Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey has released a statement on Facebook denying a recent report that he has been supporting Donald Trump’s presidential campaign behind the scenes.
“I am deeply sorry that my actions are negatively impacting the perception of Oculus and its partners. The recent news stories about me do not accurately represent my views,” wrote on his Facebook page.
An original report said that Luckey was financially backing a pro-Donald Trump group called Nimble America, and that he helped the group create Internet-wide memes that targeted Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Luckey also confirmed in the original report that he was behind a now-deleted Reddit account called “NimbleRichMan.”
But Luckey’s response contradicts this. He explains in his post that he contributed $10,000 to Nimble America because he thought the organization “had fresh ideas on how to communicate with young voters through the use of several billboards,” and went on to write that he is a Libertarian who “publicly supported Ron Paul and Gary Johnson in the past” and plans on voting for Johnson in the election on Nov. 8.
“I am committed to the principles of fair play and equal treatment. I did not write the ‘NimbleRichMan’ posts, nor did I delete the account. Reports that I am a founder or employee of Nimble America are false. I don’t have any plans to donate beyond what I have already given to Nimble America.”
Ben Collins, the author of the original Daily Beast report, responded to Luckey’s response by posting screenshots of an apparent email thread between Luckey and fellow co-author, Gideon Resnick, on Twitter.
.@PalmerLuckey Palmer, what you just wrote about NimbleRichMan isn't true. Or you didn't tell the truth in an email earlier this week. Pic.twitter.com/cRSDFosrEM
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) September 24, 2016
“I made the post, just not the account,” reads Luckey’s apparent side of the conversation, a response.
As Palmer Luckey Backtracks, Developers Turn on Oculus Rift
Resnick reportedly followed up asking if someone posted on Luckey’s behalf, but the author identified as Luckey responded by saying that he posted the body himself. He proceeded to offer to send an intro to the posts to Resnick, according to the screenshots.
Oculus VR, a virtual reality startup, is one of Facebook’s biggest acquisitions.
Coins2Day has reached out to Facebook for comment on Luckey’s reported involvement with Nimble America.