Another flap over crowd size in Washington

WASHINGTON — The New England Patriots are taking issue with a New York Times photo comparison that suggested a significantly smaller turnout for a Super Bowl celebration at the White House with President Donald Trump than one two years ago with President Barack Obama.

The Times on Wednesday tweeted an Associated Press photo of the Patriots standing behind Obama on the south side of the White House in 2015. Stairs on either side of the main group were filled with people. The tweet compared it with a Times photo taken Wednesday showing both staircases empty.

The Patriots responded on Twitter that the photos lack context, saying football staff sat on the South Lawn instead of standing on the stairs this year.

The Times tweeted an update saying that the Pats told them fewer players attended this year, but the total delegation was about the same.

Trump joined in the dispute Thursday morning, tweeting that the Times “got caught in a big lie.”