In a startling turn of events, U.S. Senator Mike Lee expressed his condolences to the family of former President Jimmy Carter following a hoax news release. The fabricated announcement falsely claimed that the 99-year-old Carter had passed away, leading to an outpouring of sympathies from Lee.
The misleading news, which was posted on the social media platform X, originated from a fake account purporting to be the “Office of Jimmy Carter.” The announcement not only falsely reported Carter’s death but also contained crude and inappropriate remarks regarding his late wife, Rosalynn Carter. The fake statement bizarrely included a fabricated quote from Carter referring to Rosalynn with slang terms like “baddie” and “original Brat,” and made an odd comparison to the sexual abilities of former First Lady Nancy Reagan.
Senator Lee, seemingly unaware of these red flags, took to his personal X account, @BasedMikeLee, to share his condolences. “Former President Jimmy Carter has died,” he posted. “My thoughts and prayers are with his family.” The post was swiftly deleted, and Lee’s office did not respond to inquiries about the error.
The hoax further included a bogus statement from Carter’s son, Chip, alleging that the former president would be missed not only by his family but also by “American people and our enemies around the world who thrive today because of his peace-through-weakness agenda.” This absurd statement should have served as another warning about the legitimacy of the news release.
To set the record straight, The Carter Center confirmed to Atlanta News First that former President Jimmy Carter is very much alive. He is currently in hospice care in Georgia and is looking forward to celebrating his 100th birthday on October 1.
