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The C-17 with Hurricane relief was delayed by mechanical problems

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The C-17 with Hurricane relief was delayed by mechanical problems

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The claim: Kamala Harris ordered the C-17 loaded with relief supplies for a photo shoot

An Oct. 11 Instagram post ( direct link , link to archive ) by conservative commentator Benny Johnson contains an excerpt from someone else’s podcast, in which a man says that relief items from the ‘Hurricane Helene were loaded onto a plane just for a photo of Kamala Harris.

“They had to load up a C-17 full of supplies just to do a photo op on Kamala, and they never sent the bird,” the man in the video says in part.

The caption with the video, from a post on Johnson’s X, reads: “Kamala Harris Exposed for Ordering National Guard to Load C-17 Cargo Plane with Relief Supplies Supposedly for Hurricane Victims to North Carolina for a photo shoot, but NEVER SEND the plane.”

The post has been liked over 175,000 times in over a week. Other versions of the claim were widely circulated, including one that claimed the supplies in question were never shipped.

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Fact Check Summary: Hurricane paths, FEMA’s response fuel dangerous misinformation

Our rating: False

Harris did not issue any orders on the plane, which was loaded as part of standard operations unrelated to his visit, according to a spokesman for the North Carolina National Guard. The supplies were transferred to another plane due to mechanical problems and flew out the day after Harris’ appearance. The host of the podcast Johnson shared later denied the claim.

The aircraft loaded with hurricane aid was part of the standard operation

Harris visited North Carolina on Oct. 5 to see Hurricane Helene relief work in person, speaking with local officials and visiting a National Guard base while there. At the base, he spoke in front of a C-17 plane loaded with relief supplies for hurricane survivors.

The plane’s loading was part of previously scheduled operations to deliver supplies to hurricane survivors, and Harris’ visit did not change its schedule, according to a spokesman for the North Carolina National Guard.

After loading the cargo, a problem with the fuel pump was discovered that rendered the plane unusable, the spokesman said. The cargo was then transferred to another plane, but it also had mechanical problems. The second plane was repaired the next day and delivered the supplies to Asheville, North Carolina.

The claim that the upload was made originated with Jonathan Howard, a member of Aerial Recovery, a non-profit disaster response organization. Howard said on a podcast that he was told by “aircraft squadron commanders” that the cargo had been arranged and help was never sent.

But Shawn Ryan, the host of the podcast where Howard made his claim, posted a video on X on Oct. 13 retracting it after being contacted by a guard and reviewing the documents. He said he learned the claim was false and apologized for sharing the wrong information.

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USA TODAY was unable to reach Howard directly. USA TODAY also reached out to Aerial Recovery and Johnson for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

Snopes and PolitiFact also debunked similar claims.

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