You could smell this one coming a mile away – another fake news story being perpetrated by a very vocal critic of President Trump.
Khizr Khan, a Muslim man whose son died fighting for our country in Iraq, has been a perpetual voice of opposition to Trump’s plans for a travel ban in the U.S.
Khan’s anti-Trump rhetoric topped out when he appeared as a speaker at the Democrat National Convention this past summer and asked the future President if he’s ever read the Constitution.
But the liberal advocate’s efforts to paint Trump in a bad light may have gone too far this time. Khan claimed through a statement to a Canadian television producer that he had to cancel a scheduled speech in Toronto after being told his “travel privileges are being reviewed.”
JUST IN: Gold Star father Khizr Khan cancels scheduled speech in Toronto after being told his “travel privileges are being reviewed.” pic.twitter.com/3dXFMnjced
— Rosa Hwang (@journorosa) March 6, 2017
The implications were clear, as the alleged incident coincided with the President’s new order – that Khan, a Muslim, had his travel restricted due to Trump’s latest temporary ban.
However, Khan’s story almost immediately unraveled for two reasons – He is a U.S. citizen who was traveling to Canada, of which there have been no travel restrictions, and he is originally from Pakistan, which is not on the list of countries being restricted.
Via the Washington Post:
Ramsay Talks, the organizer of the event Khan was to speak at, seemed to take Khan at his word on Monday and included a statement from him in a cancellation post on Facebook. “This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad,” said Khan, according to the post. “I have not been given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future.”
The claim, which does not state which U.S. agency contacted him, immediately raised doubts about how it was possible that a U.S. citizen was being prevented from traveling abroad.
Skeptics were prevalent on social media from the onset:
I sincerely doubt we’re getting the full story here https://t.co/DuucLFMeFF
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) March 6, 2017
The passive voice and the lack of any information beyond an unsupported assertion require skepticism here. https://t.co/qY0ZK8iS7D
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) March 6, 2017
In hindsight, it turns out they were right.
Will the mainstream media post a retraction as vehemently as they did the original story?
Comment: Do you believe Khan’s story? Tell us why, or why not, below.
