The Washington Post is investigating its controversial columnist Taylor Lorenz after she was accused of posting a photo to social media branding President Biden a “war criminal.”
In a screenshot of the Instagram story posting obtained by The Post, a mask-clad Lorenz is seen taking a selfie at a “Creators’ Summit” at the White House, as Biden greets attendees in the background. “War criminal” reads the caption with a sad face emoticon.
Lorenz allegedly made the post this week using the “close friends” feature — indicating it was viewable only to a select group of friends of her choosing.
Instagram stories automatically delete after 24 hours.
“We’re aware of the alleged social media post and are looking into it,” a spokesman for the Washington Post told The Post.
Lorenz denied calling Biden a war criminal and insisted the social media post was doctored.
“You people will fall for any dumbass edit someone makes,” she said in an X posting.
It’s not the first time Lorenz has stirred controversy online. In the past she has made headlines for publicly attacking her own colleagues and allegations of doxxing, or revealing sensitive personal information, about LibsOfTikTok creator Chaya Raichik.
Lorenz has also publicly sparred with a Sopranos meme account over the coronavirus vaccine.
In 2022 she broke down publicly on MSNBC and said she was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of online harassment. She has also declared air-conditioning to be sexist.
In December 2023, Lorenz publicly admitted to giving prescription medication to a woman she met on Reddit.
