"It was nefarious in nature, but it also let me know that I said something that put pressure on somebody."
For Matt Chipperfield, the request seemed like any other.
Since the St. Johns County fishing charter captain first learned last month the state could trade away 600 acres of his community’s pristine wilderness preserve, he’d been speaking to reporters and podcasters to spread information that he hoped would block the deal.
So when a person claiming to be a producer for “60 Minutes” called him May 19, Chipperfield figured it was just another inquiry. The person, who identified themselves as “Oliver,” asked him what he knew about the land swap and who he thought might be behind it. He also scheduled an interview.
But Oliver repeatedly rescheduled the sit-down, according to text messages reviewed by the Tampa Bay Times. The producer first cited food poisoning, then said “60 Minutes” had secured an interview with Gov. Ron DeSantis but the governor was running late. Eventually, Chipperfield stopped hearing back.
But the person wasn’t a producer with “60 Minutes” at all.
Read more at the Tampa Bay Times