A GOP congressman got busted sharing a fake photo of former President Barack Obama on social media and then proceeded to have a full-scale hissy fit when he was criticized for his blatant attempt to spread fake news in support of President Donald Trump.
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) tweeted out a photo of Obama meeting with and shaking the hand of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, even though such a meeting never took place:
The world is a better place without these guys in power. pic.twitter.com/gDoXQu9vO5
— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) January 6, 2020
It didn’t take long before Andrew Kaczynski of CNN responded to Gosar, revealing that the actual photo of Obama had been taken in 2011, and he had been meeting with former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh:
U.S. congressman sharing a fake photo. This photoshopped from Obama meeting India’s prime minister. https://t.co/7UMjyPwFDQ pic.twitter.com/ckRZx3ktok
— andrew kaczynski? (@KFILE) January 6, 2020
Journalist Daniel Medina concurred with Kaczynski:
1. This photo is a fake photoshop effort. Obama never met with @HassanRouhani. 2) Rouhani *is still* president of Iran. @DrPaulGosar is a US congressman but yet tweets out this kind of blatant misinformation. https://t.co/aRHuJh51vk
— Daniel Medina (@dmedin11) January 6, 2020
Even though he’d been cold busted in his lie, Gosar decided to double down, claiming he’d never said the photo wasn’t photoshopped (then again, he never said it WAS photoshopped, either):
1. To the dim witted reporters like @dmedin11: no one said this wasn’t photoshopped. No one said the president of Iran was dead. No one said Obama met with Rouhani in person.
The tweet says: “the world is a better place without either of them in power”. https://t.co/zwLPPXniQh— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) January 6, 2020
Gosar also tried to assert that his posting was honest, even though the photo was anything but:
2. The point remains to all but the dimmest: Obama coddled, appeased, nurtured and protected the worlds No. 1 sponsor of terror. The world is better without Obama as president. The world will be better off without Rouhani.
— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) January 6, 2020
Social media quickly let Gosar have a heavy dose of scorn and ridicule:
The world would be a better place if elected officials didn’t share photoshopped images and take pride in being ignorant. This is irresponsible. https://t.co/fT5uwf5FNb
— Sean Casten (@SeanCasten) January 6, 2020
“no one said this isn’t photoshopped” is the Gettysburg address of modern politics
— Sean Morrow (@snmrrw) January 6, 2020
You are just an idiot for tweeting it out in the first place. I hope AZ kicks you to the curbside in November. You are despicable, & a complete #TrumpChump. Here is a picture of your master shaking hands w/his hero, a tyrant & a man who kills his own people. You must be in love! pic.twitter.com/SKHlmhzm1W
— Tiny Dancer (@ReelDancing) January 6, 2020
Memo to Paul Gosar: Delete your Twitter account.
Featured Image Via Twitter
