The Telegraph Deletes Conspiracy-mongering Report About Liz Truss ‘Giving Russians Her DNA’
14:19 GMT 12.02.2022 (Updated: 14:25 GMT 12.02.2022)
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Security concerns relating to Western politicians’ precious DNA emerged on Friday, after it was reported that President Emmanuel Macron refused to take an anti-Covid PCR test ahead of a meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Monday amid fears that the Russians would “get their hands” on the French leader’s genetic material.
The Telegraph has inexplicably deleted an article detailing security concerns said to be associated with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss taking a Russian Covid test during Thursday's visit to Moscow.
The article, entitled “Questions raised over Liz Truss ‘giving Russians her DNA’ after Macron declines PCR test at Putin meeting,” was published Friday evening, but has since disappeared off the newspaper’s site, replaced by a “404 – Sorry, page not found” error.
The deletion apparently didn’t come fast enough for MSN to republish the piece, and it’s still available on that site as of Saturday.
The article says Truss is “understood to have taken a PCR test,” following “reports [that] Emmanuel Macron declined to take a PCR test over fears his biological material would be stored by the Kremlin.”
12 February 2022, 03:57 GMT
Tory Defence Select Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood told The Telegraph that “Given Macron’s decision, I hope our ministers took advice from our intelligence agencies on whether this could be classified as a security concern.”
The Telegraph did not provide any explanation as to why the article was deleted. However, if the top-rated comments in MSN’s comments section and reaction on Twitter are anything to go by, it could be that the item was considered to be too much of a conspiratorial anti-Russia hit piece, even by UK media standards.
“This ‘news’ is truly pathetic…Who gives a flying whatsit if Russia has her DNA through a covid test, what do you think they will do with it?” one MSN user asked. “They tried to make a clone [of Truss] but it came out as a gammon joint,” another joked. “Her DNA? Why? Has Putin’s supply of Novichok run low?” a third quipped. “Please Russia, DON’T clone the woman. This one is enough, unless you can produce a cyborg with two brain cells,” yet another suggested.
“Putting a fork or knife in your mouth, sipping from a cup or glass or touching a door would give up DNA as well. Really childish journalism here,” one inquisitive user pointed out. “A leaked email from Hillary Clinton to US ambassadors around the world several years ago revealed she asked them to collect DNA from Presidents, Prime Ministers, etc…” one conspiratorially-minded commenter added.
Screengrab of top comments on MSN.com of The Telegraph article claiming Russians may have Liz Truss's DNA.
© Photo : MSN.com
Twitter featured equally merciless comments, with some users complaining that such “conspiracy theories” constitute a blatant and ridiculous “push for war” with Russia.
Tweet reacting to The Telegraph article suggesting Russia may now possess Liz Truss's DNA.
© Photo : Twitter
Secretary Truss has had a difficult couple of weeks defending Britain’s position on Ukraine, mistakenly telling Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during Thursday’s meeting that Britain would “never recognize Russia’s sovereignty” over the Russian regions of Voronezh and Rostov. A week earlier, she vowed that London would support “our Baltic allies across the Black Sea” – two different maritime regions separated by over 1,200 km of landmass.
