(Credit: Spokesman-Review, screenshot)

An anonymous commenter defended her comment about an Idaho Republican party official, the Associated Press reported.  As iMediaEthics reported earlier this year, the Spokesman-Review newspaper in Washington state was subpoeaned for the identity of the commenter, “almostinnocentbystander,” and two other anonymous commenters by Idaho’s Kootenai County Republican Central Committee chairperson Tina Jacobson.

“almostinnocentbystander” had written about money from Jacobson’s organization and responded to two other commenters claiming that, in part, “a whole Boat load of money is missing and Tina won’t let anyone see the books. Doesn’t she make her living as a bookkeeper? Did you just see where Idaho is high on the list for embezzlement? Not that any of that is related or anything …”

Jacobson’s attorney, Matt Andersen, told iMediaEthics in July that the claims were “flat false.”

In mid-July, the Spokesman-Review was ordered to identify “almostinnocentbystander” but not the other two commenters, so Jacobson could sue for defamation, as iMediaEthics reported.  Later that month, a woman named Linda Cook identified herself and defended her comments as a “rude question that was highlighting a real problem.”

Cook said recently that “she had proof” of her claims and that Jacobson “is a public figure and thus must prove Cook’s comments were false.”