Firm Linked to BlackRock Shorted Trump Stock Before Shooting
Austin Private Wealth attempted a significant short-sale of Trump Media ($DJT) stock prior to the assassination attempt. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Austin Private Wealth attributes the incident to a clerical error
A Texas-based investment firm has disputed allegations of attempting to short twelve million shares of Trump Media & Technology Group prior to the failed assassination attempt on the US presidential candidate, citing a clerical mistake instead.
Short selling involves borrowing a security perceived to be overvalued, selling it on the market, and then repurchasing it at a lower price to return to the lender, thereby making a profit from the difference.
Trump was addressing a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday when an assailant fired shots at him, grazing his ear, killing one attendee, and injuring two others.
The previous day, Austin Private Wealth LLC had submitted a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a put option on 12 million shares of $DJT. To some observers, this appeared to be a gamble predicting a significant drop in the company’s value, which would indeed occur if Trump had been assassinated.
An investigator on X (formerly Twitter) managed to capture screenshots from a Bloomberg terminal displaying the company's put option, which then vanished later in the day.
Additionally, others highlighted Austin’s major investments in Vanguard and BlackRock funds, insinuating connections to George Soros and the Rothschild family.
The perceived association with BlackRock amplified suspicions, as the suspected shooter had previously appeared in a commercial for the investment giant. BlackRock removed the ad following the attempted assassination, which they condemned as “abhorrent” and “awful.”
On Wednesday, APW released a statement on their website's homepage, aiming to quash the speculation.
“The SEC filing which showed that Austin Private Wealth shorted a large number of shares of Trump Media & Technology Group Corp (DJT) was incorrect and we immediately amended it as soon as we learned of the error,” the company stated.
APW asserted that they held 12 contracts, or 1,200 shares, not twelve million “as was filed in error,” attributing the mistake to a “third party vendor” that had multiplied all options contracts by 10,000. The filing was made on July 12 to reflect the firm’s June 28 position but was corrected on July 16 when APW identified the issue.
“We deeply regret this error and the concern it has caused, especially at such a fraught moment for our nation,” the company added, noting that they are “reviewing our internal procedures” to prevent a recurrence.
Those who shorted the DJT stock faced losses. Following the Butler incident, the stock's price soared from $31.25 to $46.17 a share, before settling slightly above $37.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
A Texas-based investment firm has disputed allegations of attempting to short twelve million shares of Trump Media & Technology Group prior to the failed assassination attempt on the US presidential candidate, citing a clerical mistake instead.
Short selling involves borrowing a security perceived to be overvalued, selling it on the market, and then repurchasing it at a lower price to return to the lender, thereby making a profit from the difference.
Trump was addressing a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday when an assailant fired shots at him, grazing his ear, killing one attendee, and injuring two others.
The previous day, Austin Private Wealth LLC had submitted a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a put option on 12 million shares of $DJT. To some observers, this appeared to be a gamble predicting a significant drop in the company’s value, which would indeed occur if Trump had been assassinated.
An investigator on X (formerly Twitter) managed to capture screenshots from a Bloomberg terminal displaying the company's put option, which then vanished later in the day.
Additionally, others highlighted Austin’s major investments in Vanguard and BlackRock funds, insinuating connections to George Soros and the Rothschild family.
The perceived association with BlackRock amplified suspicions, as the suspected shooter had previously appeared in a commercial for the investment giant. BlackRock removed the ad following the attempted assassination, which they condemned as “abhorrent” and “awful.”
On Wednesday, APW released a statement on their website's homepage, aiming to quash the speculation.
“The SEC filing which showed that Austin Private Wealth shorted a large number of shares of Trump Media & Technology Group Corp (DJT) was incorrect and we immediately amended it as soon as we learned of the error,” the company stated.
APW asserted that they held 12 contracts, or 1,200 shares, not twelve million “as was filed in error,” attributing the mistake to a “third party vendor” that had multiplied all options contracts by 10,000. The filing was made on July 12 to reflect the firm’s June 28 position but was corrected on July 16 when APW identified the issue.
“We deeply regret this error and the concern it has caused, especially at such a fraught moment for our nation,” the company added, noting that they are “reviewing our internal procedures” to prevent a recurrence.
Those who shorted the DJT stock faced losses. Following the Butler incident, the stock's price soared from $31.25 to $46.17 a share, before settling slightly above $37.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
