Anonymous wrote:Author and journalist Noah Rothman (American writer, editor, former MSNBC commentator, podcaster, and author. He is a senior writer and podcast guest for National Review, and he previously served as associate editor, podcast producer, and online editor for Commentary) slammed the Associated Press as “sleazy” for deleting the article, and for giving the fake claim — which emanated from an anonymous X user with less than 1,800 followers — any oxygen whatsoever.
“Last night, the AP published a ‘fact check’ of utterly unknown nobodies who alleged that JD Vance fornicated a couch, not because anyone believed that but because it introduces that nonsense into the bloodstream. Today, it’s gone. So sleazy.”
CNN senior reporter Andy Kaczynski apparently bewildered by the decision to delete the article, posted a link to the deleted AP story, saying, “AP fact-checked what was a joke from left-wing Twitter – but the link for this is dead now and I can no longer find the story on the AP website. What is going on?”
It was a joke, but it was a joke that went viral because people didn't realize it was a joke. It seems extremely plausible—he wrote a very bad book that is full of weird things, insulting things and stuff that undermines his seriousness. So it was plausible that he would write something so stupid, and then he absolutely looks like a person who would eff a couch AND tell people about it.
Once it started going viral, it fooled a lot of people, because it's so realistic it almost isn't a joke, and then the AP was right to clear it up. But they were a tiny bit sloppy in their wording, saying there was no evidence he was couch effer, when they MEANT to say there was no evidence he WROTE that he was a couch effer. Becuase they are actually an organization with an insane amount of integrity, they realized they could not truthfully write that it was not true that he effed a couch, because they didn't know. So they pulled the article.
It's so funny and it's going to lead to Vance getting booted from the ticket.