Fox News Slammed for ‘Bulls–‘ Headline About Disabled Vet Tammy Duckworth
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Fox News has received backlash for a headline that falsely suggested Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) shirked on paying property tax on her Illinois home.
“Wtf is wrong with you guys?!?” tennis legend Martina Navratilova wrote, noting that the story itself explains that Duckworth took advantage of a tax credit available to all disabled U.S. veterans, regardless of income. “You mean our war hero Senator Duckworth should pay taxes when she is not required to do so?”
Duckworth, who served in the U.S. Army in the Iraq War is a double-amputee who lost both her legs and some mobility in her right arm when her helicopter was shot down in 2004 by Iraqi insurgents.
“FOX News, are you seriously now going to attack our veterans in your assault on our Democracy?” Fred Guttenberg, father of Parkland, Florida, shooting victim Jaime Guttenberg, tweeted in outrage.
But the Fox News story headline — “Democrat Tammy Duckworth hasn’t paid property tax on her Illinois home since 2015, report says” — falsely suggested that she has shirked on her taxes.
A rep for Fox News had no comment.
But the right-wing news outlet’s report drew a sharp response online.
“What a bulls— headline, Fox News,” Guttenberg wrote. “In your own report, you stake the reason why. As a disabled veteran, she is exempt.
A group called VoteVets added: “@TammyDuckworth proudly served our country, lost her legs, and EARNED that benefit. We’d say FOX News is a cancer on our national discourse but that would be an insult to cancer.”
WHAT A BULLSHIT HEADLINE @FoxNews. In your own report, you state the reason why. As a disabled veteran, she is exempt. FOX News, are you seriously now going to attack our veterans in your assault on our Democracy? https://t.co/hZQbYaMZnD
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) October 3, 2021
Is that the best you got? You mean our war hero Senator Duckworth should pay taxes when she is not required to do so? Wtf is wrong with you guys?!? Is this what you mean when you say SUPPORT OUR VETERANS?!? https://t.co/qKklZMICq4
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) October 3, 2021
More Twitter exchanges can be found below.
A “reporter” at @FoxNews, @DomCalicchioFOX, gets the “Partisan Scumbag Medal” for attempting to shame a war veteran who lost both of her legs in combat, ret. Army pilot @SenDuckworth.
She earned the?, still earns, & suffers (ghost-pain) for every single penny of that tax-break! https://t.co/4quQ8Av11p— Robert J. MacLean (@rjmaclean) October 3, 2021
Headline: SENATOR IS TAX DEADBEAT
Article: Sen. Duckworth is one of thousands taking advantage of an Illinois provision lessening tax burdens for veterans.
(Do better, Fox News!) https://t.co/wtSH5QQ0i6— Ben Rudolph (@BenThePCGuy) October 3, 2021
Fox News deliberately leaving out some very important context in their tweet headline. An absolutely shameless attack on a veteran who sacrificed both legs and part of an arm in combat. https://t.co/tjXHJD9qmi pic.twitter.com/qNeEsBZAYy
— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) October 3, 2021
Let’s get something CLEAR: @TammyDuckworth proudly served our country, lost her legs, and EARNED that benefit.
We’d say FOX News is a cancer on our national discourse but that would be an insult to cancer. https://t.co/odEShe2uUA— VoteVets (@votevets) October 3, 2021
Senator Tammy Duckworth lost most of both her legs while piloting a Black Hawk in Iraq that was shot with an RPG. She survived and dedicated herself to public service. As a qualifying disabled vet, exemption from property tax offsets cost of accessibility.
Fox News: TAX THIEF!— Charlotte Clymer ?️? (@cmclymer) October 3, 2021
