For four hours after AP correction, Drudge flogged false claim about undocumented immigrants
SUMMARY: A Drudge Report headline stated "HILL REPUBLICAN: STIMULUS GIVES CASH TO ILLEGALS" and linked to an AP article that reported that "[t]he $800 billion-plus economic stimulus measure making its way through Congress could steer government checks to illegal immigrants, a top Republican congressional official asserted Thursday." A revised version of the article made clear that the claim is false, but the Drudge Report did not remove the headline and link to the original version of the article until roughly four hours after the new version was available.
A January 29 headline on the Drudge Report stated "HILL REPUBLICAN: STIMULUS GIVES CASH TO ILLEGALS" and linked to an Associated Press article that reported, based on a single anonymous source, that "[t]he $800 billion-plus economic stimulus measure making its way through Congress could steer government checks to illegal immigrants, a top Republican congressional official asserted Thursday." However, a revised version of the AP article -- available in the Nexis database at 8:02 p.m. GMT (3:02 p.m. ET) makes clear that the claim made by the "top Republican official" is, in fact, false. Nonetheless, the Drudge Report did not remove the headline and link to the original version of the article until roughly four hours after the new version was available, and as of 7:15 p.m. ET had not linked to the updated version of the article.
The Drudge Report, as of 6:38:58 p.m. ET:
From the version of the AP article linked to by Drudge, headlined "Hill Republican: Stimulus aids illegal immigrants":
The $800 billion-plus economic stimulus measure making its way through Congress could steer government checks to illegal immigrants, a top Republican congressional official asserted Thursday.
The legislation, which would send tax credits of $500 per worker and $1,000 per couple, expressly disqualifies nonresident aliens, but it would allow people who don't have Social Security numbers to be eligible for the checks.
Undocumented immigrants who are not eligible for a Social Security number can file tax returns with an alternative number. A House-passed version of the economic recovery bill and one making its way through the Senate would allow anyone with such a number, called an individual taxpayer identification number, to qualify for the tax credits.
From the revised version of the AP article, headlined "Stimulus seeks to bar illegals from tax credit":
Illegal immigrants without Social Security numbers could not get tax credits under the $800 billion-plus economic stimulus package making its way through Congress.
A senior GOP congressional official expressed concern Thursday that the bill could steer government checks to undocumented workers, but in fact the measure prevents anyone without a Social Security number from claiming tax credits of $500 per worker and $1,000 per couple. It also expressly disqualifies nonresident aliens.
The Republican spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. But Democrats were quick to reject the notion.
The other day someone was asking why MMfA was covering Matt Drudge and the Drudge Report. It's because his 'reporting' is so vile and misleading and can have a large impact.
If he wasn't so offensive and so well-known, he wouldn't be covered here.
"A senior GOP congressional official expressed concern Thursday that the bill could steer government checks to undocumented workers"
This top Republican (read, such a coward that he could not be public) had the 'concern' boogeyman straight. Let a 100 deserving Americans suffer because he is concerned that one non American might benefit.
Drudge, the Speaker of the House in the new Rush the Entertainers' cabinet. These guys are a joke. As previously mentioned, start-up the ConParty. Rush as President and Princess Sarah as VEEP.
The ConParty's cool, but it would be really transformed into the FunParty with Princess Sarah as President and Rush as VEEP.
Darkmass, your politcal knowledge is correct. Then Rush can be the driving force behind her. They should both like that.
Any bets on how long it takes for the wingnutty email forward version of this lie to start making the rounds?
Early tomorrow for it, they've been primed with a few other possible benifits to illegal aliens from the bill.
Oops I guess I'm already in early tomorrow.
We all expect that sort of thing from Drudge-ry. But how about some sort of accountability from the AP? This is supposed to be a "source" of news? Has basic journalist principal vanished completely from this "news" org??
I mean, is the AP really a news source or just a bunch of trolls looking around for ridiculous quotes and ridiculous unsubstantiated claims to make outrageous headlines so that Drudge & FoxNews.com will link to them to drive up online ad revenue???
Too "LATE" for this "Incorrect" AP Story "NOT" hitting the cable airwaves because N. Cavuto at FoxNews tried to debate this thing yesterday on his show. Cavuto went on and on about how this is wrong and tried to get a Supporter of the Recovery Bill to admit she and 'Liberal Democrats' see nothing's wrong with Illegal Immigrants receiving checks. The Supporter did not fall into the usual FoxNews Anti-American Trap in branding people who see things differently, and got Cavuto to back down from this non-sense.
Also, Cavuto tried to bring up that paying for Fish Barriers was a waste to another Supporter...and once more he was schooled into reality. This Lady Supporter of the Recovery Bill told Cavuto that to her the money set aside for the Fish Barriers means fixing the dams and levees like the ones that broke during Katrina - 'Smile'. Of course, Cavuto was not expecting this way of thinking and quickly thanked the Lady to go to 'a much needed break' - Smile again. Too funny to watch indeed.
"Cavuto went on and on about how this is wrong and tried to get a Supporter of the Recovery Bill to admit she and 'Liberal Democrats' see nothing's wrong with Illegal Immigrants receiving checks."
Typical FOX News ploy, "have you stopped beating your wife?" Present a lie as fact and ask you to defend it. You either do (and look like a nut or you don't and become their poster child promoting the lie).