A quote purportedly uttered by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has gained momentum on social media and radio ― even though she never said the words.
A Facebook account that supports President Donald Trump posted a doctored photo that appeared to show Waters on CNN and a banner that read:
“Waters: SCOTUS pick should be illegal immigrant.”
The image made its way to Twitter. And even though there were plenty of tweets indicating that the quote was fake, other Twitter posts called Waters “unhinged” and an “imbecile.”
According to the fact-checking website Snopes: “On 28 June 2018, the ‘Trump Nation’ Facebook page posted what appeared to be a screenshot of a CNN interview with Waters, above a chyron reading ‘WATERS: SCOTUS PICK SHOULD BE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT’ and a ticker seemingly quoting Waters as stating that ‘It’s the only way the Democrats can ever win again.’ The ‘Trump Nation’ post was accompanied by the comment ‘… and this is why WE don’t watch CNN… They are bat shit crazy! SHARE if you agree …’”
Media Matters for America said the tweet was shared by many people, including a co-anchor of Los Angeles TV station KTLA, Daily Beast correspondent Jamie Kirchick, FoxNews.com contributor Stephen L. Miller, New York Post writer Kirsten Fleming, a deputy director at the conservative think tank Hudson Institute and the chairman of Young Americans for Freedom.
All of them later deleted their tweets.
Waters has been at the center of controversy since she urged opponents of Trump’s immigration policies to confront Cabinet members and White House aides in public. She recently canceled some public appearances after receiving some death threats, but later said, “If you shoot me, you’d better shoot straight. There’s nothing like a wounded animal.”
