The Associated Press was recently caught making false claims in a story about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). After the facts were revealed, the news outlet quickly received pushback from conservatives on social media. After getting called out. the AP, which was recently banned from specific White House spaces, edited the story.
AP Pentagon correspondent Tara Copp posted on X, “@FAANews: FAA staff fired over the weekend included personnel that worked radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, among others. Hundreds were fired, just weeks after a fatal mid-air collision in DC killed 67. One employee said they were harassed on Facebook by @DOGE prior to being fired.”
The post linked to a story whose main source was an individual named Charles Spitzer-Stadtlander. He claimed he was among “several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees [recently fired], upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.”
The article added, “Spitzer-Stadtlander is Jewish and was angered by Musk’s straight-arm gesture at Trump’s inauguration. On his personal Facebook page, he urged friends to get rid of their Teslas and X accounts in response.” The source then claimed he was harassed by the official DOGE Facebook account and eventually fired.
“The official DOGE Facebook page started harassing me on my personal Facebook account after I criticized Tesla and Twitter,” Spitzer-Stadtlander shared on LinkedIn. “Less than a week later, I was fired, despite my position allegedly being exempted due to national security.” He added, “When DOGE fired me they turned off my computer and wiped all of my files without warning.”
However, it was quickly revealed that there were factual errors in the story. Trump administration White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt set the record straight, responding on X, “More fake news from the @AP…1. DOGE doesn’t even have a Facebook page 2. No air traffic controllers nor any professionals who perform safety critical functions were terminated.”
The AP reportedly edited the story, which read, “Spitzer-Stadtlander said that post drew the attention of a Facebook account labeled “Department of Government Efficiency,” which reacted with a laughing emoji. Soon after, he saw the same account reacting to much older posts through his personal Facebook feed.” However, the source’s testimony clearly stated it was the “official” DOGE page.
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Recently, the AP was barred from certain spaces in the White House, such as the Oval Office and Air Force One, over their disagreement with the Gulf of America name change. “The Associated Press continues to ignore the lawful geographic name change of the Gulf of America,” said White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich. “This decision is not just divisive, but it also exposes the Associated Press’ commitment to misinformation.”
The statement continued, “While their right to irresponsible and dishonest reporting is protected by the First Amendment, it does not ensure their privilege of unfettered access to limited spaces, like the Oval Office and Air Force One. Going forward, that space will now be opened up to the many thousands of reporters who have been barred from covering these intimate areas of the administration. Associated Press journalists and photographers will retain their credentials to the White House complex.”
Watch Musk highlight “staggering” waste in the federal government below:
Featured image credit: U.S. Air Force / Trevor Cokley, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elon_Musk_Colorado_2022_(cropped2).jpg