Kellyanne Conway, the senior Trump adviser who coined the term “alternative facts,” just spewed another alternative fact of her own: the “Bowling Green Massacre.”
During an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on “Hardball,” Conway attempted to defend the travel ban by speaking of some Iraqi refugees who supposedly masterminded a serious terrorist attack here in the United States.
“I bet it’s brand new information to people that President Obama has a six-month ban on the Iraqi refugee program after two Iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized and were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre,” Conway said. “Most people don’t know that because it didn’t get covered.”
According to CNN, Obama never banned the Iraqi refugee program. He did implement more intense rules for vetting incoming refugees, resulting in a slowdown in processing applications, according to The Washington Post.
As multiple news outlets pointed out, Conway was right, though. The “Bowling Green Massacre” did not get covered.
Because it never happened.
Conway was mistakenly referring to two Iraqis refugees living in Bowling Green, Ky., who were sending weapons to al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2011, The New York Times reports. Both men—Mohanad Shareef Hammadi and Waad Ramadan Alwan—were indicted for terrorism, and sent to prison for at least 40 years. And no, there was no massacre.
Conway admitted her mistake (sort of) on Twitter Friday morning.
READ: Bowling Green Terrorists: Al Qaeda in KY: US May Have Let 'Dozens' of Terrorists Into Country as Refugees https://t.co/nB5SwIEoYI
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) February 3, 2017
1/2: Honest mistakes abound. Last night, prominent editor of liberal site apologized for almost running a story re: tweet from fake account
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) February 3, 2017
NBC reporter texted me at 632am re:a diff story; never asked what I meant on @Hardball b4 slamming me on @TODAYshow Not cool,not journalism
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) February 3, 2017
To clarify what she meant by the “Bowling Green Massacre,” she linked back to a story of the two Iraqi refugees…covered by ABC News. Which means that the media did, in fact, cover the incident in Bowling Green, Ky.
Here are the names of all those who lost their lives at the Bowling Green Massacre:
Kellyann Conway's career
Let us give thanks.
— Alex Morash (@AlexMorash) February 3, 2017
Prominent bowler finally speaks out against Kellyanne Conway saying it's wrong to vilify all bowlers. #BowlingGreen#NotAllBowlerspic.twitter.com/NyTYxw98uD
— Amanda Jennings (@MandaJJennings) February 3, 2017
shame on Kellyanne Conway for attempting to politicize the Bowling Green massacre, in which I was killed
— PAPPADEMAS (@PAPPADEMAS) February 3, 2017
When you spot the perpetrators of the #BowlingGreenMassacrepic.twitter.com/umD4VMmRBJ
— jason (@JasonKirkSBN) February 3, 2017
Those 3-5 million people we lost in the #BowlingGreenMassacre voted for Hillary Clinton illegally.
— Jill Biden (@JillBidenVeep) February 3, 2017