Conservative leaders rallied Thursday against a smear campaign brought on last weekend by The Salt Lake Tribune against data guru, X influencer, and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ally DataRepublican, having eagerly made public the identity and occupation of her husband — a private citizen. The Tribune’s smear came on the heels of a larger targeting concocted by Rolling Stone aimed at revealing her real name — Jennica Pounds — along with her background and home as a proud Utahan and former tech worker.  In the letter, over two dozen conservative leaders blasted The Tribune’s work as a “gratuitous and outrageous attack” on Pounds and her husband, “portray[ing] her as the real mastermind behind DOGE’s cuts.” The signatories went onto demand the paper and all other smear merchants “ease their act of personal destruction” and return to “journalistic standards or be investigated for various IRS and consumer protection violations.”  You can read the full letter below: The difference between journalism and politics used to be one was about informing the public and the other was about persuading the public. Legacy media abandoned this distinction long ago. The latest example was the Salt Lake Tribune’s gratuitous and outrageous attack against one of the finest residents of that city: Jennica Pounds. Pounds became the focal point for The Tribune’s ire because of her crucial work for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Being an average American lacking the clout and means of Elon Musk, Pounds found herself on the receiving end of a targeted campaign which resulted in the doxxing of her husband and his small local distillery. Since The Tribune portrayed her as the real mastermind behind DOGE’s cuts, the paper might as well have put up a big flashing sign outside the distillery that read: “Send your hate here.” The Tribune’s so-called “reporting” was disgusting, violative of basic journalistic integrity and designed to punish those who do not cling to the leftist narrative that paper spews on a daily basis to its readers. It came at a time when President Trump, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and other Republican candidates have had attempts on their lives. But unlike most, they have protective details. Leftists have adopted a “whole of society approach” to their radical agenda. The sharp end of their weapon is the legacy media that wield their power with ferocity, targeting enemies like a guided missile. We, the undersigned, condemn The Salt Lake Tribune. We call on it and other print outlets to cease their act of personal destruction. They can either voluntarily come back into compliance with journalistic standards or be investigated for various IRS and consumer protection violations. Ed Molchany Publisher NewsBusters The Honorable George K Rasley Jr Managing Editor ConservativeHQ.com Mark J. Fitzgibbons President of Corporate Affairs Robert Romano Executive Director American Target Advertising, Inc.  American for Limitied Governmen Christie-Lee McNally President Raven Strategies Rick Manning President Americans for Limited Government Gavin Wax President New York Young Republicans Club Curtis Houck Managing Editor Newsbusters John Pierce Chairman National Constitutional Law Union James L. Martin Founder/Chairman 60 Plus Association Saulius “Saul” Anuzis President American Association of Senior Citizens Lieutenant Colonel Allen B. West (US Army, Retired) Executive Director, American Constitutional Rights Union Chairman, Dallas County Republican Party Member, 112th US Congress Kevin D. Freeman Founder NSIC Institute James Taylor President and CEO  The Heartland Institute    Thomas Lifson Founder and Editor Emeritus American Thinker Kristen A. Ullman  President Eagle Forum David Kupelian Editor in Chief WND News Center Deborah Weiss Attorney Floyd Brown Author Western Journalism Rod D. Martin, J.D. Founder and CEO Martin Capital, Inc. Marci Troutman Sr. Director Digital Technology American Target Advertising, Inc. Terry Schilling President American Principles Project Eunie Smith  President Eagle Forum of Alabama Jim Lakely Vice President & Director of Communications The Heartland Institute Dan Schnieder Vice President Media Research Center