Political Consultant Behind Fake Sandy Tweets

A Twitter user who spread false information as superstorm Sandy battered New York City has been unmasked by BuzzFeed as the campaign manager for Christopher Wright, the Republican House candidate from New York's 12th congressional district. Among the rumors started by hedge fund manager Shashank Tripathi, using the name "ComfortablySmug," were that all power in Manhattan was being shut down and that the New York Stock Exchange had flooded.

Tripathi's rumors spread widely and were reported by several media outlets, forcing utility and transportation officials dealing with the crisis to take time out to deny them. Tripathi, who hung up on journalists requesting comment, has now tweeted a "sincere, humble, and unconditional apology" for his "irresponsible and inaccurate" tweets and has resigned from the Wright campaign. (More Hurricane Sandy stories.)