After several claims on the internet that Jo Ellis, a transgender pilot of the Virginia Army National Guard, was the captain of the downed <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/washington-dc-plane-crash-black-hawk-pilot-atc-missteps-obama-or-dei-hiring-whos-really-to-blame-8678560">Black Hawk</a>, she posted a video to reject the claims.&nbsp;
She took to the social media platform Facebook and posted a video as &ldquo;proof of life&rdquo; to reassure that she was alive and was not operating the helicopter.&nbsp;
Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/washington-dc-plane-crash-helicopter-black-box-found-41-of-67-victim-bodies-recovered-divers-continue-to-search-for-remaining-26-8679585">Washington Plane Crash: Helicopter black box found; 41 bodies recovered, search for remaining 26 victims on</a>
&ldquo;I understand some people have associated me with the crash in DC and that is false," she said in the video.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some sort of political agenda. They don&rsquo;t deserve that. I don&rsquo;t deserve this," she further added.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet publive-iframes-block publive-Twitter-block" contenteditable="false" width="600" height="400" id="PL_blockquote_block-m6mcgx5u-rl5cj6wj-978x76hx">
JUST RELEASED VIDEO OF JO ELLIS ALIVE! 🚨 Rumors that Jo Ellis was the pilot in the DC crash are FALSE. Let's get the facts straight and stop spreading misinformation. <a href="https://t.co/QgjOIB0RLe">pic.twitter.com/QgjOIB0RLe</a>
&mdash; American Citizen 🇺🇸 (@realtalkstruth) <a href="https://twitter.com/realtalkstruth/status/1885342379432886596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
A post on the Musk-owned X on January 31 said, "The Blackhawk helicopter pilot involved in the Washington D.C. Reagan National Airport #planecrash has been identified as transgender military pilot Jo Ellis."&nbsp;
Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-criticises-journalist-after-she-grills-him-for-blaming-democrats-dei-policies-for-washington-plane-crash-8676575">Donald Trump criticises journalist after she grills him for &lsquo;blaming&rsquo; Democrats, DEI policies for Washington plane crash</a>
&ldquo;Reports indicate Ellis attempted to take out three other passenger planes before colliding midair with American Airlines Flight 5342 over the Potomac. Just one day before the disaster, Ellis appeared on the Michael Smerconish podcast, slamming Trump's military trans ban," it further added.&nbsp;
The rumours erupted after US President Donald Trump and his supporters tried to link the Washington, DC crash to so-called &ldquo;DEI programs" and to the fact that Ellis is transgender.&nbsp;
WATCH:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/washington-plane-crash-no-survivors-expected-67-feared-dead-8676498">Washington plane crash: No survivors expected, 67 feared dead</a>
As per the reports, the crashed chopper was carrying three US Army soldiers while the commercial plane had 60 passengers onboard. Around 67 dead bodies have been recovered so far - and Trump has confirmed that no one is likely to be alive after the crash.&nbsp;
The lies further escalated when the Pentagon announced the names of the two deceased pilots but refused to reveal the third one &ldquo;at the request of the family.&rdquo;
Several posts emerged on the internet with claims that the third pilot was transgender, and it was Ellis speculating that she did it after Trump's ban on transgender people from the US military.&nbsp;
WATCH:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/washington-plane-crash-investigations-underway-into-tragedy-8676218">Washington Plane crash: Investigations underway into tragedy</a>
(With inputs from agencies)
&nbsp;

Trending | World | She took to the social media platform Facebook and posted a video as “proof of life” to reassure that she was alive and was not operating the helicopter. 

After several claims on the internet that Jo Ellis, a transgender pilot of the Virginia Army National Guard, was the captain of the downed Black Hawk, she posted a video to reject the claims. She took to the social media platform Facebook and posted a video as “proof of life” to reassure that she was alive and was not operating the helicopter. Also read: Washington Plane Crash: Helicopter black box found; 41 bodies recovered, search for remaining 26 victims on “I understand some people have associated me with the crash in DC and that is false," she said in the video. “It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some sort of political agenda. They don’t deserve that. I don’t deserve this," she further added. JUST RELEASED VIDEO OF JO ELLIS ALIVE! 🚨 Rumors that Jo Ellis was the pilot in the DC crash are FALSE. Let's get the facts straight and stop spreading misinformation. pic.twitter.com/QgjOIB0RLe — American Citizen 🇺🇸 (@realtalkstruth) January 31, 2025 A post on the Musk-owned X on January 31 said, "The Blackhawk helicopter pilot involved in the Washington D.C. Reagan National Airport #planecrash has been identified as transgender military pilot Jo Ellis." Also read: Donald Trump criticises journalist after she grills him for ‘blaming’ Democrats, DEI policies for Washington plane crash “Reports indicate Ellis attempted to take out three other passenger planes before colliding midair with American Airlines Flight 5342 over the Potomac. Just one day before the disaster, Ellis appeared on the Michael Smerconish podcast, slamming Trump's military trans ban," it further added. The rumours erupted after US President Donald Trump and his supporters tried to link the Washington, DC crash to so-called “DEI programs" and to the fact that Ellis is transgender. WATCH: Washington plane crash: No survivors expected, 67 feared dead As per the reports, the crashed chopper was carrying three US Army soldiers while the commercial plane had 60 passengers onboard. Around 67 dead bodies have been recovered so far - and Trump has confirmed that no one is likely to be alive after the crash. The lies further escalated when the Pentagon announced the names of the two deceased pilots but refused to reveal the third one “at the request of the family.” Several posts emerged on the internet with claims that the third pilot was transgender, and it was Ellis speculating that she did it after Trump's ban on transgender people from the US military. WATCH: Washington Plane crash: Investigations underway into tragedy (With inputs from agencies)

'I don’t deserve this': Jo Ellis, transgender pilot wrongly named in Washington plane crash speaks out. Who is she? | WATCH

President Donald Trump&#39;s administration is set to deliver the Pentagon guidance in coming days on how to implement his ban on transgender people serving in the military, The Wall Street Journal said Wednesday.

Trump last month deployed a series of tweets that upended an Obama-era policy of more than a year allowing transgender troops to serve openly, an announcement that came with little apparent coordination with the Pentagon.

The two-and-a-half page White House memo would let Defense Secretary Jim Mattis &quot;consider a service member&#39;s ability to deploy in deciding whether to kick them out of the military,&quot; the WSJ said.

Citing US officials familiar with the memo, the paper said the guidance instructs the Pentagon not to admit new transgender people and to end payments for medical treatment regimens for members already serving.

Since Trump&#39;s declaration several senior military officials have voiced unease over the policy shift, with the head of the Coast Guard saying he would not &quot;break faith&quot; with transgender personnel.

He said there were 13 Coast Guard members who have come out as transgender, noting &quot;all of them are doing meaningful Coast Guard work today.&quot;

A day after the president&#39;s bombshell announcement, General Joe Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sent a short memo to senior officers and enlisted leaders that the current policy should remain in effect until Trump gives formal direction to the Pentagon and Mattis issues new guidance.

&quot;In the meantime, we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect,&quot; Dunford wrote.

General Mark Milley, Chief of Staff of the Army, had said he first learned of the change on the news.

&quot;We will work through the implementation guidance when we get it, and then we will move from there,&quot; Milley said.&nbsp;

Five transgender women in the US military are suing Trump and the Pentagon over the announcement, saying they face uncertainty about their futures, including whether they would be fired or lose post-military and retirement benefits.

Trump has said he did the Pentagon a &quot;great favor&quot; by banning transgender troops, saying the issue had been &quot;complicated&quot; and &quot;confusing&quot; for the military.

The number of transgender troops among America&#39;s 1.3 million active duty service members is small, with estimates ranging from between 1,320 and 15,000.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the guidance instructs the Pentagon not to admit new transgender people and to end payments for medical treatment regimens for members already serving

President Donald Trump's administration is set to deliver the Pentagon guidance in coming days on how to implement his ban on transgender people serving in the military, The Wall Street Journal said Wednesday. Trump last month deployed a series of tweets that upended an Obama-era policy of more than a year allowing transgender troops to serve openly, an announcement that came with little apparent coordination with the Pentagon. The two-and-a-half page White House memo would let Defense Secretary Jim Mattis "consider a service member's ability to deploy in deciding whether to kick them out of the military," the WSJ said. Citing US officials familiar with the memo, the paper said the guidance instructs the Pentagon not to admit new transgender people and to end payments for medical treatment regimens for members already serving. Since Trump's declaration several senior military officials have voiced unease over the policy shift, with the head of the Coast Guard saying he would not "break faith" with transgender personnel. He said there were 13 Coast Guard members who have come out as transgender, noting "all of them are doing meaningful Coast Guard work today." A day after the president's bombshell announcement, General Joe Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sent a short memo to senior officers and enlisted leaders that the current policy should remain in effect until Trump gives formal direction to the Pentagon and Mattis issues new guidance. "In the meantime, we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect," Dunford wrote. General Mark Milley, Chief of Staff of the Army, had said he first learned of the change on the news. "We will work through the implementation guidance when we get it, and then we will move from there," Milley said. Five transgender women in the US military are suing Trump and the Pentagon over the announcement, saying they face uncertainty about their futures, including whether they would be fired or lose post-military and retirement benefits. Trump has said he did the Pentagon a "great favor" by banning transgender troops, saying the issue had been "complicated" and "confusing" for the military. The number of transgender troops among America's 1.3 million active duty service members is small, with estimates ranging from between 1,320 and 15,000.

Trump administration to give guidance on military transgender ban: Report

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'I don’t deserve this': Jo Ellis, transgender pilot wrongly named in Washington plane crash speaks out. Who is she? | WATCH

Trump administration to give guidance on military transgender ban: Report