The Liberal Gun Club Forum

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. said Tuesday that he is asking the FBI to investigate what he called a “criminal” smear campaign orchestrated against him by several disgruntled former board members and employees. Falwell told the Associated Press he has evidence that the group improperly shared emails belonging to the university with reporters in an attempt to discredit him. He said the “attempted coup” was partially motivated by his ardent backing of President Trump.

Falwell, head of the nation’s most high-profile evangelical college, was among the earliest Christian conservatives to endorse Trump’s campaign. His allegations come after the publication of a story in Politico Magazine on Monday that alleged Falwell “presides over a culture of self-dealing” at Liberty that has improperly benefited him and his family. The story cited unnamed sources described as current and former officials or Falwell associates.

He added that Liberty has hired “the meanest lawyer in New York,” whom he declined to identify, to pursue civil cases. Falwell also declined to identify the people he said were spreading the emails.

The Hill first reported Tuesday that Falwell had requested an FBI investigation. Falwell said he contacted the FBI last week after he learned that reporters were reaching out to Liberty employees about the emails he insists were stolen.

An FBI spokeswoman declined comment.

Cybercrime expert Nick Akerman said Falwell’s assertion of a criminal conspiracy is “totally insane.” Akerman said the ex-board members and employees can share emails with reporters as long as they had authorized access to them and didn’t hack into someone else’s account. He said trade secrets are also protected under the law, but Liberty wouldn’t be able to make a case there either.

“I don’t think any law enforcement agency is going to be interested in this one,” said Akerman, a partner at Dorsey & Whitney and former federal prosecutor.

Embattled Liberty University chief Jerry Falwell Jr. told a Christian magazine this week that he believed Jesus would be a hardcore capitalist were he alive today.

Via Right Wing Watch, Falwell Jr. said in an interview with Charisma News that he believed Christ’s teachings about doing what’s best for your personal business superseded his teachings about being merciful toward your enemies.

Specifically, Falwell said that Jesus’s teachings about turning the other cheek would not stop him from filing civil lawsuits against former Liberty University employees who leaked embarrassing emails he sent to other staff members.

“When you deal with people personally, you have an obligation to love your neighbor as yourself,” Falwell explained. “So this is not personal. This is corporate. … And I believe in Jesus’ teachings to do what’s in the best interest of the corporation, just like Donald Trump has a job to do. It’s in the best interest of the nation. So that’s my take on it all. And I’m glad to go to war. I just actually enjoy it probably a little too much.”

Falwell then alleged that there was a conspiracy to publish so-called “hit pieces” on President Donald Trump’s allies, although he cited no evidence to back up this claim.

“Everybody who supports [Trump] has been tagged recently,” he claimed. “I’ve been finding out from different people — I won’t name names — but there have been hit pieces on almost every one of them. I think they can’t get to him because he’s so tough, so now they’re going after anybody who supported him.”