Twitter users are mocking The New York Times after it published a report on Sen. Marco Rubio's "bedeviled" and "troubled" financial history — a report widely perceived as a political hit piece.
After The Times reported that Rubio once "splurged on an extravagant purchase: $80,000 for a luxury speedboat," users quickly moved to debunk the claim. The boat in question was in reality an EdgeWater 245CC Deep-V Center Console, which the manufacturer describes as a "safety-minded family boaters and avid anglers."
The boat is hardly a "luxury speedboat" one might see cruising around South Beach in the senator's home state.
The report, which sought to brand Rubio as reckless, irresponsible, and therefore unqualified to seek the presidency, inspired the hashtag "#RubioSpendingSpree," which Twitter users jumped on to mock The Times' breathless reporting.
The hashtag campaign acted as a sequel to #RubioCrimeSpree, which mocked
a previous NYT hit piece about Rubio and his wife's traffic tickets. In that report, Times reporters misidentified one of the most common American trucks, a Ford F-150, as an SUV.
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