Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.) issued an apology Saturday after sharing a false report that Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) had died.
“I am deeply sorry to Congressman John Lewis, his family, and his staff for the erroneous information posted to our social media accounts earlier today. Rep. Lewis is one of my friends and heroes and I am relieved to know he is at home resting,” the North Carolina lawmaker tweeted Saturday.
Lewis announced in December that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Adams’s deputy chief of staff, Sam Spencer, also shared that he takes “full responsibility for the erroneous information posted” to the lawmaker’s Twitter page.
“It should have never happened. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to @repjohnlewis and everyone who was as heartbroken as I was when they heard this hoax,” Spencer tweeted.
Lewis’s chief of staff, Michael Collins, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Lewis is “resting comfortably at home” and that “it’s only rumors.”
HBCU Buzz, a blog reporting on historically black colleges and universities, also shared the false report on its website and Twitter account, according to the outlet.
The Hill has reached out to Adams’s and Lewis’s offices for comment.