Imagine toiling anonymously away on a game-changing tool for government transparency and accountability, playing a "game" with billions of dollars at stake — people have been murdered for far less — when suddenly your identity is revealed for the world to see. What would you call that?
DataRepublican (small r) calls it "Tuesday afternoon."
Regular readers here know that over the last several weeks, I've become a huge fan of Data Republican's tireless work. On her initiative (and at her own expense), she's made it possible for anyone, anywhere to investigate the dirty money flows that start with your paycheck, travel through Washington, and from there into the hands of countless questionable NGOs.
It's a miracle of our digital age that an amateur sleuth — albeit a highly talented one — can create those tools and make them universally available. Data R is the kind of person that, in a sane republic, we'd pin medals on. Instead, someone painted a target on her back.
"I have been doxxed," Data R revealed on Tuesday. "Rather than let others control the narrative, I am addressing this directly."
"My name is Jennica Pounds. I recently resigned from my job to pursue DOGE-adjacent efforts full-time. While my background check is still in progress, my ultimate goal is to work with the Administration to cut waste and improve efficiency."
I hesitated over republishing her name here, even though Jennica's post has been viewed (as of this writing) 4.5 million times. It just feels somehow tawdry, participating even in some tiny way in what happened, in no small part because she "gave up everything for this—my safety, my career—because I believe in what I am doing."
While these online games normally disgust me too much to play along, the stakes are too high to let Jennica's doxxer remain anonymous on my page:
It was just from reading her post last night that I learned Data R is deaf and was doxxed by another deaf person following her (somewhat) disguised appearance on a News Nation video podcast. She was on the show to discuss a $17 million USAID grant to an NGO and "the only thing they did with $17 million was make a terrible muppet show" that garnered 200 views per episode. That's 200, not 200 thousand or anything.
"Now you know why they doxxed @DataRepublican," Vigilant Fox posted at the previous link, "she’s exposing the entire corrupt NGO system."
More:
I am 100% Deaf and nonverbal. My lack of signing fluency does not make me any less Deaf. It is a result of a language impairment related to my autism called expressive dysphasia, which affects my ability to construct language fluently in real-time. This impacts my signing, speaking, and even writing, though writing allows me more time to correct mistakes. My interpreter and I spend hours refining my talking points to ensure she conveys what I mean, not just what I say.
For whatever it's worth, I've always found Data R's posts perfectly clear. Whatever difficulties she has writing them, the clarity of her communications is in no way hindered by her handicap.
Let me share a few replies with you.
Cynical Publius said, "We've got your back Data R. Do you want us to make the doxxer famous?"
"I’d rather get them reported," she replied. "They are also publishing my location too."
Ugh.
Even Data Mom joined in.
Maybe the most touching of all was United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin, a Missouri Republican, who replied to Jennica's announcement, "Please contact me or my office." Martin and Data R, you'll be pleased to know, have established communications.
Another data guy, Richard Crowe, added, "Upon further reflection, I realized the doxxing was an indirect attack on all of us. If Data were to retire from this role (which is completely understandable, given tonight's events), the American people would lose her insights to better understand what is being hidden."
Don't worry, she isn't giving up. "I am not backing down and I look forward to serving the Administration," Jennica assured her followers.
I've never subscribed to anyone's X feed or Substack, but as soon as I'm done with this column, I'll go subscribe to Data R's. She's earned at least that much.
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