(CNN) A Florida representative's aide lost his job Tuesday after sending an email to a reporter falsely alleging that two students who survived the Florida school shooting -- and were speaking out on TV -- are "actors."

Benjamin Kelly, who worked as district secretary for Florida State Representative Shawn Harrison, emailed a Tampa Bay Times journalist with a message that read: "Both kids in the picture are not students here but actors that travel to various crisis when they happen."

Here's the email. I asked for more information to back up the claim and was sent another email that linked to a YouTube conspiracy video. pic.twitter.com/VRSVOcjj3E — Alex Leary (@learyreports) February 20, 2018

Alex Leary, the Washington bureau chief for the Tampa Bay Times , who received the email said the message had been sent using state email. Leary told CNN it had been in response to his story that published in the morning. Leary said he had never before spoken to Kelly and that the email was completely unsolicited.

After receiving the email, Leary spoke to Kelly on the phone to verify his employment and to question him about the email. After that conversation, Leary said Kelly sent him another email with a link to a video that made similar assertions about the students being actors.

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