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Michigan Republican State Representative Matt Maddock was widely mocked after he took to X, formerly Twitter, to sound the alarm after spotting several buses at an airport in Detroit—only to be quickly called out after it became clear it was Gonzaga's men's basketball team in town for the sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
Wednesday night, Maddock posted images on Twitter depicting three buses at Detroit Metro Airport. In addition to capturing a photo of a recently arrived plane, Maddock somehow inferred that the aircraft had transported migrants who were subsequently transferred onto buses.
He wrote the following message, tagging former Michigan Republican Representative Pete Hoekstra:
"Happening right now. Three busses [sic] just loaded up with illegal invaders at Detroit Metro. Anyone have any idea where they’re headed with their police escort?"
You can see his post and the images below.
@matthewmaddock/X
@matthewmaddock/X
An X Community Note debunks Maddock's claim, noting:
"The buses and police escort are for the Gonzaga University men's basketball team, who are playing a Sweet Sixteen game at Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit on Fri. 3/29."
Michigan State Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow also pointed this out while calling out Maddock's rhetoric:
"A sitting State Representative sees a group of busses at the airport and immediately yells “illegal invaders” which is a pretty rude (and also, frankly, dangerous) way to greet the Gonzaga Men’s Basketball Team arriving for March Madness."
You can see her post below.
Gonzaga's team earlier shared a message via their X account that announced their arrival.
Maddock was swiftly criticized.
Maddock is a known conspiracy theorist who has endorsed former President Donald Trump's lies about the 2020 general election.
In 2021, Maddock, who has repeatedly attacked journalists, proposed the Fact Checker Registration Act, which has not been taken up.
The bill mandates that fact-checkers must register with the state and obtain $1 million fidelity bonds. Failure to register could result in a daily fine of $1,000 for non-compliance. Furthermore, the proposed law empowers individuals to initiate legal action against fact-checkers for "any wrongful conduct that is a violation of the laws of this state."
His wife, Meshawn Maddock, is the Michigan Republican Party co-chair who made headlines after referring to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as a "weak little girl" in response to remarks Buttigieg made about California’s ban on selling gasoline-fueled cars, which is scheduled to go into effect in 2035.