Florida Rep. Tweets Then Deletes False Claim That CNN Built a TV Set 'Where Abraham Lincoln's Desk Once Stood'

Michael Brochstein/Sipa/AP Rep. Greg Steube

Florida Rep. Greg Steube is facing ridicule after a tweet calling the ongoing investigations into the Jan. 6 Capitol riots a "sham," and accusing CNN — which he called "The Communist News Network" — of building "a full TV set where Abraham Lincoln's desk once stood."

Steube used a screenshot of CNN to illustrate his claim, though he seemingly didn't realize that the photo was of a set with a green screen behind it, and not a television set actually erected in National Statuary Hall, where Lincoln's desk was once located.

"In case you forgot the sham #January6thcommitteehearings are purely for TV ratings, [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi let The Communist News Network build a full TV set where Abraham Lincoln's desk once stood," Steube tweeted Wednesday, sharing the image of CNN covering the Jan. 6 hearings.

As CNN's Andrew Kaczynski noted, Steube removed the tweet after he realized the CNN panelists in the photo were simply speaking in front of a screen.

RELATED: 5 Key Moments from the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Hearing, from Never-Before-Seen Video to Ivanka Trump's Testimony

"Rep. Greg Steube removed his tweet calling CNN 'The Communist News Network' who built 'a full TV set where Abraham Lincoln's desk once stood' because was informed this what we the TV business refer to as a screen," Kaczynski wrote.

This is the latest headline for Steube who earlier this month faced criticism for waving his gun around while appearing via Zoom in a hearing on gun control legislation.

"I'm in my house. I can do whatever I want with my guns," the Republican said, when another lawmaker said they hoped the weapon wasn't loaded.

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Steube, a Florida representative, was one of 147 Republican congresspeople to vote in favor of overturning the 2020 presidential election results. He has condemned the actions of those who entered the Capitol but also been openly critical of the committee investigating the Jan. 6 riots, which began televising its hearings last week.

The first few days of the hearing have featured several new revelations about the events leading up to the attacks and how former President Donald Trump and his allies responded.

RELATED: Witnesses Tell Jan. 6 Panel That Trump Called Pence a 'Wimp' and 'the P-Word' in Heated Call

In opening remarks, Vice Chair Liz Cheney — the top Republican on the House committee — described what was to come in the hearings.

"As you will see in the hearings to come, President Trump believed his supporters at the Capitol, and I quote, 'were doing what they should be doing,'" Cheney said. "This is what he told his staff as they pleaded with him to call off the mob, to instruct his supporters to leave."