FACT CHECK: Did Paul Gosar Send This Tweet About Being Called A ‘Moron’?
An image shared on Instagram purportedly shows a tweet from Republican Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar about being called a “moron.”
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Verdict: False
The tweet has been digitally fabricated. There is no evidence Gosar published anything similar.
Fact Check:
Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney called Gosar and Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green “morons” during a Feb. 27 appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash. “I have to think anybody that would sit down with white nationalists and speak at their conference was certainly missing a few IQ points,” said Romney. The comment was in reference to the representatives’ recent participation in the America First Political Action Conference, a “fringe right-wing conference with ties to white nationalists,” according to CBS News.
An image shared on Instagram, which has garnered over 340 likes, appears to show a tweet Gosar sent in response to Romney’s comments. “Mitt Romney says that speaking at a white nationalist event makes me a ‘moron,'” the alleged tweet reads. “Does he think that bothers me, being called stupid? I’ve heard it my whole life. From my classmates. My colleagues. My constituents. The media. My siblings. Every teacher I ever had. Nice try though.”
The tweet is digitally fabricated. No evidence of this tweet can be found on Gosar’s official Twitter page or on archived versions of his Twitter account. Politiwoops, a website used to track tweets deleted by public officials, shows Gosar’s last deleted tweet was published on Feb. 21, nearly a week before Romney’s criticism of him. (RELATED: Did KFC Send This Tweet About Black History Month?)
In an emailed statement to Check Your Fact, Gosar’s Digital Director Jessica Lycos confirmed, “It is indeed a photoshopped tweet.”
