Dallas ‘faithless’ elector’s résumé, 9-11 response claims disputed

A Republican Texas elector who has gained lots of national attention for saying he won’t vote for President-Elect Donald Trump in the Electoral College apparently lied on his résumé about several accomplishments, including being a first responder on Sept. 11, 2001, according to an investigation by WFAA-TV.

Chris Suprun, 42, wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times this month saying he won’t cast his ballot for Trump when he goes to the state Electoral College on Monday.

Suprun said Trump “shows daily he is not qualified for the office.”

Suprun claimed in the second paragraph of the piece that “as a firefighter, I was part of the response to the Sept. 11 attacks against our nation.” He has been introduced as a 9/11 veteran before throwing out first pitches at MLB baseball games, he started a nonprofit called Never Forget and he has a large following on social media.

But his claims are questionable, according to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA’s investigation.

A first responder who spoke to WFAA only on condition of anonymity said Suprun told stories about fighting fire at the Pentagon on Sept. 11 as a Manassas Park Fire Department firefighter. The city of Manassas Park, Va., told WFAA that Suprun was hired on Oct. 10, 2001 — a month after 9/11 — and the fire chief said his department didn’t respond to the Pentagon or any 9/11 sites.

“It’s no different than stolen valor for the military,” the first responder told WFAA.

The rest of Suprun’s résumé is also fraught with inconsistencies. It was publicly available on LinkedIn when WFAA ran its story about the investigation.

His résumé said he was a paramedic with Air Methods air ambulance service, at the time WFAA ran the story, but a spokeswoman for the company said Suprun is not an employee there. His résumé also claimed he was a Freedom EMS paramedic in Dallas, but the Texas Department of State Helath Services records show there’s no such company.

WFAA found federal court records showing Suprun spent the last five years in bankruptcy and collected unemployment for part of that time. His résumé said he was working during that time frame.

Suprun didn’t respond to emails from WFAA. Phone calls went to a recording saying his voicemail was full.

Suprun has hired two public relations firms, and both responded to WFAA’s interview requests by saying his schedule is too busy.

Suprun is expected in Austin on Monday with the rest of Texas’ electors.

This story was originally published December 16, 2016 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Dallas ‘faithless’ elector’s résumé, 9-11 response claims disputed."