A video purporting a news report from NBC News senior Capitol Hill correspondent Garrett Haake making disparaging comments towards GOP presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Halley was shared on X, formerly Twitter, by Chris LaCivita, former president Donald Trump’s senior adviser.
According to Semafor, deceptively edited audio was being inserted into an actual news report from Haake, who was covering the third presidential debate. The video opens with authentic footage of Haake previewing the debate for the network. However, it cuts to a video featuring each candidate with a voiceover, making it seem like Haake is still reporting and making disparaging comments about the two candidates.
“This is Ron DeSantis, An establishment RINO that wears insoles in order to look taller,” the voiceover says. “And this is Nikki Haley: Nobody really gives a shit about Nikki Haley.”
Two sources with knowledge of the situation told Semafor that NBC News reached out to the Trump campaign, demanding that the video be taken down.
Shortly after the post went up, LaCivita put out another post claiming that the original post was a “parody.”
To keep @NBCNews Lawyers off my ass, please note….THIS IS A PARODY! https://t.co/Gs35MhoakE
— Chris LaCivita (@LaCivitaC) November 9, 2023
An NBCUniversal spokesperson did not provide a comment to Semafor when they reached out.