The screaming headline at right wing propaganda outlet Washington Free Beacon is just the beginning of the misleading idiocy in this article: U.S. Confirms ISIL Planning Infiltration of U.S. Southern Border.

Really? Infiltration of the US border with Mexico by ISIS is actually in the planning stages?

Well, uh… no, not really. Here’s what was actually said today at the Senate hearing to which the Free Beacon is referring:

Francis Taylor, under secretary for intelligence and analysis at DHS, told senators during a hearing that ISIL supporters are known to be plotting ways to infiltrate the United States through the border.

“There have been Twitter, social media exchanges among ISIL adherents across the globe speaking about that as a possibility,” Taylor told Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) in response to a question about “recent reports on Twitter and Facebook of messages that would urge infiltration into the U.S. across our southwestern border.”

Oh. So “planning” is a ridiculous fear-mongering overstatement; what Taylor actually said is that DHS has intercepted some communications in which ISIS members talked about it “as a possibility.” That’s a long way from being a plan.

But it gets even more ludicrous, because Sen. John McCain then cited… wait for it… James O’Keefe and his recent stunt crossing the border in a cheap Osama bin Laden costume as “evidence” that the border isn’t secure. Oh, my aching head.

James O’Keefe in his ridiculous bin Laden costume

“I’m satisfied we have the intelligence and the capability on our border that would prevent that activity,” Taylor said.

However, McCain was dubious, referring to recent videos released by activist James O’Keefe showing him crossing the border while wearing an Osama bin Laden mask.

Asked by McCain why agents did not stop O’Keefe, Taylor could not provide an answer.

“You can’t answer it because they weren’t there to stop him,” McCain responded.

John McCain and wingnut laughingstock James O’Keefe, together at last. Good grief.

And by the way, if you go to the Senate website for this hearing and download the full statement of Under Secretary Taylor, you’ll find that he actually said this:

At present, DHS is unaware of any specific, credible threat to the U.S. Homeland from ISIL.

(h/t: @PaulSzoldra.)