Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) was caught posting (and then deleting) what turned out to be a fake resignation letter from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. It was then promptly shared by others on the right as a bombshell. The problem, however, is the letter was clearly a phony.
Some mocked Lee for being clueless, but others pointed to obvious tells, such as typos and fake seals.
Journalist Aaron Rupar quipped, "The only conclusion I can draw is that Mike Lee is actually an idiot."
Politico congressional reporters Jordain Carney posted on X, "Sen. Mike Lee tweeted (and appears to have deleted) what he appears to believe is a resignation letter (??) from Powell."
Semafor political reporter David Weigel and Politico's Ben Jacobs pointed out other errors in the fake letter.
"The typo ridden letter has now been deleted by both Benny Johnson and Senator Mike Lee," Jacobs said.
Weigel replied, "A GOP senator not being able to spot a fake, loaded with typos... good stuff here. If you really think you're going to scoop the Bloomberg terminal on a Powell move, get psychological help."
Veteran and lawyer John Jackson similarly pointed out Lee's ignorance. "Mike Lee is an idiot. He just fell for this fake letter of Jerome Powell resigning."
Democratic Party staffer Matt Rein zeroed in on the "official" seal in the letter, showing the absurdity.
Influencer and commentator Boston Smalls, jeered on X, "For a senator. This is extremely embarrassing. I mean, Mike Lee is a complete toilet fish, but this is just another level."
Washington Post opinions editor Benjy Sarlin posted a screen capture of the Dow Jones after one person pointed out it wasn't smart to post about "market moving news without verifing it."
"It's funny that day traders, who frequently panic sell off viral rumors, were like 'Oh that's just Mike Lee, he does this all the time, ignore it,'" said Sarlin on X.
President Donald Trump has been attacking Powell for years for refusing to reduce interest rates.