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Bloomberg falls for fake Nancy Reagan report

Bloomberg Politics published a report about Nancy Reagan based off of fake news site NationalReport.net

The piece, headlined "Nancy Reagan gives her endorsement to... Hillary Clinton," quoted a supposed "Drudge Report" saying that the former first lady told the History Channel series "First Ladies In Their Own Words" that it's time for a female president.

"For the GOP, this is slightly awkward. Since Ronald Reagan's presidency, and especially since his death, the Gipper's legacy has been worshipfully celebrated, often claimed, by Republican candidates," the article stated.

The problem is: Reagan never said such a thing and the series was actually on C-SPAN, not The History Channel. The report seems to have come from NationalReport.net, a spoof news site that has tricked many a politician and news organization in the past. The piece was then posted to a website called DrudgeReport.com.co, which doesn't seem to be connected to the actual Drudge Report.

The piece, which was published just before 5 p.m. on Friday, was deleted within minutes.

We've reached out to a Bloomberg spokesperson for comment and will update here accordingly.

UPDATE (6:05p.m.):

Bloomberg has reposted the article with a note that the piece has been retracted.

"This story has been retracted. We fell for a hoax. Apologies," the note states.

Bloomberg Politics Executive Editor Mike Nizza said in a tweet "very very stupid mistake, and one we take very seriously. Simple as that."

Hadas Gold is a reporter at Politico.