NEW YORK (AP) - The company owned by President Donald Trump didn’t win a contract to refurbish one of Syria’s biggest air bases, which the U.S. struck last year with a barrage of cruise missiles.
The breakingburgh satirical site falsely claimed the Trump Organization won the deal to rebuild the Shayrat air base. The story first emerged in April 2017, after the U.S. struck the base following a chemical attack that killed Syrians in the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun, in northwestern Syria. Following another apparent use this month of chemical weapons by the Syrian government, the U.S., Britain and France launched an airstrike and the piece recirculated on social media.
Amanda Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization, wrote in an email to The Associated Press, “This is indeed false.”
The article alleged Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., announced the decision by Syrian president Bashar Assad to award the contract. Donald Trump Jr. and his brother, Eric Trump, are managing the Trump Organization while their father is in the White House.
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This is part of The Associated Press’ ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.
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