Republicans are fighting a war against misinformation to keep their constituents safe as they brace for Hurricane Milton to make landfall in Florida, including being willing to point the finger at members of their own party — and their presidential nominee.
The Category 4 storm is forecast to touch down overnight Wednesday — even while across the South residents continue to recover from Hurricane Helene — Republicans in the path of the hurricanes have come out forcefully against those in their own party pushing debunked conspiracy theories which could put people in danger.
Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida called out Georgia firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Wednesday telling her to get her “head examined” for suggesting someone is “controlling the weather.”
Last week, Greene, without specifying who “they” is, posted, “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”
Gimenez, on CNN’s “This Morning” with Kasie Hunt, added, “There’s no place for misinformation, especially when it’s on purpose, at times like this.” Before joining Congress, Gimenez was a career firefighter-paramedic and managed natural disasters as the former Mayor of Miami-Dade County.
Greene has stood by her comments, posting a meme and link to a Gateway Pundit article she says backs up her claims.
Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents storm-ravaged western North Carolina and has been on the ground assisting with recovery efforts, felt compelled to send a letter to his community fact checking a number of the outlandish conspiracy theories.
“Amidst all of the support, we have also seen an uptick in untrustworthy sources trying to spark chaos by sharing hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and hearsay about hurricane response efforts across our mountains,” he wrote in the letter. “I’m here to dispel the outrageous rumors that have been circulated online.”
“Nobody can control the weather,” Edwards stated, appearing to refer to his colleague Greene’s post on X.
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah also attacked former President Donald Trump for spreading disinformation, including about FEMA.
“Former President Trump told us that the people in Springfield are eating dogs and cats, alright? He likewise said that FEMA money, our emergency money, instead of helping the people that are being hit by the hurricane is being used to help illegals,” he said at an event in Utah earlier this week.
“He just makes it up. So he is able to spew enough disinformation that the Chinese must be smiling,” added Romney. “When it comes to a holiday from the truth, he’s taken the longest vacation.”
Trump, who has repeated baseless lies and distortions about the federal response, falsely claimed money earmarked for disaster aid has been given to migrants.
At a campaign rally in Michigan on Thursday, Trump falsely claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris “spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal migrants, many of whom should not be in our country.” He added in an election-related conspiracy theory, saying, “They stole the FEMA money, just like they stole it from a bank, so they could give it to their illegal immigrants that they want to have vote for them this season.”
The Biden administration has been outspoken against Trump for his comments, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CNN that there is a “massive misinformation problem, and this is something that actively harms the ability of responders to do their job.”
On Wednesday, Biden critcized Trump and Greene in public remarks for spreading misinformation – specifically calling out Trump for leading the “onslaught of lies” and Greene for making “bizarre” claims.
“Saying the money is needed for this crisis is being diverted to migrants. What a ridiculous thing to say. It’s not true,” Biden said.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who has endorsed the former president, broke from Trump, debunking a number of specific claims he has repeatedly fueled.
“We have to stay focused on rescue operations, recovery operations, clearing operations, and we don’t need any of these distractions on the ground,” Tillis said Sunday on CBS’ “Face The Nation.” “It’s at the expense of the hard-working first responders and people that are just trying to recover their lives.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who challenged Trump in this cycle’s Republican presidential primary, also warned residents in the path of a hurricane to ignore online misinformation.
CNN’s Sam Waldenberg and Andy Rose contributed to this report.
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