Journalists on Monday found that New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer has deleted a social media post she published on Sunday regarding Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Florida Voice News' assistant news director Eric Daugherty shared a screenshot of Mayer's now-deleted post, in which the New Yorker writer wrote: "Message to Trump Team: 'There will be no recess appointments' Sen. Mitch McConnell said tonight at a Washington gathering."
Daugherty wrote via X that "something sketchy is going on."
He added, "This news of McConnell telling Trump 'no recess appointments' has been DELETED by the D.C.-based New Yorker reporter…. AFTER a sitting US Senator (@BasedMikeLee) and basically the entirety of X got wind of the news. It is a SEVERE F-up for a reporter with a news organization to somehow devise a quote up out of nowhere and attribute it to the wrong person. The event is reportedly in DC, and this reporter is based there."
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Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) replied to Mayer's deleted tweet, writing, "McConnell is no longer the Senate GOP leader."
McConnell announced in February that he would step down as Senate GOP leader in November, and on Monday Senator John Thune (R-SD) was elected by his fellow Republicans to succeed the Kentucky lawmaker, according to USA Today.
The Florida Voice News staffer also questioned why the tweet has been deleted, with "no retraction or correction" included.
"Was she given a command by a higher up because of the blowback?" he asked.
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Senator Lee appeared not to know why the post was taken down in a reply to Daugherty's tweet.
"Any idea why the original post was deleted?" the Utah senator asked.
Update:Daugherty added in a follow-up X post that Mayer's reporting had been confirmed by a Punchbowl News report