A congressional candidate in New York endorsed by a member of House GOP leadership recently shared a Facebook post claiming the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, were false flag operations.
Carl Paladino, a Buffalo businessman and former candidate for governor, reposted a conspiracy theory-laced message by another person casting doubt on whether the shootings at a supermarket in Buffalo and an elementary school in Uvalde were real, according to screenshots of the since-deleted post from Wednesday captured by the watchdog group Media Matters for America.
Paladino has been endorsed by Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the No. 3 Republican in the House. He is running for the seat held by GOP Rep. Chris Jacobs, who recently announced he was ending his re-election bid after he came out in support of a federal ban on so-called assault weapons. The 23rd Congressional District includes suburbs of Buffalo.
"I am proud to announce my endorsement of my friend Carl Paladino in NY-23," Stefanik wrote in a Facebook post Friday. "Carl is a job creator and conservative outsider who will be a tireless fighter for the people of New York in our fight to put America First to save the country."
NBC News has reached out to Paladino's campaign and Stefanik's office for comment.
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