As Milton misinformation swells, some Republicans try to course correct

 

Congress

As Milton misinformation swells, some Republicans try to course correct

 

As millions of Florida residents evacuate or hunker down in preparation for one of largest storms to ever make landfall in the state, some GOP lawmakers are urging them to check the facts.

 

By Irie Sentner and Andrew Howard

10/09/2024 09:42 AM EDT

Updated: 10/09/2024 03:01 PM EDT

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/09/florida-mtg-weather-posts-00183016

 

A handful of Republicans are pushing back against misinformation emanating from their own party about Hurricane Milton hours before the massive storm is set to pummel Florida’s Gulf Coast.

 

Former President Donald Trump and his allies have made increasingly bizarre and misleading claims about the federal response to Milton and Hurricane Helene, which hammered the Southeastern U.S. last month, leaving over 200 people dead. Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell said Tuesday that the conspiracy theories, especially those surrounding the agency, are “absolutely the worst I have ever seen.”

 

But as millions of Florida residents evacuate or hunker down in preparation for one of largest storms to ever make landfall in the state, some GOP lawmakers are attempting to redirect the narrative.

 

“We live in an era where if you put out crap online you can get a lot of people to share it and you can monetize that. That’s just the way it is,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Wednesday in response to a question from POLITICO about misinformation. “But if you are hearing something that’s just outrageous — just know in the state of Florida none of that stuff would ever fly.”

 

“Be careful about the nonsense that gets circulated and just know that the more titillating it is, the more likely it is that somebody is making money off it and they don’t really give a damn about the well-being and safety of the people that are actually in the eye of the storm,” added DeSantis.

 

Christina Pushaw, a spokesperson for DeSantis, cautioned people to beware of “outlandish claims” spreading online — while still disparaging news outlets as untrustworthy.

 

“If you wouldn’t believe a New York Times story based solely on ‘anonymous sources’ (and I wouldn’t), you shouldn’t believe engagement-baiting posts like these that make outlandish claims without evidence,” Pushaw said Wednesday on X along side screenshots of false posts that had thousands of likes.

 

“Likewise, you shouldn’t believe every tiktok video of someone crying in their car,” she wrote. “Anyone can post anything for engagement; there’s no way to verify if they’re telling the truth. Natural disasters like hurricanes are prime topics for online engagement-farming because people are paying attention to it.”

 

Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez was even more direct in targeting members of his own party, writing on social media Wednesday that GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and others who think like her that humans can control the weather need “to have their head examined.”

 

Last week, Greene wrote on social media that “Yes they can control the weather,” adding “It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.” It remains unclear who “they” is.

 

Greene has doubled down since her initial post, posting a meme that cited various patents as ostensible proof that the weather could be controlled. And Tuesday, she posted a link to an article in the ultra-conservative and sometimes conspiratorial Gateway Pundit that cited various scientific practices, including cloud seeding, as proof the weather could be controlled.

 

“NEW FLASH —> Humans cannot create or control hurricanes,” Gimenez posted to X on Wednesday in response to Greene. “Anyone who thinks they can, needs to have their head examined.”

 

A spokesperson for Greene did not respond to a request for comment on Gimenez’s criticism.

 

Even Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna — a staunch Trump ally — said Wendesday on X she had spoken with the White House and emphasized it was “taking all necessary actions to ensure that [DeSantis] and the State of Florida have the resources required to assist Floridians with hurricane preparation and recovery.”

 

That post came less than a week after Luna posted a video elevating the false claim that FEMA is underfunded because it is diverting disaster money to immigrants. (In fact, the agency’s funding for disaster relief and a migrant housing program come from completely different sources). On Friday, Luna joined Trump on stage in North Carolina, perpetuating the theory again.

 

And on Tuesday, North Carolina Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards , whose district was particularly impacted by Helene, took to his website to debunk the claims one by one.

 

“Nobody can control the weather,” Edwards said in the note to his constituents on Tuesday.

 

“I encourage you to remember that everything you see on Facebook, X, or any other social media platform is not always fact. Please make sure you are fact checking what you read online with a reputable source,” Edwards said in the post.

 

The White House has been bashing the misinformation around the storms for weeks, and it played majorly into a televised briefing Wednesday.

 

“Over the last few weeks there’s been a reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people,” said President Joe Biden. “It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken and will continue to be taken, and it’s harmful to those who need help the most.”

 

Biden specifically attacked Greene’s assertions about controlling the weather, slamming them as “beyond ridiculous.”

 

Emmy Martin, Arek Sarkissian, Kimberly Leonard and Mia McCarthy contributed to this report.