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There is beef over an Ohio political ad.
A conservative Super Pac has urged an Ohio NBC affiliate to correct an on-air fact-check by an analyst with a liberal social media history who disputed claims that Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown supported sex changes for minors and biological men in women's sports -- but the Cleveland-based station doesn’t appear concerned.
The Senate Leadership Fund put out an ad criticizing Brown for backing President Biden’s "extreme liberal agenda," claiming the Ohio Democrat backed Biden by "voting to let transgender, biological men participate in women’s sports," supporting and "allowing puberty blockers and sex change surgeries for minor children," in addition to supporting Bidenomics.
The Senate Leadership Fund, which is aligned with Sen. Mitch McConnell and was created to help build a Republican Senate majority, concluded that Brown, who is being challenged by Trump-backed businessman Bernie Moreno, is "too liberal for Ohio."
WKYC digital anchor and legal analyst Stephanie Haney fact-checked the ad, saying its assertions were false. WKYC aired a portion of the ad before Haney took the Super Pac to task.
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WKYC digital anchor and legal analyst Stephanie Haney declared assertions in a Senate Leadership Fund ad were false.
"Let’s start with the claim that Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown supported allowing puberty blockers and sex change surgeries for minor children," Haney said, noting that the ad cited an interview Brown did in 2023 with WSYX.
"A child’s health care decisions are between them, their parents, their families, their doctors, not politicians," a clip of Brown said. "I will never agree with anybody that wants to bring politics into the family situation with health care. Period."
Haney then read a statement from Brown’s campaign team: "Sherrod’s comments cited in the ad were not in support of puberty blockers or gender reassignment surgeries, but instead a call to keep politicians out of decisions that should be made between families and doctors."
Haney told viewers she could "verify" the Senate Leadership Fund claims were "false."
Haney, who has called former President Trump "racist" and fawned over former President Obama on her X account, then moved on to the claim about women’s sports.
The Senate Leadership Fund put out an ad criticizing Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown for backing President Biden’s "extreme liberal agenda." (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"When making the claim, the ad refers to a vote in the U.S. Senate from March of 2021. When we pull up this vote on the U.S. Senate website, we see the amendment that was the subject of the vote had nothing to do with allowing transgender people to participate in women’s sports. It was actually only about money," Haney told viewers.
"Sen. Brown voted against including an amendment in the American Rescue Plan that would have stripped federal funding from Ohio schools if those schools allowed transgender people to participate in women’s sports," she continued. "So, we can verify, the claim that Brown voted to let transgender biological men participate in women’s sports is false."
Haney ultimately ruled that two claims made in the ad were verified as "false," essentially telling viewers the Senate Leadership Fund commercial was misleading on its face.
When the Senate Leadership Fund caught wind of the fact-checking segment, it emailed Haney to suggest the "story is missing some key pieces of information and is misleading voters" and pointed out that she never asked the Senate Leadership Fund for comment before airing the segment.
In emails obtained by Fox News Digital, Haney pushed back, insisting the ad was a public comment itself and "that statement" was included.
"I went on to fact check the sources cited in the statement, including the WSYX interview and the roll call vote from 2021. Please let me know what you believe to be missing from the piece," Haney wrote.
The Senate Leadership Fund’s communications team responded with a scathing email.
"I work with fact checkers all the time. Not once has a journalist, or fact checker, not reached out to me for additional information, context or comment," the Senate Leadership Fund communications director wrote.
"What you did here is not industry practice and it's unethical. You allowed Sherrod Brown the opportunity to respond. Sherrod Brown's interview with WSYX and his votes to allow men to play in women's sports are both ‘public statements.’ Yet, you allowed him to clarify, but did not give us the opportunity to provide more information," the communications director continued. "Also, I'm not sure why you think the ad being a ‘public statement’ makes a difference here."
The Senate Leadership Fund then informed Haney that the fact-check was missing "key information," but the Super Pac preferred to share it with her editor or news director.
Haney obliged and added the station’s news director to the email chain, prompting the Senate Leadership Fund to send another scathing takedown.
"I just want to again reiterate that I have never had a fact checker not reach out before publishing a piece. I think it does a disservice to your viewers and the station’s credibility to not reach out for more information. Frankly, I think this 'fact check' was more opinion than fact, and a correction needs to be issued," the communications director wrote.
"Sherrod Brown voted twice (March 2021 and March 2024) to allow transgender biological men to participate in women’s sports. You’re correct that both these votes involve funding, but men are still allowed to participate in women’s sports at schools that received federal funding because Brown voted against the amendment. If the amendment had passed, men would NOT be allowed to participate in women’s sports at schools that receive federal funding," Senate Leadership Fund's communications director continued. "Can you point to the portion of Brown’s interview with WSYX where he states he’s against puberty blockers and sex changes for minors? I couldn’t find it."
The Senate Leadership Fund and Haney continued to bicker over email and never came to any sort of agreement, with the pro-GOP group insisting the fact-check was inaccurate, represented "an opinion" and needed to be "updated."
"What this boils down to is the fact that not denouncing something does not equate to voting for it, or supporting it," Haney wrote.
Brown’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Brown voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act last year. The bill "generally prohibits school athletic programs from allowing individuals whose biological sex at birth was male to participate in programs that are for women or girls."
In 2021, Brown sponsored an LGBTQ Pride Month resolution that included language about transgender youth participating in sports and their ability to access health care. Brown has long supported legislation that protects the well-being of transgender individuals.
WKYC and Haney did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment.
The Senate Leadership Fund stands by the ad.
"Sherrod Brown fully supports allowing minors to receive puberty blockers and sex changes. He also supports allowing biological men to play in women’s sports. These facts are indisputable, and those who claim otherwise are looking through a partisan lens," a spokesperson for the Senate Leadership Fund told Fox News Digital.
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The Senate Leadership Fund stands by its ad criticizing Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown despite Stephanie Haney’s fact-check.
Haney’s social media history suggests she’s reliably liberal.
"I believe that Trump is racist and I do not support his policies," she tweeted in 2016.
"Trump was right. Mexico will build a wall. And will pay for it. To keep Trump out. God help us all. I'm not being dramatic," she wrote in another 2016 tweet.
Haney tweeted in 2012, "I love you #Ohio! I'm happy both of my "home states" went Blue tonight! #California #Election2012 #Obama #TeamObama."
Fox News Digital’s David Rutz contributed to this report.
Brian Flood is a media editor/reporter for FOX News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
