Presidential Candidate Beto O'Rourke Acknowledges Teenage Hacking Group Involvement
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke admits to his past involvement with the 1980s hacking group Cult of the Dead Cow and expresses deep regret over his disturbing teenage writings.
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke acknowledges his past involvement with the Cult of the Dead Cow, a renowned 1980s hacking group that coins the term "hacktivism" and develops tools to exploit Microsoft Windows. The 46-year-old candidate addresses this history during a campaign trip in Iowa, telling reporters that his participation is something from his teenage years that he does not take pride in today.
Under the pseudonym "Psychadelic Warlord," O'Rourke writes disturbing online essays, including a fictional piece at age 15 narrated by a killer who runs over two children with a car. He openly calls these past writings "really hateful, really bad stuff" and states that he feels mortified and incredibly embarrassed to read them now.
O'Rourke connects his past words to the current rise in hatred around the world, emphasizing that he must look inward and take full ownership of his actions before asking others to be respectful. He stresses that his teenage intentions do not matter compared to the impact of the words, and he commits to constantly trying to do better as he campaigns for the presidency.