Beto O'Rourke derailing Abbott's Texas school shooting presser was a 'political circus': Rove
Fox News contributor Karl Rove joined 'America's Newsroom' to discuss O'Rourke interrupting Gov. Abbott's press conference and the latest on the Uvalde massacre.
Several journalists were duped by a fake viral tweet on Thursday after a user claimed he was harassed by a representative of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, R., after his "nephew" died in the Uvalde, Texas school shooting.
"Uvalde Update: We were finally able to see my living nephews body to confirm identity. Shot in the face. While leaving to return home we were followed by what was assumed to be media, which win we do not wish to speak during this time," tweeted an anonymous user under the account @MyCancerJourne3.
A Twitter screenshot of the viral Twitter hoax thread involving My Cancer Journey (Twitter/My Cancer Journey )
According to the thread, the man received a knock on his door four minutes after returning home, where he was greeted by a representative of Gov. Abbott. The representative allegedly offered the man money to stand with the governor and say that the U.S. does not need stronger gun laws, and the user claimed the rep threatened him and his family for not going along with the plan.
"We responded with f--- you, try me and find out. Then we were told people get hurt and disappear all the time. F--- Greg Abbott and this harassment while we all mourn," the man claimed at the time.
But, there was one problem. The entire story appears to have been entirely made up. After a spokesperson for Abbott said the claims were "completely false," the account holder of My Cancer Journey insisted that his account was hacked and that he had no family members in Uvalde.
"Somebody somehow got into my account," he said. The account was deleted entirely some time on Friday.
Yet, this did not stop a number of journalists from falling for the story from the account, which made several other claims drawing skepticis. These claims and other information about the account were documented by journalist Andy Ngo in a Twitter thread of his own.
They included a 2020 tweet in which the man said a sheriff in Washington State had killed another one of his nephews and that he was the recipient of a Purple Heart. The man, who claimed to be a 9/11 first responder as well, has also boasted about shooting at cars with a Trump flag, among other anti-Trump posts.
Abbott's office denied the report in a statement to press outlets, saying it was patently false.
Far-left political commentator Keith Olbermann was one of several to weigh in on the man’s tweets.
"The nightmare continues. The DOJ needs to prosecute the office of Texas Governor @GregAbbott_TX for malfeasance and intimidation. Read this thread. I’m speechless," Olbermann tweeted.
Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann was duped by a viral Twitter hoax attacking Texas Governor Greg Abbott. (Keith Olbermann/Twitter)
Olbermann later apologized for amplifying the story, crediting CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale, who wrote he was confident the story was "fiction." Reached for comment by Fox News Digital, Olbermann responded with an obscenity for Fox's viewers and employees.
"Hey, @SpeakerStraus time to make a public statement and demand that [Abbott] explain this," Austin Chronicle culture editor Richard Whittaker tweeted, tagging Joe Strauss, a former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.
Austin Chronicle culture editor Richard Whittaker fell for a viral Twitter story about Governor Greg Abbott. (Richard Whittaker/Twitter)
Los Angeles Times columnist Patt Morrison amplified the thread to the attention of Abbott and her followers.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Morrison said, "I shared the tweet with Gov. Abbott's office seeking a response as to whether or not it was accurate. Once I learned it was false, I deleted the tweet."
"This entire feed. Read it. OMG," CBS46 news anchor Shon Gables chimed in.
Los Angeles Times columnist Patt Morrison and CBS46's Shon Gables react to a viral story involving Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The story turned out to be false. (Patt Morrison/Shon Gables/Twitter)
"IKYFL what!?" USA Today digital producer Brandon Gray added.
Additionally, Entertainment Weekly digital editor Yolando Machado, who goes by the Twitter handle @SassyMamainLA, called Abbott a "murderer" and asked where the FBI was while Abbott was out "bullying the families of victims."
USA Today's Brandon Gray and Entertainment Weekly's Yolanda Machado react to a viral Twitter hoax involving Governor Greg Abbott (Brandon Gray/Yolanda Mochado/Twitter)
Teresa Woodard, a weekend anchor and senior reporter for WFAA-TV in Dallas also got hooked into the Twitter thread, asking My Cancer Journey to contact her with more information about the story.
Katie Hall, the chair of the Austin News Guild, and a reporter for the Austin Statesman, also jumped on the story, as did several others in the Austin, Texas area.
Katie Halls' reaction to a now-debunked Twitter story involving Texas Governor Greg Abbott. (Twitter/Katie Hall )
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Nearly every single tweet mentioned above has been deleted.
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