Flight Risk: NBC Warns Viewers that DeSantis Did Not Personally Fly Back Americans from Israel

Yesterday, we discussed NBC’s bizarre comparison of Hunter Biden’s multimillion dollar alleged influence peddling to Nikki Haley’s daughter’s use of TikTok. The comparison was made to hit Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. That target is notable due to another equally bizarre “fact check” by the network where the company suggested that DeSantis half lied when he claimed to have arranged the removal of hundreds of American citizens from Israel. The network said it was only “half true” because someone else flew the planes, DeSantis only supplied the money. I kid you not.

Here is the what NBC calls a fact check of a Republican:

The network dispels any notion that DeSantis personally flew the planes to Israel and said that “DeSantis’ primary role was to fund the flights.”

Well, yeah.  As NBC News’ Peter W. Klein explained,

On Oct. 12, DeSantis signed an executive order that allowed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to pay for Americans in Israel to fly back to the U.S. The flights, however, were organized by Tampa-based nonprofit Project Dynamo, which specializes in rescuing Americans in distress, and DeSantis’ primary role was to fund the flights.

So how is it “half true” to say “I scrambled resources in Florida. I sent planes over to Israel and I brought back over 700 people to safety”? He even made direct references to supplying “the resources” for the flights.

The correction also implicates millions of parents who regularly say that they “flew the kids home” for the holidays. NBC is suggesting that you should say “I supplied money to allow my kids to purchase tickets to have United Airlines fly them home.” However, it was not the company as a whole that literally flew them back so you might want to say “to have employees of United Airlines fly them home.”

NBC could also now presumably tackle more aspirational flight claims like the many bumper stickers claiming that “Jesus is my co-pilot.” Not only are the cars not capable of prolonged flight, but Jesus is not even licensed in any state to operate a motor vehicle.

For NBC, declaring this a half truth is still preferable to saying that it is true, particularly when the statement was preceded by a criticism of President Joe Biden in asserting that “[President] Biden’s neglect has been atrocious, we had Floridians that were over there after the attack. He left them stranded; they couldn’t get flights out.”

NBC’s fact check brings new meaning to Benjamin Franklin’s warning that “Half a truth is often a great lie.”