MSNBC Columnist Shamelessly Grovels After Big DeSantis Scoop Is Proven False

MSNBC columnist Eric Michael Garcia begged for forgiveness like he owed the mob money Friday, when he realized a monster scoop implying a Supreme Court conspiracy was actually just him reading dates incorrectly.

The story, published in The Independent, initially reported that DeSantis “met with” Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas the “day before” the overturn of Roe v. Wade, which occurred on the morning of Jun. 24, 2022. There is just one problem: the meeting occurred in 2021, not 2022.

The story included snapshots of emails from Thomas’ staff about his meeting with DeSantis scheduled for June 23, 2021, one year before the court overturned the 1973 landmark decision.

The governor’s deputy press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, called out the article’s error on Twitter Friday. Garcia then responded describing how “embarrassed and humiliated” he is over the false scoop.

“Hey @EricMGarcia from the @Independent, Is June 23th, 2021 a day before June 24th, 2022?” Redfern said. 

“I am legitimately so sorry,” Garcia wrote on Twitter. “I was not trying to mislead. I am legitimately embarrassed and humiliated. I never wanted to do anything malicious. I am so apologetic. I should have double-checked the dates. We are taking the article down. I cannot apologize enough. I should have double-checked triple-checked dates.”

“I am mortified and legitimately embarrassed,” he continued. “I want to thank @JeremyRedfernFL for flagging. And apologize to Governor DeSantis and Justice Thomas. This is a horrible error on my part. The story is in the process of being retracted. I am just embarrassed as hell. Words cannot describe how mortified I am. I try to be honest in my work. I don’t try to do gotcha journalism. I always hated that. I can never apologize enough.” (RELATED: Yet Another Conspiracy Theory Left Wing Media Loved Comes Crashing Down) 

Christina Pushaw, the Rapid Response Director for the DeSantis campaign, said the story attempted to imply that the governor pressured Thomas into overturning Roe v. Wade.

“And the implication is that Governor DeSantis, of all people, would try to pressure Clarence Thomas to change the outcome of a SCOTUS decision. Which is patently absurd to anyone who has followed Governor DeSantis or Clarence Thomas for any amount of time,” Pushaw said.

The emails published in the story previously showed the governor’s correspondence with Thomas, Politico reported. Thomas’ wife, Ginni, reportedly worked with the DeSantis administration to have the governor talk to coalition groups.

The Independent also falsely claimed in 2021 that Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager previously tried and acquitted for murder, shot three black men at a Black Lives Matter riot in 2020. In fact, all three of the men shot by Rittenhouse were white.

The Daily Caller has reached out to The Independent and will update as necessary.

MSNBC Columnist Shamelessly Grovels After Big DeSantis Scoop Is Proven False | The Daily Caller