Newsmax defends vaccines in rebuke of its own reporter’s ‘false claims’

Conservative news network Newsmax issued a pair of statements Tuesday distancing itself from “false claims” about coronavirus vaccines made by one of its correspondents. 

Emerald Robinson, a White House correspondent for the outlet, sent out a tweet Monday that erroneously claimed the vaccines “contain a bioluminescent marker called LUCIFERASE so that you can be tracked.”

Elliot Jacobson, executive vice president and chief content officer at Newsmax, said in a statement that the network is “a strong proponent that Covid 19 vaccines are overarchingly safe and effective.” 

“We have seen no evidence to suggest LUCIFERASE or LUCIFERIN are present in any vaccines or that they are used as any sort bioluminescent marker,” Jacobson said. 

Robinson’s tweet, which has since been taken down, was widely panned on social media. 

It was replaced by a note from Twitter on her feed that says it was taken down because it violated the platform’s rules.

In a separate statement to The Hill on Tuesday, Newsmax reiterated that it does not believe “the vaccines contain any toxic materials or tracking markers” and noted that “such false claims have never been reported on Newsmax.” 

“The many medical experts appearing on Newsmax have supported the use of the vaccine,” the outlet said. 

Newsmax, which is popular among viewers loyal to former President Trump, is one of several right-wing news agencies and media personalities that have been sued this year by Dominion Voting Systems for allegedly peddling false claims about 2020 election fraud.