Sen. Mike Lee’s credibility problem took another hit on Tuesday. Almost exactly one year after posting a fake letter announcing the death of a former U.S. president, the Utah Republican appears to have fallen for yet another hoax.
On Tuesday morning, Lee shared, then swiftly deleted, what appeared to be a fake resignation letter from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.
"Powell's out!" Lee proclaimed on his personal BasedMikeLee X/Twitter account, along with the letter.
The letter, purportedly from Powell, said that he would resign at the end of the business day on Tuesday, July 22.
"I am proud of what we have accomplished," the apparently fake letter read. "However, at this critical juncture, I believe new leadership is needed to carry forward the important work of the Federal Reserve and to reinforce public confidence in its independence and effectiveness."
There were several elements letter that immediately would identify it as an obvious fake. The Federal Reserve "seal" next to the signature is obviously AI-generated—apart from "reserve" and "of," there are no real words.
The post vanished within minutes, but not before Politico reporter Jordain Carney captured the evidence. Lee's excuse? He deleted it "out of an abundance of caution" because he couldn't verify the letter's authenticity—a precaution that was absent the first time he hit "post."
Sen. Mike Lee tweeted (and appears to have deleted) what he appears to believe is a resignation letter (??) from Powell pic.twitter.com/w5ez4wjdFc
— Jordain Carney (@jordainc) July 22, 2025
Lee was roasted on social media for falling for the obvious fake.
Very real and not AI-looking seal of the federal reserve. Excellent work by Utah's senior senator. https://t.co/6rU7ThbnjM pic.twitter.com/wdcNJNpXsM
— Joe Perticone (@JoePerticone) July 22, 2025
This is like the 68th most embarrassing based mike lee moment tho
— Sam Stein (@samstein) July 22, 2025
who could blame the Utah senator? These fakers really nailed the seal of the "Elerebal Reserve Oedo of Goveryaeb" https://t.co/jWgHWeAv59 pic.twitter.com/HmotGUxLIx
— Brendan Pedersen (@BrendanPedersen) July 22, 2025
Lee, who frequently attacks traditional media outlets for a perceived lack of accuracy and caution in their reporting, has a growing track record of falling for internet hoaxes. Last July 23—yes, almost exactly one year ago—he posted a counterfeit letter announcing Jimmy Carter's death. Any reasonable person would have spotted the red flags: the fake letter bizarrely quoted the former president making crude sexual references about his late wife Rosalynn and Nancy Reagan.
Lee's July 2024 was a banner month for misinformation. He also amplified false claims that President Biden had suffered a "medical emergency" on Air Force One—a conspiracy theory cooked up by far-right provocateur Laura Loomer.
If Biden is having a medical emergency at this moment — on board Air Force One or otherwise — that raises … a lot of questions. https://t.co/KgnlflGxSd
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 6, 2024
