Michigan Gov. Fact-Checks Ted Cruz, Meghan McCain For Spreading ‘Misinformation’ Amid Pandemic

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) was forced to take valuable time away from dealing with the coronavirus outbreak that is currently ravaging her state to fact-check false claims made by conservative TV personality Meghan McCain and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (TX).

On Easter Sunday, “The View” co-host posted a tweet addressing a claim that people in Michigan can’t purchase baby car seats in stores under the state’s stay-home, stay-safe order.

“Guess it’s good I don’t live in Michigan — otherwise how would I transport my child home from the hospital @GovWhitmer? Are you going to ban cribs next? Being pregnant during this time is insanely stressful — we are all doing our best. Shame on you for doing this @GovWhitmer,” wrote McCain.

“Hi Meghan! Our Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order does not ban the purchasing of car seats for children,” Gov. Whitmer’s official Twitter account fired back at McCain.

Whitmer’s tweet also invited McCain to read more about Michigan’s order at the frequently asked questions link and ended with this: “Wishing your family well, and happy Easter!”

According to the Detroit Free Press, Whitmer on Thursday extended Michigan’s stay-home, stay safe executive order to April 30 and expanded certain elements of the shutdown, including limiting access to nonessential items at stores allowed to stay open to sell essential items.

“The order extending the stay-home period called for stores with more than 50,000 square feet to close areas ‘by cordoning them off, placing signs in aisles, posting prominent signs, removing goods from shelves, or other appropriate means’ dedicated to carpet or flooring, furniture, garden centers and plant nurseries, and paint,” the Free Press explained. “What triggered McCain’s ire was a Friday tweet by Tori Sachs, the executive director of the conservative group Michigan Rising Action.”

“I tweeted the picture to raise awareness of the confusion Whitmer’s bans were causing. No mother who needs a car seat for her kid would be in a store right now unless she absolutely needed it. I tweeted it out to raise awareness that this was happening — and that it wasn’t right,” wrote Sachs in a Twitter thread defending her misleading tweet.

In addition to replying to McCain, Whitmer also posted a separate tweet on her official Twitter account. “We’ve seen misinformation circulating, so I’d like to be very clear — the Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order does not ban the purchasing of car seats for children.”

Whitmer also fact-checked a Fake News tweet by Sen. Cruz who shared an old photo of Whitmer showing her signing a bill before the coronavirus outbreak.

The caption read that she was ushering in a $1,000 fee for those that are not social distancing.

“Hello Senator! This photo is from January of 2019, and is being misused to spread fear and anger. I know you would never intentionally mislead the public during a pandemic, so I’m hoping you’ll correct this mistake as soon as possible. Stay safe, & happy Easter from Michigan,” she replied.

Cruz quickly deleted his tweet.

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