in politics and media—PROOF research goes every day.

2/ This one weirdo, who's now been stalking me for 4+ years, asked rhetorically in a 2018 article, "Does anyone still read Seth Abramson?" I was so exhausted by stuff like that—that particular article said I was in a group with a bunch of people I didn't know—I just did nothing.

3/ I knew that *dozens* of members of Congress were reading my work. I knew that 100+ people from the NBC family of media outlets were reading my work. But I felt like, why should I have to spend more than a moment dealing with such false criticism? But the questions kept coming.

4/ Literally the second most-asked question I got was, "Is anyone seeing what you write?" People felt it was impossible that media and politicians would have access to my research and do nothing. But the sad truth is, that's exactly what was happening. And now I've documented it.

5/ To be honest, I wouldn't have done this had I not located a tool that helped me conduct the research. And even now, after a few days of work on the article atop this thread, the index I've created is just the smallest drop in the bucket of what a full assay would/will reveal.

6/ I'd estimate that the index of politicians who are *confirmed* to regularly see PROOF content—which sublist presently numbers in the scores—is about 70% complete. Among the media outlets from around the world, maybe only one outlet is 70% complete: CNN. It lists 75+ followers.

7/ I don't believe any website has ever created a list like this. Ever. Anywhere. That may be because the tools to do this research only recently became available, and because very few people are as obsessive as I am about research. But this list, which goes on and on and on...

8/ ...and on and on and on, is going to stun a lot of folks. Some who spent the last 4+ years lying about who was or wasn't taking the PROOF project seriously, and who I just didn't have the energy to fight with, would—after reading this list—be hiding in shame...if they had any.

9/ So if you spend the $5/month it costs to get 100% of the research at PROOF, and have wondered whether this research is just the work of an obscure crank, now you know what percentage of Congressional Democrats are reading it. You know that every famous person at CNN reads it.

10/ You also now know how many media outlets around the world are reading. Keep in mind what the Introduction to the Index says: I *only* catalogued verified accounts that publicly announce an affiliation, and have only catalogued a *fraction* of such accounts so far. And yet...

11/ ...this list is already so long that it would take hours to pour through it properly.

Before my work on this is done, I expect the Index to contain *thousands* of entries (about 3,500, using my current estimate). What I've published tonight is just a taste of what's coming.

12/ What I'd like this to be is an end to the debate over whether I conducted the most thorough research on Trump—across 3 bestselling nonfiction books—during his presidency. And I hope it'll end any similar questions about my insurrection research.

*Everyone* is aware of PROOF.

13/ Today we heard gut-wrenching testimony from a group of heroes who testified before Congress. A new push to probe the January 6 insurrection has just begun in Congress, and a new chapter is beginning at PROOF, too. I want to move into this new era minus the baggage of the old.

14/ Anyone who thinks $5, the lowest monthly subscription rate Substack allows, is too much for the best insurrection research in the U.S.—research which is being read by Congress and everyone in media—is entitled to that opinion. I'm not going to debate that issue on this feed.

15/ But what I've published tonight is sufficient to end, permanently, the idea that as we move into a new era of insurrection research, PROOF isn't being read throughout DC and around the world by politicians and media in every corridor of power.

It is—and now you *know* it is.

16/ This is why I've dedicated my physical and emotional health to this research—to writing 180 articles in about 180 days at PROOF.

It wasn't just because I knew the research was sound and sourced, but because I always knew—as I could see who was reading—that it was being read.

17/ So please understand that I won't be answering questions anymore about where the research is going and who's seeing it, as I've made that data available to PROOF subscribers and will continue to update it over time. And if Congress reaches out to me—*again*, as it has before—

18/ —I probably won't be discussing it publicly. I've never doubted either the accuracy of the work or its importance or its reach, nor has anyone who matters. What I *have* done is let vile hacks enervate me out of confirming for readers the value/utility of what they're seeing.

19/ I apologize for taking so long to get this data out. Again, whether it makes you want to read PROOF is up to you. But if in the future you see trolls saying, "No one reads this guy or takes him seriously," understand the *proof* that that's BS is here: sethabramson.substack.com/p/proof-some-n…

20/ Now it's time for me to get back to work. The amount of material that I'm working on crafting into coherent articles is literally making me lose sleep. I expect to have new research for PROOF subscribers—and Congress, and 75+ CNN folks et cetera—reasonably soon. Be well, all.

(PS) This list has hundreds and hundreds of names of famous people on it. If for any reason you need your name not to appear on this subscriber-only list—I don't know why that would be, but anything is possible—contact me at my website (the link is below). sethabramson.net/contact

(NOTE) I'm still working on adding to this list; another member of Congress and 100+ journalists were added last night. The digital aide I'm using suggests the list is now ~33% of what its final size will be (keeping in mind the restrictions on what can be put on it). Stay tuned!