This time the Arizona Congressman tweeted a fake image of former President Barack Obama shaking hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
The Prescott Republican captioned his photo: "The world is a better place without these guys in power."
Obama has never met with Rouhani, though he has spoken with the leader on the phone.
The doctored image appears to be taken from a 2015 election ad from a Super PAC supporting Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson that criticized Obama for negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program. As several media outlets reported at the time, the image actually depicts Obama meeting with former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2011. The ad simply superimposed Rouhani's head onto Singh's body.
The Congressman, known for having a tenuous relationship with the truth, doubled down on his tweet after reporters roundly criticized him for spreading misinformation.
Daniel Medina, a freelance reporter who has contributed to The Intercept and The Guardian, pointed out that Rouhani remains Iran's president and that Obama never met with him.
Gosar on Twitter responded by calling Medina "dim-witted," adding: "[N]o one said this wasn’t photoshopped. No one said the president of Iran was dead. No one said Obama met with Rouhani in person." In a follow-up tweet, Gosar wrote: "The point remains to all but the dimmest: Obama coddled, appeased, nurtured and protected the worlds No. 1 sponsor of terror. The world is better without Obama as president. The world will be better off without Rouhani."
A spokesperson for Gosar did not immediately respond to a request to explain his tweet. Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated this week, following President Trump's order to assassinate Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian military official.2. The point remains to all but the dimmest: Obama coddled, appeased, nurtured and protected the worlds No. 1 sponsor of terror. The world is better without Obama as president. The world will be better off without Rouhani.
— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) January 6, 2020
Gosar, a fringe Republican, often traffics in controversy and conspiracy theories. He has supported a prominent anti-Muslim extremist, defended Islamophobic conspiracy theories, and tweeted (ironically, he claims) that convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's suicide was a hoax.
But Gosar is probably best known for getting politically abandoned by his six siblings, who all endorsed his general election opponent in 2018.
