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On 18 June 2017, dubious web site The Daily Wire posted a story reporting that former President Barack Obama was silent about a shooting that targeted Republican members of Congress, but broke his silence to praise a former drug dealer. The story reads: Republican members of Congress had been practicing for a charity baseball game on 14 June 2017 at a park in Alexandria, Virginia, when a gunman targeted them and opened fire, critically wounding Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and also injuring others including a U.S. Capitol police officer, a staffer and a lobbyist. Obama had, on the day of the shooting, called Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona), who had been at the park but escaped gunfire. The 44th president offered his best wishes and prayers to the victims, Politico reported: We confirmed with Flake's spokesman that the call took place and that the Politico report accurately represented it. The former president also made a video inducting Jay Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on 15 June 2017. Carter is the first hip hop artist to be inducted. Jay Z has said he dealt drugs as a teen before finding success in the music industry (he is now 47 years old). In a 2013 interview with Vanity Fair, he said: In the recorded speech, the former president congratulated Carter and gave a nod toward their shared difficult beginnings, saying: The premise of the Daily Wire article, that former President Barack Obama was mum about the Virginia shooting, favoring instead a former drug dealer, is demonstrably false. Obama reached out the congressmen who were targeted in the shooting, and also recorded a speech congratulating a musician for a landmark accomplishment.
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