US Republicans condemn hurricane misinformation spread by their own party

By Moira Warburton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -As U.S. officials struggle to push back against misinformation about natural disasters hitting the country, at least three congressional Republicans condemned conspiracy theories repeated by fellow members of their party.

Representative Chuck Edwards, who represents a North Carolina district hit hard by flooding caused by Hurricane Helene in late September, called out the "outrageous rumors" spread by "untrustworthy sources trying to spark chaos."

The flooding decimated much of North Carolina's inland west, an unexpected outcome in a state which is used to dealing with hurricanes along its Atlantic coast. Florida is now bracing for a direct hit from the powerful Hurricane Milton, headed for its western coast.

One of the sources of misinformation is fellow Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who has used both her official congressional social media account and her personal account to spread such misinformation.

"Ask your government if the weather is manipulated or controlled. Did you ever give permission to them to do it? Are you paying for it? Of course you are," Greene wrote in one such post on her official account on Monday.

Edwards directly called out this falsehood in his statement, without naming Greene.

"Nobody can control the weather," he said. "Please make sure you are fact checking what you read online with a reputable source."

Greene's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Representative Carlos Gimenez, a Florida Republican representing the very southern tip of the state, also condemned the conspiracy theories.

"News flash," he said in a Wednesday post on social media, responding directly to Greene's post. "Humans cannot create or control hurricanes. Anyone who thinks they can, needs to have their head examined."

U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican representing North Carolina, also said the "distraction" needs to stop.

"Many of these observations are not even from people on the ground," he told CNN on Sunday.

In a briefing on Wednesday, Democratic President Joe Biden slammed Republican former President Donald Trump for leading an "onslaught of lies," and called Greene's comments "bizarre" and "ridiculous."

"It's got to stop," Biden said. "In moments like this, there are no red or blue states."

(Reporting by Moira Warburton; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)