The Pentagon is shutting down one of Fox News’ more bizarre conspiracy theories.
After Fox News host Jesse Watters suggested this week that Taylor Swift could be “a front for a covert political agenda,” the Department of Defense shared a statement on Wednesday (Jan. 9) refuting the claims, according to Politico.
“It’s real. The Pentagon psy-op unit pitched NATO on turning Taylor Swift into an asset for combating misinformation online,” Watters said during the show, sharing a video from a 2019 conference organized by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence, during which a presenter names Swift as an example of a powerful influencer.
In response, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh referencing Swift’s 1989 hit “Shake It Off” in a statement by noting, “as for this conspiracy theory, we are going to shake it off.”
Singh continued with the reference-filled statement, “But that does highlight that we still need Congress to approve our supplemental budget request as Swift-ly as possible so we can be out of the woods with potential fiscal concerns.”
While Swift is not a political “asset,” she does important work in encouraging her fans to vote. “Voters gonna vote!” she wrote on her Instagram Story on Election Day. “If you are registered to vote in Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas or Virginia, it’s time to use your voice.”
She also encouraged voters to be informed before arriving. “Find out what’s on your ballot before you arrive to the polls by visiting Vote.org.” Her link takes followers to Vote.org’s See What’s on Your Ballot tool, which gives voters a preview of what will be on their ballots.
The 12-time Grammy winner’s latest Instagram Story is part of an ongoing partnership she has with Vote.org, a non-profit, non-partisan voter registration organization that aims to increase voting behavior and reach underserved and underrepresented voters.