Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) faced backlash on Tuesday after posting what appeared to be a screenshot of an article from The Atlantic—which turned out to be fabricated. The image shared by Roy displayed a misleading headline that read, “To Save Democracy Harris May Need To Steal An Election,” with the subheading, “Constitutional scholars are already worrying about another January 6 crisis, and they warn that the next election might be harder to save.”
Roy’s caption on X (formerly Twitter) read, “That doesn’t sound very ‘Democratic’ #ConstitutionalRepublic.” However, the image he shared was quickly debunked as a fake. The original article, published in 2021, was titled “Kamala Harris Might Have to Stop the Steal” and did not suggest that Harris would “steal” an election.
Instead, it argued that Harris might be in a critical position to intervene if Trump and his supporters attempted to overturn future election results. At the time, there was no expectation she would be a nominee in the upcoming election.
Political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen responded to Roy’s post, questioning his media literacy. “Hey @chiproytx, do you not have enough media literacy to know you’re sharing a fake headline or is that the whole point?” Cohen wrote. Roy’s post had already been flagged with a Community Note for spreading misinformation.
This isn’t the first time Roy has courted controversy. The Texas representative, who previously served as chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), has been involved in several contentious political moments. He once referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as the “DEI vice president” in a jab at her involvement with diversity, equity, and inclusion issues.
Roy has also clashed with fellow Republicans, notably signaling an interest in removing House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) earlier this year. His fellow Texan, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), responded by saying that while he “loved” Roy, he was often a “pain in the ass” who might need a “Code Red beatdown.”
This latest episode with the fake headline has only added to the scrutiny Roy faces, as critics question his responsibility in sharing misinformation and misleading content with his followers.