Peanut the Squirrel, who had over 500,000 Instagram followers, was euthanized by New York State officials last week, prompting outrage online
Peanut the squirrel's dad gives update on New York DEC seizure: 'I can't do it without you'
Mark Longo of P'Nut's Freedom Farm in New York, an animal rescue, updates the public on the seizure of Peanut by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. Credit: @peanut_the_squirrel12 on Instagram
Liberal outlet Mediaite reported that a fake statement attributed to former President Trump about the death of viral online sensation Peanut the Squirrel at the hands of New York State officials was real and had to issue a correction.
The site mistakenly fell for the doctored Truth Social statement made to look like it was from Trump, which was produced in a way to simulate the former president knocking the state government for euthanizing the pet and social media star while ignoring crimes done by illegal immigrants in the state.
"We regret the post, and have removed it from our platforms. The post below has been updated to reflect the situation," the outlet stated in a correction that was published Saturday.
PEANUT THE PET SQUIRREL TAKEN AWAY BY NEW YORK STATE OFFICIALS FROM ADOPTED HOME, MAY BE EUTHANIZED
Peanut or PNut the squirrel, who had over 500,000 followers on Instagram, was euthanized by New York State officials last week. (Peanut_the_squirrel12 via Instagram)
The state's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) seized viral Instagram star and pet squirrel Peanut, as well as a raccoon named Fred from owner Mark Longo's home and animal sanctuary in rural Pine City, New York last week.
The agency, which said it had received complaints that wildlife was being kept illegally, then euthanized the critters, to the horror of Longo and Peanut's over 550,000 social media followers.
The New York Post reported that "the DEC claimed that Peanut, who was known for being very docile, bit one of the investigators on the hand when he was confiscated from Longo’s Elmira home on Wednesday."
News of Peanuts demise spread like wildfire on social media, earning commentary from prominent figures like X owner, Elon Musk.
"’If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine’ Obi PNut Kenobi," Musk quipped, along with sharing a photo of a squirrel dressed as a Star Wars character.
MAYE MUSK TELLS WOMEN VOTERS TO 'THINK FOR YOURSELF' AND STRIVE FOR A BETTER FUTURE
Outlet Mediaite.com was forced to issue a correction last week after falsely attributing a fake statement about Peanut's death to the former president. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
In the flurry of internet memes referring to Peanut's death, a fake Truth Social post that appeared to have Trump weighing in on the controversy went viral. The fake post stated, "New York authorities, under their terrible Governor, put more effort into finding an[sic] eliminating a squirrel, who was innocent by all accounts, than they do to control the unchecked illegal immigrants who have flooded into their state."
Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed to The New York Post on Saturday that the statement was not real and slammed Mediaite for reporting it straight.
"It’s a fake statement," she said, adding, "He didn’t actually say that. Mediaite is fake news."
After realizing the error, the outlet deleted its write-up of the fake Trump post and followed up with a correction, which read, "CORRECTION: Mediaite erroneously reported on a fake image of a statement attributed to Donald Trump, which the campaign has since confirmed was not real. Trump did not comment on the story in question nor did he or his campaign release any statements on it."
The Trump campaign and Mediaite did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.
