Media

Ocasio-Cortez slams ‘disgusting’ right-wing site for publishing fake nude photo

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is firing back at what she called “completely disgusting behavior” from the right-wing outlet The Daily Caller for publishing a fake nude photo of her with a misleading headline.

“GOP have been losing their mind + frothing at the mouth all week, so this was just a matter of time,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Wednesday night. She added that a reporter from the Daily Mail, a British tabloid, was “going to my boyfriend’s relative’s homes+offering them cash for ‘stories.’”

“Women in leadership face more scrutiny. Period,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.

 

The Daily Caller, which was co-founded by Fox News host Tucker Carlson, expressed regret for its headline, which had read “Here’s the Photo Some People Described as a Nude Selfie of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.”

“We regret the error, as the intent was to inform our audience that a fake image was circulating online,” The Daily Caller said in a tweet, noting editors “rapidly had it deleted and fixed.”

Geoffrey Ingersoll, The Daily Caller’s editor-in-chief, defended his publication’s story as explaining how Ocasio-Cortez’s critics tried to spread a fake photo.

“You must just be trying to score cheap political points since there is no way you could have a real issue with [The Daily Caller reporter’s] post,” Ingersoll tweeted in response to Ocasio-Cortez.
 
The Daily Caller changed the headline to “Anthony Weiner Mistress Stands Up for AOC After Evil Internet Trolls Spread Fake Nude Photo” and added a correction to the article explaining the headline revision.
 
Vice had reported that the photo actually belongs to Sydney Leathers, a political activist whose sexts with former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) were revealed during his 2013 mayoral campaign.

Ocasio-Cortez linked The Daily Caller’s action to the broader, aggressive coverage from Fox News and other conservative media.

“The @DailyCaller, funded by @TuckerCarlson (at @FoxNews), has a well-documented relationship with white supremacy,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Thursday morning. “Unsurprising they’re targeting me.”

“The real question is, at what point is their nonstop, targeted behavior considered harassment?” Ocasio-Cortez added.

 

A spokesman for the congresswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Carlson is a co-founder of The Daily Caller but is no longer involved with editorial decisions at the news site on a daily basis. He stepped away two years ago — saying at the time that it was a hard decision — but retains an ownership stake.

Carlson is now a primetime host at Fox News.

“Tucker Carlson does not finance The Daily Caller in any way, nor does he have any role whatsoever in its editorial operations. She would have known that if she’d bothered to check,” a Fox News spokesperson said.

This story was updated at 2:12 p.m.