A local media report saying that the “deep state” in the US dislikes Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was “fake news,” Ko said yesterday.
Online news outlet Do Post on Thursday reported that while Ko had visited many US officials during his visit to Washington last month, he was viewed by the “deep state” as “someone they dislike.”
The report quoted “a pro-American figure” as saying that the “deep state” detests “people who speaks carelessly” and it did not understand what Ko was saying at the meetings, let alone come to trust him.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
After the Do Post report was cited by a local newspaper yesterday, Taipei City Government vice spokesman Ke Yu-an (柯昱安) said the report was sheer fiction.
It does not include the name of the reporter, while the sources and attributions were “a pro-American figure,” “it is said that” and “it was learned that,” which lack verifiability, Ke said.
The report is a typical example of “fake news” and the Taipei City Government strongly condemns it, he said.
In response to media queries, Ko said: “I just saw the report; it is typical fake news.”
“People do not need a good reason to love or hate, just like people who get divorced do not necessarily hate each other, sometimes they just don’t get along,” Ko said.
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