America: From a Fallen Child Star to the Head of the University of the West

Chapter 96 Stacking Buffs

"Okay, okay then————"

In the following hours, the campaign headquarters truly entered crisis response mode.

Rachel drafted a three-page statement, which was finalized after repeated revisions by her team. The statement acknowledged that Sean had "lived an immature and irresponsible life" during his time in Hollywood, but emphasized that he had "deeply reflected on and changed," linking this personal growth to his political beliefs: "It is because I have been lost that I understand even more the feelings of those who are marginalized and ignored."

Unlike Sean's previous confession on YouTube, this report was less inflammatory and more focused on the topics of the previous debates.

At the same time, it is also very personal and emotional.

This was the first time Sean had shown vulnerability in public.

The statement concluded by strongly condemning "political smear campaigns based on biased information and anonymous allegations," and urging the public to focus on the candidates' policies and ideas, rather than gossip and rumors.

Finally, at noon, the statement was released simultaneously through all of Sean's social media accounts!

Almost simultaneously, Matthew launched the somewhat cult-like topic and released a short video of Sean. In the video, Sean sits in the living room of the makeshift headquarters, speaking directly to his supporters on camera: "Hello everyone, I'm Sean Penn. You're all familiar with my name."

"This morning, I saw some reports about my past. Some of them were true, some were distorted, and some were completely wrong. But I don't want to spend time refuting them one by one. What I want to say is: Yes, I have not been a perfect person. I have made mistakes and done things I regret."

He paused, then looked directly into the camera: "But who hasn't? The important thing is what we learn from our mistakes. I've learned responsibility, compassion, and humility from my mistakes. These lessons have shaped who I am today and my political philosophy, in a society more tolerant, more empathetic, and more willing to give second chances than ever before. I welcome everyone to monitor and inspire me, but above all, the most important thing is: unity!"

"————"

Within an hour of its release, the video had garnered over a million views. Under the hashtag Matthew started, tens of thousands of netizens began sharing their own experiences:

Some admitted to having been an alcoholic but later quit, some recounted kicking their fathers and stealing money from their families when they were young, and others shared lessons learned from failed marriages. Many of those sharing were not Sean's supporters.

However, they agree with the idea that "everyone makes mistakes, the key is to learn from them".

Sean, however, barely managed to read through the entire thing. To be honest, some people truly don't deserve redemption!

At 2 PM, Musk retweeted Sean's statement video, adding the caption: "Honestly, I don't want to quote the Bible, but this reminds me of Jesus saying: 'Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.' Similarly, I confess I sinned; I shouldn't have called the heroes involved in the rescue in Thailand pedophiles!"

Finally, he posted two crying emojis and attached a meme he'd gotten from who-knows-where: a picture of Jesus photoshopped with Sean's head, with the caption: "What matters is growth and redemption."

This tweet has once again attracted significant attention.

But that's completely a negative effect!

Fortunately, no one stuck him on the Faceless Man.

And then, the negative attacks didn't stop.

The New York Post then published a second article, this time directly naming two women: Lisa Moreno and Samantha Clark, the two young women Green mentioned who posed for photos with Sean. The article claimed that "there are sources" that they "may have been underage" at the time of the photo shoot and implied that Sean had "inappropriate contact" with them.

"They've crossed the line," Vincent said, his face grim as he looked at the report. "This is outright defamation. We can sue."

"Wait a minute," Sean tried to remain calm. "Let's wait a little longer—"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Matthew exclaimed, "Look! Lisa Moreno tweeted it herself!"

Everyone gathered around the computer. An account verified as "Yoga Instructor, Los Angeles" @Lisa—WelIness

She posted a long tweet: "I am the person involved. Lisa Moreno mentioned in the New York Post article!"

"First of all, I want to say that article is full of misleading information and lies. I met Sean Penn at a Hollywood party when I was 19 years old, we took a few photos together, that's all. There was no inappropriate contact," and no illegal activity. I was an adult at the time, and I have identification to prove it."

"Secondly, I am outraged that my photo has been misused in this way. It was just a normal moment for a fan to meet their idol, but now it has been twisted into a dirty innuendo by political infighting. This has caused real harm to me and to my life."

"Finally, I want to say: I don't care about politics and I don't intend to endorse any candidate. But I won't stand idly by and let my name and image be used in this way. Stop this dirty game."

The tweet included a photo of her ID card from when she was 19 years old, with the date clearly visible.

Two minutes later, another account, @Sam—DesignLife—verified as a "freelance designer in San Francisco," also posted a similar statement. Samantha Clark clarified that she was an adult at the time, that it was just a casual photo with Sean, and strongly condemned the media for abusing her image. She also stated that she did not support Sean Penn because his later acting was terrible and he was suspected of insulting women. Even so, she wanted to prove his, or rather, her, innocence.

"Green's quick," Sean thought to himself, blinking.

It wasn't just Green; he looked at the chain of retweets. Lisa's tweet was also retweeted by several influential women's rights accounts, all condemning the media for using women's bodies for political attacks. Suddenly, he felt like he was being bombarded with several layers of buffs.

Although feminist activists may attack themselves as well as others, he has received the least amount of attack overall! Optimistically speaking, isn't that a good thing?

In just one hour, the situation reversed. The New York Post's accusations became untenable due to the direct rebuttal from the person involved, instead sparking public questioning of media ethics. Many who had initially been hesitant began to sympathize with Sean, seeing him as a victim of political smear campaigns.

At 4 p.m., Charlie Kirk unexpectedly tweeted: "I have always believed that political debate should focus on ideas and policies, not digging up personal scandals. I agree with @..."

I disagree with many of Sean Penn's views, but I respect his courage to engage in intellectual debate; let's keep the discussion respectable.

We can talk, we can talk!

"Is he speaking up for Mr. Pan?" Vincent was both amused and exasperated.

"No, no, no, he's drawing a line," Kelly analyzed. "He doesn't want to be associated with such low-level defamation tactics; that would damage his image as a 'high-minded thinker.'"

"But he didn't defend me either," Sean said. "He just said that such methods shouldn't be used."

"That's enough," Vincent said. "His statement will stop some of his supporters from engaging in smear campaigns. The balance of public opinion is now tilting in our favor."

Indeed, the tide is turning on social media. Many centrist opinion leaders have begun to criticize the New York Post's reporting style, calling it a "degradation of political journalism." Even some conservative commentators have subtly suggested that attacking personal lives "is not the style of conservatism."

At 7 p.m., the small team held a debriefing meeting. Matthew reported on the day's data: Sean's total social media followers increased by 180,000; the total views of debate-related videos exceeded 20 million; and the public relations counterattack against the scandal reports successfully kept negative attention within a manageable range.

Everything seems to be moving in a positive direction.

"But we can't let our guard down!!" Kelly warned. "This is just the first wave of attacks. Harris Crane won't stop here. They might dig up more dirt, or change their angle of attack."

“Yes, I agree with Kelly. And we need to take the initiative,” Sean said. “Not by attacking individuals, but by setting a positive agenda. Next week, we will release our first policy framework: to bring public attention back to substantive issues.”

"At the same time, we need to continue expanding our organization," Vincent added. "Today's events have demonstrated our lack of a rapid-response media team. We need to accelerate recruitment."

Rachel raised her hand and said, "I have an idea. Since the previous topic was so successful, why don't we turn it into a series? What do you guys think?"

"Okay, that sounds good." Sean nodded. "Matthew, you coordinate this project with Sarah and Alan. Ray, you'll be in charge of content planning."

Rachel smiled slightly after hearing this, but quickly withdrew her smile when Sean's gaze swept over her.

After the meeting, Sean stood alone on the second-floor balcony. The Pasadena night remained quiet, but the distant downtown Los Angeles was ablaze with lights—truly a land of opportunity and danger!

His phone then vibrated; it was a text message from Green: "Pan, the clarification statements from those two girls were coordinated by us. Next time there's a similar situation, let me know in advance. Also: My friends were very impressed with your performance. They'd like to consider your friendship." How about arranging a meeting next week?

Sean replied, "Sure. You decide the time and place."