This post has been updated.
Kellyanne Conway, adviser to President Donald Trump and proponent of “alternative facts,” on Thursday cited the “Bowling Green Massacre” to defend Trump’s ban on visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries.
However, there is no such thing as the “Bowling Green Massacre.”
“Most people don’t know that because it didn’t get covered,” Conway said after telling MSNBC’s Chris Mathews that two Iraqi refugees in Kentucky were “radicalized” and became masterminds behind the “Bowling Green Massacre.”
Conway is likely referring to the two Iraqi refugees who lived in in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and who were sentenced in 2013 for carrying out attacks on U.S. soldiers abroad and providing material support for al Qaeda.
Trump’s allies have been using vetting processes for Iraqi refugees that the Obama administration put in place after the two Iraqis were arrested to defend Trump’s temporary ban on travel. The U.S. did not catch that the two Iraqis had carried out attacks against American soldiers in Iraq when they came to the U.S., and the Obama administration did strengthen its screening process for Iraqi refugees in response.
While the new policies were being put in place, the pace for processing visas for Iraqis slowed significantly, but the Obama administration never stated an official policy temporarily barring Iraqi refugees from entering the country.
On Friday morning, Conway on Twitter said that she made an honest mistake and compared the situation to an unnamed journalist nearly reporting a fake tweet.
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
2/2: yet won’t name him, attack him, get the base 2 descend upon him. Same with MLKJr bust fake story. It’s called class, grace, deep breath
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) February 3, 2017
The mayor of Bowling Green, Bruce Wilkerson, on Friday released a statement making it clear that there is no such thing as the “Bowling Green Massacre.” He thanked Conway for acknowledging her mistake.
“I understand during a live interview how one can misspeak and we appreciate the clarification,” he said.
Watch Conway’s interview with Chris Matthews via MSNBC:
