Did GOP congressman accidentally slam Walz before debate? No, that's satire | Fact check
The claim: GOP representative accidentally posted attack on Walz performance before debate
An Oct. 1 Threads post (direct link, archive link) includes a screenshot of a post on X, formerly Twitter, from a user with the handle @RepJackKimble.
“I haven’t seen much coverage of last night’s Vice-Presidential debate in the liberal media,” reads the X post. “This doesn’t really surprise me as JD Vance absolutely destroyed Walz. I don’t see how voters can vote for the Democrats after that debacle despite the biased moderators trying to help the Democrats.”
The X post has a timestamp of 9:42 a.m. on Oct. 1, well before the vice presidential debate between Vance and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz began at 9 p.m. ET.
The post includes a response to the Kimble post saying, "When you schedule gaslighting a full 24 hours too early," and the Thread adds a caption of "Oops!!!”
The Threads post was reposted more than 80 times in three days. Other versions of the claim spread widely on Threads and X.
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Our rating: False
There is no Rep. Jack Kimble from California or any other state. The screenshot shows posts from a parody account.
X bio links to page calling content 'political satire'
The screenshot is legitimate, but it's not from an actual elected official named Jack Kimble. No person under that name appears in the House of Representatives directory.
There are several additional details from the satire account and website that further prove he is not a representative.
The X bio includes a link to purchase a book on Amazon listing the author as Jack Kimble. His author profile describes "Jack Kimble" as being the “brainchild of a Chicago school teacher” and a "unique brand of political satire."
Additionally, the X bio says Kimble is a Republican representing California’s 54th district, but the state only has 52 congressional districts. It also includes a link to a website, which says Kimble's campaign has been “working hard to contact you about your car’s extended warranty.”
The account has also referred to its content as satirical in several X posts.
Fact check: Tim Walz quote is about GOP views on gun violence, not Kamala Harris
Paste BN has debunked an array of claims related to presidential debates, including a false assertion that Vice President Kamala Harris wore "audio earrings" during her September debate against former President Donald Trump and an altered image showing a supposed ABC memo telling moderators to treat the debate "as you would a DEI hire."
Paste BN reached out to several users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Reuters previously debunked another version of the claim following Trump's conviction in his New York hush-money trial.
Our fact-check sources:
- House of Representatives, accessed Oct. 2, Directory of Representatives
- JackKimble.com, accessed Oct. 2, Homepage
- @RepJackKimble, accessed Oct. 2, X account
- @RepJackKimble, June 26, X post
- @RepJackKimble, June 2, X post
- @RepJackKimble, June 1, X post
- California Department of Technology, Dec. 7, 2022, U.S. Congressional Districts
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