NRATV’s Grant Stinchfield was fooled by a very fake Twitter account on Thursday.

During a segment on whether the incarcerated should be allowed to vote — a recent topic of discussion among 2020 Democratic presidential candidates — the NRATV host claimed that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had recently responded to a tweet from entertainer Cher to ask, “Who cares about a few terrorists?”

“The fact is it may be one of Bernie Sanders’ responses to Cher that is the most offensive,” said Stinchfield as the supposed tweet from the longtime Vermont lawmaker was displayed on the screen, the actual account handle clearly visible.

“Who cares about a few terrorists? I would argue the family members of hundreds of victims of the Boston bombings, that’s who!” Stinchfield continued, without realizing that he was ranting about a tweet from @Ryan35186771 and not Sanders himself. (The fake Sanders Twitter account has since been suspended.)

Media Matters first flagged the segment Thursday afternoon.

The National Rifle Association (NRA), NRATV’s parent company, filed a lawsuit against the ad firm that operates NRATV earlier this month alleging improprieties with financial records. The NRA initiated layoffs at NRATV late last year after losing more than $50 million in annual revenue.


NRATV has faced criticism for its incendiary rhetoric since launching in 2016. NRATV hosts have blamed school shootings on President Barack Obama, “progressive culture and media,” and YouTube censorship.

A depiction of children’s television characters dressed in Ku Klux Klan robes during a September edition of NRATV host Dana Loesch’s show Relentless reportedly made NRA chief executive and executive vice president Wayne LaPierre “livid and embarrassed.”

The NRA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ThinkProgress on the tweet mix-up.