{"id":4081,"date":"2026-07-09T17:41:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T17:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4081"},"modified":"2026-07-09T17:41:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T17:41:20","slug":"cnn-falls-for-fake-gop-lawmaker-who-claimed-mitch-mcconnell-won-staring-contest-from-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4081","title":{"rendered":"CNN falls for fake GOP lawmaker who claimed Mitch McConnell won ‘staring contest’ from hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

CNN got duped by a notorious parody account after mistakenly airing a fake Republican congressman\u2019s fabricated account of a phone call with hospitalized Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)<\/p>\n

Read more Iran fires at US bases in Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain after second night of American strikes<\/a><\/p>\n

During Wednesday\u2019s edition of \u201cCNN This Morning,\u201d anchor Audie Cornish introduced a series of statements from Republicans who said they had recently spoken with the 84-year-old McConnell, who has been hospitalized since mid-June and has not appeared in public since then.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to just show some on screen,\u201d Cornish said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll saying, I talked to him, I talked to him, I talked to him for 20 minutes, I talked to him for 45 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alongside legitimate comments from CNN contributor Scott Jennings and statements attributed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), the network also displayed a post from the X account @RepJackKimble.<\/p>\n

There was just one problem: Rep. Jack Kimble does not exist.<\/p>\n

The account is a long-running political parody that claims to represent California\u2019s fictional 54th congressional district \u2014 in reality, the state has 52 House districts.<\/p>\n

The fake lawmaker\u2019s post initially resembled genuine messages from Republican lawmakers before veering into obvious satire.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky,\u201d the account wrote. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s so sharp. Just like always he let me do all of the talking.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post continued: \u201cAfter that we prayed silently for awhile and had a staring contest. Just like always, he beat me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The account\u2019s biography also identifies its owner as the \u201cco-sponsor of Poe\u2019s Law,\u201d a reference to the internet adage that parodies of extreme political views are often mistaken for genuine statements unless clearly marked as satire.<\/p>\n

The account has a history of fooling media outlets. <\/p>\n

According to the author\u2019s Amazon biography, the fictional congressman is \u201cthe brainchild of a Chicago school teacher\u201d who launched the character in 2009 and previously duped both the Huffington Post and the Washington Post.<\/p>\n

Read more Biggest unanswered question about Nolan Wells\u2019 death revealed by attorney who insists parents won\u2019t \u2018sweep it under rug\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Asked for comment, a CNN spokesperson referred The Post to the network\u2019s acknowledgement of the embarrassing mistake at the top of Thursday\u2019s broadcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday on the show, we displayed quotes from a Republican about Senator Mitch McConnell\u2019s stay in the hospital,\u201d Cornish said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of them was mistakenly taken from a parody account on Twitter. Now obviously we should not have done that and we regret the error.\u201d<\/p>\n

The latest blunder came as questions continue to swirl over McConnell\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

The retiring Kentucky Republican has remained out of public view for weeks while recovering in the hospital. <\/p>\n

His office has said only that he \u201ccontinues to improve\u201d and is working with staff on Senate and Kentucky matters.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Dem, this week urged McConnell to provide a fuller update on his condition, saying ongoing speculation was unfair both to the senator and to Kentuckians.<\/p>\n

After CNN aired the parody post, the Jack Kimble account mocked the network on X with a series of tongue-in-cheek messages poking fun at the on-air mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow dare they doubt my credibility,\u201d he wrote in one X post linking to the gaffe.<\/p>\n

In another, he included the screenshot of his X post being broadcast on CNN and wrote in the caption: \u201cCNN\u2019s extreme leftwing bias exposed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Jacob Tobey out as Spurs announcer after Instagram post alleges affair with player\u2019s sister<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CNN got duped by a notorious parody account after mistakenly airing a fake Republican congressman’s fabricated account of a phone call with hospitalized Sen. 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