Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez called out fellow GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia for contending that people are controlling the weather with space lasers and creating these deadly hurricanes.
In an X post Wednesday, Mr. Gimenez wrote, “NEWS FLASH — > Humans cannot create or control hurricanes. Anyone who thinks they can needs to have their head examined.”
The post was a response to an Oct. 3 post from Ms. Greene that said, “Yes, they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”
Ms. Greene then doubled down on the post, posting a meme that listed space laser patents that are said to be used so the government can control the populace via the weather. In another post, she posted a link to an article from the Gateway Pundit, a website that sometimes posts conspiracy theories, that claimed she was right.
Her original post and the meme post had “readers added context” to fact-check her posts.
Her first post came as Hurricane Helene ravaged several Southern states, leaving over 200 dead.
Mr. Gimenez’s post comes as Florida is preparing for Hurricane Milton, which is expected to hit Wednesday night and be devastating.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said Tuesday that conspiracy theories surrounding the storms is “absolutely the worst I have ever seen.”
FEMA launched a “Hurricane Rumor Response” section on its website. A Reddit page was created by the White House to post updates about the hurricanes.
Mr. Gimenez isn’t the only Republican trying to debunk some of the hurricane rumors spread by his colleagues. Rep. Chuck Edwards, North Carolina Republican, launched a list of conspiracy theories to help address some of the misinformation.
“While it’s true that FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene has not been perfect, there are outrageous rumors that have been circulated online and need to be addressed,” Mr. Edwards wrote on X Tuesday with a link to his website.
The White House has also taken measures to provide accurate information regarding the hurricanes, including a Reddit page to post updates.
President Biden spoke out against Ms. Greene’s X posts in a briefing on the hurricanes Wednesday.
“Now the claims are getting even more bizarre. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a congresswoman from Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather. We’re controlling the weather,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s beyond ridiculous. It’s got to stop. Moments like this, there are no red or blue states.”
The Washington Times has reached out to Ms. Greene’s office for comment.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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