Despite one of Fox's own hosts acknowledging that the story “doesn't add up,” Fox News is hyping a New York Post article claiming the White House has turned its back on Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

The New York Post -- which, like Fox News, is owned by News Corp. -- published a story quoting an anonymous “ranking administration official” saying that Booker is “dead to us” because of recent comments about presidential campaign advertising. The story also quoted a “Democratic source in contact with both sides” saying of Booker “You're dead and done.” Fox & Friends hyped the Post article as its first segment of the day, with co-host Steve Doocy saying Booker wanted to be HUD Secretary, but “not anymore. 'He's dead to us,' kind of in mob talk. Bad headline today in the Post.”

The Fox & Friends co-hosts never mentioned that the only quotation from a named source in the Post article consisted of Democratic National Committee executive director Patrick Gaspard saying “Mayor Booker's comments are behind us and we are working together to re-elect the president in November.” Nor did Fox mention that the Post quoted other anonymous sources who disagreed that Booker is “dead to us.” The Post reported: “Other campaign insiders insist that Booker is not persona non grata, although he is in the doghouse and knows it.”

Even so, the story seemed fishy to co-host Gretchen Carlson, who said: “After he was apparently 'dead' to the White House, he still went out to Seattle and campaigned for the president a couple of weekends ago or last weekend. So some of the story doesn't add up.”

Nevertheless, Fox & Friends ran with this dubious, thinly-sourced Post article as its top story of the day.