Politics & Government
Mystery ‘reporter’ outside Mitch McConnell’s hospital has bizarre viral past: analyst
A former GOP operative revealed the viral past of the independent journalist who's been camped outside Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) hospital.
During an episode of Bulwark Takes, host Tim Miller went into detail about the history of Desiree Townsend, who also goes by the name Desiree Jennings.
According to Miller, Jennings has been doing "standups outside of the hospital of Mitch McConnell," whose recent hospitalization has raised concerns and stirred speculation.
"Her standups are kind of like a mix of Inside Edition and like Russia Today," Miller explained. "And like an insane person, she's going around like, 'We see Elaine Chao's eyebrows, and in the picture, they're different from in the last picture, and Mitch McConnell, how can you serve right now?'"
According to Miller, Jennings describes herself on her LinkedIn page as an "independent journalist," and her presentation makes her seem like a news correspondent from an established network.
"She's gaining momentum lately because a lot of people are interested in what's happening with Mitch McConnell," Miller explained. "It kind of has an air of authority, though in kind of an uncanny valley way."
Miller then explained that someone had flagged information about Jennings that shocked him. "I don't even think I can put words to it," he said.
Jennings used to be "an early viral sensation" and an ambassador for the Washington Redskins cheerleading squad who claimed she developed a rare neurological disorder called dystonia, according to a clip from Inside Edition that Miller played. The clip also featured Jennings bouncing and jerking up and down.
She claimed that she got the disease "after receiving a seasonal flu shot, causing dramatic spasms and slurred speech," continued the Inside Edition clip, which also revealed Jennings acting normally when she thought the cameras were gone. Miller laughed while noting that she also seemed to have a sudden British accent in the clip.
"My favorite part of the clip is she was able to both walk backwards and run, which is interesting," Miller said while cracking up. "It was like she couldn't walk sideways or forward, but she could walk backwards or sprint."
