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Ocasio-Cortez Melts Down On Twitter Over Getting Fact-Checked

Left, MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images/ Right, SHUTTERSTOCK/ Monster Ztudio

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Neetu Arnold Contributor
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Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had a meltdown in a series of tweets Monday over getting fact-checked by organizations like The Washington Post and PolitiFact.

“Facts are facts, America,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Monday. “We should care about getting things right. Yet standards of who gets fact-checked, how often + why are unclear. This is where false equivalency+bias creeps in, allowing climate deniers to be put on par w/scientists, for example.”

She also took issue with being fact-checked the same number of times as White House press secretary Sarah Sanders by PolitiFact, which is owned by nonprofit Poynter Institute for Media Studies.

“She’s been serving for almost 2 years,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “I’ve served 4 days. Why is she fact-checked so little? Is she adhering to some standard we don’t know about?”

Ocasio-Cortez also told PolitFact some officials have their statements rated as “true” often.

“I say true things all the time – I’d hope most do,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “When does Politifact choose to rate true statements?”

Another tweet called out WaPo for giving her four “Pinocchios” — the same number President Donald Trump received over the number of people who died in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria — for her “confusing tweet” about how the Pentagon’s alleged $21 trillion in accounting discrepancies could pay for two-thirds of Medicare for All.

Ocasio-Cortez referenced the $21 trillion number from an article from The Nation, but the numbers and math were questionable.

WaPo pointed out the $21 trillion estimate covers 17 years, “whereas the Urban Institute’s $32 trillion estimate for Sanders’s Medicare plan covers 10 years,” so the two numbers aren’t “apples-to-apples to begin with.” (RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez Issues An Apology To Donald Trump Jr)

WaPo fact-checker Glenn Kessler responded to Ocasio-Cortez’s tweet, suggesting she was awarded the Pinocchios for not admitting she was wrong.

“FYI: The Washington Post Fact Checker generally does not award Pinocchios when a politician admits error,” Kessler tweeted. “We may still do a fact check, but we don’t try to play gotcha. We understand that everyone makes mistakes, especially at a live event. (PS: few take us up on this offer.)”

Both PolitiFact and WaPo have guidelines for their fact-checking process.

Ocasio-Cortez’s team did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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