'Media is desperate': Washington Post slammed as Ted Lieu calls out 'completely wrong' report asking Biden to quit 2024 race

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Ted Lieu (D-CA) found himself at the center of a fabricated controversy over the weekend.

Reports circulated claiming Lieu had joined a chorus of Democratic voices urging President Joe Biden to withdraw from the upcoming presidential race.

The alleged remarks were purported to have been made during a private Democratic caucus call, according to a now-corrected article from The Washington Post stating, "Those who forcefully made the case for the president to drop his reelection bid were: Reps Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Joseph Morelle (D-NY), Ted Lieu (D-Calif), Mark Takano (D-Calif) and Adam Smith (D-Wash), according to the three on the call who were granted anonymity to discuss a private meeting."

Ted Lieu says report on him calling for Joe Biden to withdraw from race 'completely wrong'

The erroneous report, which falsely attributed statements to Lieu, prompted swift rebuttals from the congressman and media watchdogs alike. 

Lieu took to social media to clarify that he had not spoken during the caucus call in question and urged caution against believing unfounded claims circulating online.

"This story is completely wrong," Lieu emphasized in a tweet. "I never spoke at the House Democrats’ Rankers meeting today. Not a single word. Don’t believe everything you read on social media."

The Washington Post corrected its story after Lieu's clarification, stating: "A previous news alert incorrectly said that Rep. Ted Lieu was among the House Democrats who said on a private call Sunday that they wanted President Biden to end his reelection campaign. Lieu was on the call but said he did not speak. The post has been corrected."

The confusion was exacerbated when journalist Yashar Ali inadvertently perpetuated the misinformation by sharing the false report on his social media platforms, accompanied by a misleading photograph of Lieu and Biden together.

"California Congressman Ted Lieu, the Vice-Chair of the Democratic Caucus, said on a House Democrats call that President Biden should not seek re-election," Journalist Yashar Ali wrote on Sunday. "Lieu is now the highest ranking House Democrat to call on Biden to step aside from his campaign."

Ali later acknowledged the error, underlining the challenges of navigating accurate reporting in today's media landscape.

Allison Gill, a prominent analyst, expressed frustration with the incident, questioning the credibility of media reports in light of such blatant falsehoods. "What the f*** is wrong with people. Just posting blatant lies at this point," she remarked. "Good lord. We can't trust anything the media says at this point."

Netizens react to false information about Ted Lieu's political stance 

A social media user, "They just be out there sayin ANYTHING."

Another said, "What would have made this post better is directly saying that you fully support Biden and look forward to his second term. The media is desperate to fuel this narrative so disputing the lies is one step, showing how much support Biden has is the bigger step."

"It's awful how bad this is getting," claimed one user.

"You’re my congressman and I was hoping that this wasn’t true," read a tweet.

"I guess Democracy™ really does die in darkness," penned an individual.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.