1. CLAIM — Nick Shirley exposes evidence that Gavin Newsom is paying for bot farms to generate fake engagement and support on social media, with comments from fake accounts having random photos, no posts, low followers, and repeating the same messages.1

2. VERDICT — UNVERIFIED.

3. EVIDENCE — Nick Shirley is a conservative YouTuber/investigator known for exposing alleged fraud in Minnesota daycares and California hospices/Medicare, drawing mockery from Newsom's office via an AI-generated meme portraying him as creepy at a daycare.23 The specific post by @WallStreetApes on April 9, 2026, claims Shirley "exposes" Newsom paying for bots based on reviewing comments (fake accounts, low followers, repetitive), with an embedded video/pic (pic.twitter.com/LeDLM9EpuE), but no independent verification of the video content or Shirley's direct statement/evidence found. Searches for Shirley claiming "Newsom paying bots/bot farms" yield only echoes of this post; no videos, transcripts, or reports confirm it. Shirley has mentioned "bots" in other contexts (e.g., on his Minnesota videos), but not tied to Newsom paying for them here. No credible evidence (financial records, investigations) supports Newsom funding bots; bot accusations are common partisan rhetoric on both sides.145

4. SOURCE CHECK — @WallStreetApes is an anonymous X account sharing viral clips/news on finance/politics, followed by figures like Elon Musk/Joe Rogan, but repeatedly fact-checked/debunked for misinformation (e.g., Snopes on false claims about US Institute of Peace funding terrorists, Clinton deportations, election videos; AFP on election fraud; accused of conspiracy theories like Hawaii lasers/blue roofs).6789

5. CREDIBILITY — 2 (sensational claim from low-reliability source; no verifiable evidence, primary source of allegation).

6. BIAS — RIGHT.