Opinion: Kaitlan Collins and Barbara Jussie Smollett was trending on because of an opinion that Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) reportedly claimed that a white man had stopped her from getting on the ‘members-only’ elevator in the Capitol building.
During an interview with Kaitlan Collins on CNN, Lee claimed that she was stopped and told she couldn’t access the members’ elevator by a white man who questioned her about her Congress membership. Collins shared the comments on social media.
Social media users began to speculate over the validity of Lee’s claim. Some noted that the story shared similarities with the infamous Jussie Smollett case, suggesting that it did not happen.
Conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza expressed skepticism of Lee’s story, comparing it to that of Jussie Smolletts, and criticized Collins for her uncritical reaction. Others contended that, if the incident did occur in the Capitol building, surveillance footage of the encounter should be available.
In an unrelated incident, the article also recounted Lee’s attempt to disrupt a Congressional hearing and claimed that Lee is sympathetic toward late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Notably, the article concluded with the author’s byline.
Overall, the article detailed social media reactions to Representative Barbara Lee and Kaitlan Collins’ account of Lee’s story, highlighting skepticism surrounding the claim and including some additional information about Lee’s political and legislative activities.
