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No, Kamala Harris didn't order C-17 loading as part of photo-op | Fact check

Nate Trela   Paste BN
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The claim: Kamala Harris ordered C-17 be loaded with relief supplies for a photo op

An Oct. 11 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) by conservative commentator Benny Johnson contains a snippet of another person's podcast, in which a man says Hurricane Helene relief items were loaded on a plane just for a Kamala Harris photo op.

“They had to load a C-17 full of supplies just to take a photo op for Kamala, and they never sent the bird,” the man in the video says in part.

Text with the video, from a post on X by Johnson, says, "Kamala Harris exposed for ordering the National Guard to load a C-17 cargo plane with relief supplies supposedly for victims of the Hurricane in North Carolina for a photo op but NEVER SENT the plane."

The post was liked more than 175,000 times in more than a week. Other versions of the claim spread widely, including one that asserted the supplies in question were never sent.

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Our rating: False

Harris didn't issue any orders about the aircraft, which was loaded as part of standard operations unrelated to her visit, according to a North Carolina National Guard spokesperson. The supplies were moved to another aircraft due to mechanical issues and flown out the day after Harris’ appearance. The host of the podcast shared by Johnson later disavowed the claim.

Plane loaded with hurricane aid was part of standard operation

Harris visited North Carolina on Oct. 5 to get an in-person look at Hurricane Helene relief work, speaking with local officials and visiting a National Guard base while there. At the base, she spoke in front of a C-17 aircraft being loaded with relief supplies for hurricane survivors.

The plane loading was part of previously scheduled operations to deliver supplies to hurricane survivors, and Harris' visit did not change its schedule, according to a North Carolina National Guard spokesperson.

After the cargo was loaded, a fuel pump issue was discovered that made the plane unusable, the spokesperson said. The cargo was then moved to another plane, but that had mechanical issues as well. The second plane was repaired the following day and delivered the supplies to Asheville, North Carolina.

The claim the loading was staged originated with Jonathan Howard, a member of Aerial Recovery, a disaster response nonprofit. Howard said on a podcast that “aircraft squadron commanders” told him the loading was staged and the aid never shipped.

But Shawn Ryan, the host of the podcast where Howard made his claim, posted a video to X on Oct. 13 recanting it after being contacted by a guardsman and reviewing documents. He said he learned the claim to be false and apologized for sharing misinformation.

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Paste BN could not contact Howard directly. Paste BN also reached out to Aerial Recovery and Johnson for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Snopes and PolitiFact also debunked similar claims.

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