Florida student: I’m not a crisis actor, I’m someone who had to live through this
"I’m not a crisis actor. I’m somebody that had to witness this and live through this and I continue to have to do that," says Florida student David Hogg in response to conspiracy theories being written about him https://t.co/JruN0GWMRD https://t.co/j8VoIwj4ma
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) February 21, 2018
A Florida student who survived the deadly high school shooting last week is pushing back on conspiracy theories, saying he is not a “crisis actor” but someone who had to live through the tragedy.
Benjamin Kelly, an aide to state Rep. Shawn Harrison (R), emailed a Tampa Bay Times reporter after Hogg and Emma Gonzalez appeared on CNN to call for legislation to stop gun violence.
According to Tampa Bay Times reporter Alex Leary, the staffer said, “Both kids in the picture are not students here but actors that travel to various crisis when they happen.”
The comments drew condemnation from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), as well as Harrison, who said the comments don’t reflect his views and that Kelly had been placed on leave.
About an hour later, Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R) tweeted that he fired Kelly.
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