Peter Navarro clashes with X over fact-check on India’s Russian oil purchases
Washington DC: White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has reignited his feud with social media platform X after his posts alleging India’s profiteering from Russian oil were flagged with community notes.
In a series of posts on Sunday (local time), Navarro dismissed the fact-checks as “crap” and accused X of serving “foreign interests” that interfere in U.S. economic and political discourse. He launched a user poll asking whether X should “present this crap,” escalating tensions with the platform.
Navarro, Senior Counsellor for Trade and Manufacturing under U.S. President Donald Trump, had earlier claimed that India’s purchase of Russian oil was motivated purely by profiteering and that New Delhi’s tariffs were costing “American jobs.” His remarks were fact-checked by users on X, pointing out inaccuracies in his claims.
In response, Navarro accused the Indian government of running a “spin machine” and alleged that revenues from Russian oil sales were fueling Moscow’s war effort. “India buys Russia oil solely to profiteer. It didn’t buy any before Russia invaded Ukraine,” he posted.
Despite his strong criticism, Navarro’s own poll appeared to backfire. At the time of reporting, over 60 per cent of respondents voted in favor of X presenting diverse viewpoints, including fact-check notes, undermining Navarro’s stance.
Navarro’s comments also targeted the Washington Post, which had reported on tensions within the Trump administration over its India policy. He accused the newspaper of spreading “fake news,” adding that India’s “highest tariffs cost U.S. jobs” and that Washington’s leniency toward New Delhi was misplaced.
FACTS: India highest tariffs costs U.S. jobs. India buys Russian oil purely to profit/Revenues feed Russia war machine. Ukrainians/Russians die. U.S. taxpayers shell out more. India can't handle truth/spins @washpo
— Peter Navarro (@RealPNavarro) September 5, 2025
Leftist American fake news. QED. https://t.co/9UwdodYBEe
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Congress demands PM Modi to come clean on 'disclosures' on him made in Epstein files
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Sunday demanded answers from Narendra Modi following “disclosures” in the Epstein files in the US that some “monsters” had access to him, and said the prime minister should come clean on the issue.
Congress general secretary in charge of organisation, K C Venugopal, said in a post on X, "The reports of the new batch of Epstein Files are a huge wake-up call about the kind of monsters who have access to PM Modi, and how susceptible he is to foreign manipulation.
"The Congress demands that the prime minister personally come clean on these disturbing disclosures that raise serious questions.”
“Has he met Jeffrey Epstein? Or did he send someone to meet him? What did his conversations with Epstein involve,” the Congress leader asked.
The Epstein files are thousands of pages of documents related to two criminal investigations into sex trafficking by financier Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, including travel logs, recordings, and emails, which have been a topic of conversation since Epstein died in custody in 2019.
Venugopal claimed equally concerning was a report that while India’s foreign policy was changing dramatically, Prime Minister Modi was “dancing and singing” to the tunes of “tainted” individuals like Epstein to “benefit foreign powers”.
“People of India deserve an answer,” Venugopal said.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said, "The prime minister himself must clarify.”
Congress leader Pawan Khera also asked whether Modi was in touch with a "disgraceful" American such as Epstein right around the 2019 elections.
On Saturday, the BJP accused the Congress of spreading misinformation against Prime Minister Modi by "twisting" a generic email fragment of investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein into a political smear, asserting that there is "zero evidence" of any direct or indirect interaction between the two.
The Ministry of External Affairs strongly rejected a reference to Modi in the investigative files related to Epstein, describing it as "little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal" that deserves to be dismissed with the "utmost contempt".
