Fact Check: Did Kamala Harris get National Guard to fill hurricane aid supply plane just for photo op?

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: Vice President Kamala Harris faced allegations of directing the National Guard to load a plane with supplies for hurricane victims purely for a photo op, and the supplies never reached the hands of the victims.

The accusation was made by Jonathan Howard and Charlie Keebaugh, members of Aerial Recovery, a nonprofit organization, during their guest appearances in the 'Shawn Ryan Show' podcast on October 10.

Kamala Harris accused of photo-op with Hurricane Helene supplies

"I had a squadron commander from North Carolina reach out to me. They had to load a C-17 full of supplies just to take a photo-op for Kamala, and they never sent the bird," Jonathan Howard claimed in the podcast.

The assertion stemmed from the guests' criticisms of the US government's response to Hurricane Helene, which caused extensive damage throughout western North Carolina.

Howard doubled down on his claim that the entire C-17 was loaded with supplies for hurricane victims only for the vice president to take a photo or video, and the aircraft never took off the ground.

At least 123 have reportedly died in North Carolina in the catastrophic storm.

The Democratic presidential candidate did visit the Tar Heel State following the category 4 Hurricane Helene and stood before a C-17 plane with military personnel to vow continued federal assistance for those affected.

False: Kamala Harris did not do a photo op in front of C-17 filled with hurricane relief supplies

In light of the accusation quickly gaining ground, Shawn Ryan, who runs the podcast, came in defense of Kamala Harris, confirming that the claims made by the guests on his show were false.

The former Navy seal, in a video message posted on X (formerly Twitter), stated the assertion was "misinformation."

On Friday, October 11, in the morning, a day after the episode was aired, he received a message from one of the crew members on the cargo plane who confirmed the claim was partially true because the supplies failed to be delivered on the day of Harris' visit.

However, the reason was a technical crisis with the specific C-17, and the supplies were transferred to another plane, which reached the destination the very next day. Confirming the delivery, Ryan implied that Harris was not posing for just a photo.

A spokesperson for the North Carolina National Guard also denied the accusations, assuring Fox News the flight was canceled due to a mechanical mishap at the last minute, as per Daily Mail, and a separate plane delivered the supplies.