New York, Nov. 9, (tca/dpa/GNA) – The Trump campaign has turned to literal fake news in an effort to continue their dubious legal efforts following Joe Biden’s win in the presidential election.
On Sunday, Trump campaign director of communications Tim Murtaugh tweeted an image that purported to be taken at campaign headquarters in Virginia of multiple front pages from the Washington Times with the headline “President Gore,” a reference to the contested 2000 presidential election.
“Greeting staff at @TeamTrump HQ this morning, a reminder that the media doesn’t select the President,” Murtaugh wrote, referencing the world’s media outlets following the lead of state vote counters to declare Biden the winner of the election.
A problem with Murtaugh’s defiant decor quickly arose when the Washington Times informed him that the front page was not real.
“Those photos have been doctored. The Washington Times never ran a “President Gore” headline,” the newspaper replied to Murtaugh on Twitter. “We also wish to add that Mr. Murtaugh has been officially notified via email about this error,” the periodical added.
Murtaugh deleted the tweet shortly thereafter.
Naturally, it did not take long for the actual front page to surface.
According to BuzzFeed News, the fake headline first appeared on the internet in 2010, 10 years after the election it spoofed.
George W. Bush, who defeated Gore in 2000, congratulated Biden and running mate Kamala Harris on Sunday.
“No matter how you voted, your vote counted,” Bush said. President Donald Trump has “the right to request recounts and pursue legal challenges, and any unresolved issues will be properly adjudicated,” Bush added.
In another now-deleted tweet, Representative Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican whose own family has campaigned against him in the past, called Bush an “expert on stealing elections.”
GNA