Protest Organizer Inflated Crowd Size: ABC News

FreedomWorks president attributed 1.5M turnout to network
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 13, 2009 3:30 PM CDT
Protest Organizer Inflated Crowd Size: ABC News
A crowd of people, some carrying signs, are shown during a rally at Freedom Plaza in Washington on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009.   (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The organizer of the "Tea Party" protest in Washington yesterday falsely attributed a high estimate of the turnout to ABC News, the network reports. Matt Kibbe, the head of FreedomWorks, said on stage that ABC estimated the turnout at 1 million to 1.5 million people. In a correction, ABC states that it reported the DC fire department's estimate of 60,000 to 70,000 people.

A FreedomWorks spokesman said he didn't know why Kibbe attributed the high number to ABC News.
(More Barack Obama stories.)

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