The claim: Rep. Lauren Boebert said, 'The Chinese spy balloon was 60k feet high, which is only about one mile'

A Feb. 5 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claimed a Republican congresswoman from Colorado bungled the math in a remark about the Chinese surveillance balloon that flew across the U.S. for several days.

“Lauren Boebert: ‘The Chinese spy balloon was 60k feet high, which is only about one mile,’” reads the post. “Yes, it took her 4 times to pass GED.”

The post was shared more than 300 times in five days.

Our rating: False

There is no evidence the congresswoman made any such remark, and her spokesperson said the claim is false. It originated on a satirical Twitter account.

Congresswoman's representative says claim is 'baseless lie'

A review of the congresswoman’s website and social media posts found no evidence of any such remark.

Benjamin Stout, Boebert’s spokesman, said the claim was a “baseless lie.”

The claim was first circulated on Twitter by a satirical account. The Twitter user’s bio says, "As my high IQ followers know, I have never faked a sarcasm," and its tweets are often obvious jokes.

The balloon was flying at more than 60,000 feet in the air as it crossed South Carolina on the morning of Feb. 4, according to a tweet by the York County Sheriff’s Office.

That altitude is slightly more than 11 miles. The balloon was ultimately shot down over the Atlantic Ocean that afternoon at an altitude of just over 12 miles, as reported by USA TODAY.

The post...

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