MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A story claiming former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin called for boycotting the Mall of America in Minnesota over its black Santa Claus is false.
The story, posted by Newslo and some affiliated websites, claims Palin told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, "Santa was always white in the Bible." It's been widely shared on Facebook.
But the Star Tribune never ran such a story. And the newspaper's managing editor, Suki Dardarian, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that none of her reporters ever spoke with Palin about the mall's recent hiring of its black Santa.
Palin appeared to deny the false story in a Facebook post earlier this month, posting a shot of that story with an acerbic comment.
Palin family attorney John Tiemessen was checking on a more detailed response.