MSNBC miscommunicated information about former congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul, and the media was sent into a brief frenzy.
It happened when the network used an edited quote in a chyron during an interview with the former Texas congressman that said: “Ron Paul: I think Jill Stein. Vote for her.” The chyron gave the impression that Paul not only endorsed Stein, but was planning to vote for her himself.
But Paul said no such thing, and quickly corrected MSNBC host Thomas Roberts.
“Well, I think there is a little bit of misinformation because I have not endorsed anybody,” Paul said after he was introduced. He then went on to say that not any one candidate in the general election espouses all the principles of liberty that he supports.
He did praise Green Party candidate Jill Stein and said he thought she was the best on foreign policy right now. He also said that if you are unhappy with the major party candidates and are progressive, then vote for Stein. He said people who are unhappy with the major parties and against “aggression” by the government, then look to Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson.
Paul made no mention of who he was voting for and did not endorse anyone.
In addition to the incorrect chyron, NPR reporter Jessica Taylor tweeted that Paul had just said he was voting for Stein while on MSNBC. She later deleted her tweet, but not before Twitter erupted into a fervor over whether the most well-known Libertarian in the country was voting for a non-Libertarian candidate.
It was the Daily Beast’s Andrew Kirell who first set the record straight, tweeting the transcript and pointing out that Paul has refused to endorse anyone.
Of course, Ron Paul could end up voting for Stein, but as of today, that is not what he has said.
Ashe Schow is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
