Topic: Newsmax
A March 7 Newsmax article repeats a claim by Politico that Sarah Palin's parents have "received many death threats since the former vice presidential candidate gained national prominence," specifically citing a story about how "One man recently sent the family a photocopied receipt of a gun he’d purchased." But Newsmax ignored that Politico also reported that the FBI denied having any contact with the person who purportedly sent the gun receipt.
From the Politico article Newsmax linked to in support of its claim:
Palin’s father told the network about a man who had recently sent the family a photocopied receipt of a gun he’d purchased.
Chuck Heath said the man, an alleged stalker named Shawn Christy, was later arrested by the FBI.
“We kind of laugh it off, we got a restraining order on him, and lo and behold last week he showed up in Anchorage, from Pennsylvania, and fortunately the FBI was on top of it and sent him home,” Heath said.
But POLITICO was told the opposite on Monday.
Eric Gonzalez, a spokesman for the FBI's Anchorage field office, said the office has “has not arrested or had any contact with Mr. Christy.”
Two British papers reported earlier that the man had been arrested – apparently off of Heath’s assertion, citing a Palin family source.
Newsmax seems to have hidden the full story in order to overstate the threat.
