‘The Answer Is Zero!’ CNN’s Abby Phillip Delivers Swift Correction to Republican Congresswoman

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) repeated a debunked Republican talking point on Monday’s CNN NewsNight, where she was quickly corrected by host Abby Phillip.

Last week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” found that the government was set to spend $50 million on condoms for people in Gaza. On Monday, President Donald Trump repeated the falsehood while increasing the nonexistent price tag to $100 million.

In recent days, Musk has created havoc at various federal agencies while acting as a de facto hatchet man blocking the allocation of funds appropriated by Congress – all while clashing with civil servants. Most alarmingly, Musk and a small group of his associates now have access to the U.S. Treasury’s payment systems and with them, sensitive personal data of millions of Americans. The group has also installed a server at the Office of Personnel Management – potentially in violation of federal law.

Malliotakis defended Musk’s actions on CNN. But in doing so, she repeated the false condoms claim, which led to this lively exchange:

MALLIOTAKIS: You have these bureaucrats sitting at these agencies. They come before Congress. We have hearings. We try to get to the bottom of where this money is going. Fifty million for condoms in Gaza, for example.

PHILLIP: But Congresswoman–

MALLIOTAKIS: No, but these are real things!

[CROSSTALK]

PHILLIP: Congresswoman, we know that there was not $50 million spent on condoms in Gaza.

MALLIOTAKIS: Ok.

PHILLIP: There was $0 spent on condoms in the Middle East. That is a complete falsehood and a lie.

MALLIOTAKIS: So, the White House put that out there as a false statement.

[CROSSTALK]

MALLIOTAKIS: Where did it go? Where did it go?

PHILLIP: Congresswoman, I’m gonna blame the president who upped the dollar amount to $100 million. It is false.

MALLIOTAKIS: It was $50 million as far as I know.

PHILLIP: It is false. The answer is zero! There is not. So, you cannot use that as an example.

Watch above via CNN.