On Tuesday, March 18, MSNBC hosts Stephanie Ruhle and Ali Velshi found themselves on the defensive after having to issue an on-air retraction for their erroneous and potentially defamatory claims about Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman who has become a prominent critic of the security state and now serves as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in the Trump Administration.

The controversy began the day before, on March 17, when Ruhle and Velshi, along with other MSNBC personalities, falsely accused Gabbard of saying that President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were “very good friends.” This claim was echoed by MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart during his interview with international affairs analyst Michael McFaul on *The Last Word*. Capehart asked McFaul, “Gabbard is saying out loud that U.S. and Russia relations are a shared mission. How dangerous is that?”

However, as the full interview with Gabbard—conducted by an Indian TV news network—was later released, it became clear that the MSNBC hosts had not done their due diligence. They had misquoted Gabbard and misrepresented her statement. Ruhle admitted on-air Tuesday that they had gotten it wrong, saying, “Last night we reported on excerpts of an interview with the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, in which she said that Trump was good friends with a world leader.” She clarified, “We said that world leader was Vladimir Putin, but the full interview shows that Gabbard was referring to Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Cleared that up.”

Velshi also issued a retraction on his segment, acknowledging the error: “Now, we said that world leader was Vladimir Putin, but the full interview was subsequently released, and it showed that Gabbard was referring to Donald Trump and the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.”

This correction came after a wave of backlash from Gabbard’s supporters, who were quick to point out the media’s blatant misrepresentation of her words. Alexa Henning, Gabbard’s deputy chief of staff, called out the Associated Press (AP) for its role in pushing the same false narrative. Henning tweeted, “The @AP is total trash. DNI @TulsiGabbard was referring to PM Modi & President Trump and this is the headline they publish. This is why no one trusts the maliciously incompetent and purposefully biased media.”

Criticism didn’t stop there. On social media, several others weighed in, slamming both MSNBC and the AP for their careless reporting. One user referred to the media figures involved as “sick people,” describing them as “despicable lunatics” for spreading lies about Gabbard and Trump. Another pointed out the glaring failure of news organizations like the AP, which was forced to retract its own story, saying, “AP caught red-handed making false claims about Gabbard—forced to retract story… You would think that a news service would fact-check their stories before sending them out to the world… or perhaps the lie was the intended narrative they wanted the world to see.”

This incident highlights the media’s ongoing efforts to smear those who dare to step outside of the establishment’s narrow ideological boundaries. Gabbard, who has been a vocal critic of both major parties and the deep state, has long been a target of the mainstream media, which continues to mischaracterize her words and actions. The fact that MSNBC and the AP were forced to retract their statements only underscores the lengths to which these outlets will go in an attempt to manipulate public opinion.

Despite their retractions, the damage is already done. The false claims about Gabbard and the constant smear campaigns against those who challenge the political establishment serve as a stark reminder of the media’s bias and the need for viewers to approach mainstream news sources with skepticism. As for Gabbard, she remains undeterred in her pursuit of truth and transparency, proving once again that she will not be silenced by the forces that seek to discredit her.