Are Donald Trump’s followers being fed a fake version of the news? Something is very wrong about how actual news is being disseminated on his Facebook page and website.
Today a federal judge ruled that delegates who committed to Donald Trump can leave him and choose another candidate. It’s pretty much all over the news. The judge is Senior United States District Judge Robert E. Payne. It’s RNC Rule 16 and the delegate involved is attorney Carroll “Beau” Correll Jr., who vowed never to vote for Trump. Now he won’t have to.
But on Donald Trump’s Facebook page and website, the campaign has posted a completely fictitious version of what happened. The headline in both places is “Federal Court Sides With Grassroots Activists: RNC Delegates Are Bound to Follow Election Results.”
NBC called the ruling “a victory for Correll.”
But according to Trump sites, Correll lost and delegates must remain with Trump. In the Trump version, Correll “was soundly defeated.”
The court wrote: This matter is before the Court following a bench trial on
the merits of the FIRST AMENDED VERIFIED CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT
FOR INJUNCTIVE AND DECLARATORY RELIEF (the “Amended Complaint”)
(ECF No. 20) filed by Carroll Boston Correll, Jr. C’Correll”).
For the reasons, and to the extent, set forth below, judgment
including declaratory and injunctive relief will be entered for
Correll.”
For Correll, not against him. He was not soundly defeated at all. He won. Confusing, huh? What’s true? You can read the judge’s decision here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3174287/Correll.pdf
Look at the court decision: “For the foregoing reasons, judgment will be entered in Correll’s favor on Counts I and II and the Commonwealth will be permanently enjoined from enforcing Va. Code § 24.2-545(0).”
Correll is no longer bound to vote for Trump, neither are the rest of the Republican Virginia delegates.
The “story” posted to Trump’s pages is fiction, written by his staff and purposely picks out phrases from the judge’s decision to suit their concocted work. Some of it is true– but it’s all out of context and rearranged to suit the Trump campaign’s new version of events. Maybe they think their followers simply won’t read the actual news.
I am totally baffled.
