Head of firms that pushed ‘Italygate’ theory falsely claimed VA mansion was her home: report

A woman who heads two firms that pushed an election fraud conspiracy theory known as “Italygate” falsely claimed a mansion in Virginia was her home, The Washington Post reported. 

Michele Roosevelt Edwards, who is in charge of USAerospace Partners and the Institute for Good Governance, claimed a $30 million mansion was her home during an interview with a television crew from Iceland.

The mansion is the historical North Wales farm located in Warrenton, Va., according to state records reviewed by the Post.

Edwards, formally known as Michele Ballarin, was questioned by the crew as she showed them around the home about the lack of personal items in the house. The crew also brought up that the property still being listed for sale. 

At the time, Edwards said the property was a recent acquisition, and that it was not for sale. 

According to the newspaper, the estate is owned by a company belonging to the late David B. Ford, a former financier who passed in September. When asked if she knew Edwards, Ford’s widow said she didn’t know her. 

“She’s in my house,” the widow said when the Post showed footage of Edwards from the interview. “How is she in my house?”

The outlet noted that Edwards is a realtor that sells home in the area, though the property was not for sale under her company. 

When reached for comment by the Post, Edwards demurred. 

“I am not giving media interviews at this time,” she said. 

The Hill has reached out to USAerospace Partners for comment. 

Edwards leads two companies — USAerospace Partners and the Institute for Good Governance — were involved in the election conspiracy theory “Italygate.” 

The theory stems from a letter that former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows emailed to acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen claiming that an Italian defense contractor worked with U.S. intelligence to corrupt the 2020 presidential election. 

More specifically, the theory holds that votes were changed from former President Trump to then-candidate Biden President by military satellites controlled by senior CIA officials and people who worked for the defense contractor. 

The letter was released by Congress among other documents this past week, and was written on letterhead from USAerospace Partners. Edwards, however, was not named in the letter. 

Her other company, the Institute for Good Governance, had a statement released in January with another group that said a hacker admitted to the Italygate theory.

At the time, Rosen did not investigate the theory and refused to set up a meeting Meadows wanted between the FBI and a man who was pushing the conspiracy theory.