Has the Virginia governor ordered plans to cut off electricity, telephones, and Internet communications ahead of statewide gun confiscation during the new year? No, that's not true: Gov. Ralph Northam has not issued any such order, and the fal
Search Results (2394) for: alleged
FactCheck.org→ Social Posts Distort Facts on Trump Charities
Quick Take Posts on social media falsely claim that the Trump family is “disallowed from operating ANY charity” in New York because they “stole from a kids cancer charity.” That inaccurately describes the outcome of a court case
FactCheck.org→ No Evidence Clinton Sent ‘Nooses’ Email to Brazile
Quick Take There is no evidence to support claims that Hillary Clinton sent fellow Democrat Donna Brazile a profane email in 2016, calling Donald Trump a “bastard” and saying “we’re all going to hang from nooses” if he win
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Adam Schiff Did NOT Pay Witnesses Over $40 Million To Testify Against Trump
Did House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff pay witnesses over $40 million to testify against Trump? No, that's not true: the story comes from a satire website, there is no evidence that such a payment took place and the people refer
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Two Star Witnesses Against Biden NOT Found Floating In River Ukraine
Were two witnesses against former Vice President Joe Biden found dead in the River Ukraine? No, that's not true: the article comes from a conservative satire website, Biden is not under investigation or criminal indictment, and there is no "Ri
Truth or Fiction?→ Ahoy, Matey: Book Excerpt Fuels Surge of Interest in Same-Sex Pirate Partnerships
In December 2019, a graphic circulated online that questioned the dominant narrative on (and perhaps had some readers rethinking their views about) the pirate culture of the 17th century. A photograph, taken from the 2019 book The Queeriodic Table:
FactCheck.org→ Trump Renews Unfounded Claim on Debate Mic
President Donald Trump wrongly claimed the Commission on Presidential Debates was “forced to publicly apologize for modulating” his microphone in the first 2016 general election debate. The bipartisan commission did not apologize for any wi
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Supreme Court Could NOT Overturn ‘Obstruction Of Justice’ Charges Against Trump
Could the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the "obstruction of justice" impeachment resolution against President Trump? No, that's not true: The U.S. constitution specifies that the House of Representatives has "the sole power of impeachment" and t
FactCheck.org→ Video: Trump’s Claims on IG Report and Russia Investigation
In this week’s fact-checking video, CNN’s Jake Tapper looks at President Donald Trump’s claims, past and current, about the FBI’s now-concluded investigation into the Trump campaign, and how his statements compare with the Departmen
FactCheck.org→ Trump Misleads Rallygoers on IG Report, Impeachment
During his first campaign rally after Democrats announced two articles of impeachment and the Justice Department inspector general released a report on the FBI’s Russia investigation, President Donald Trump distorted the facts on both topics. Th
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Boris Johnson Hide in a Refrigerator to Escape a Live Television Interview?
The UK’s prime minister created an awkward moment for himself on live television on December 11 2019, just one day before the country’s high-stakes general election. Footage of the episode shows Boris Johnson retreating into a freezer aft
FactCheck.org→ Viral Photos Don’t Show Impeachment Expert
Quick Take Widely shared posts on Facebook purport to show photos of law professor Pamela Karlan, who testified in support of President Donald Trump’s impeachment, dressed in pro-feminist attire at two different events. Karlan told us she did not
FactCheck.org→ Baseless Clinton Conspiracy Theory Still Circulating
Quick Take A Macedonian website is peddling a baseless Hillary Clinton conspiracy theory that has amassed tens of thousands of shares on Facebook. The story implies that Clinton was involved in the deaths of two Baltimore-area law enforcement officers,
FactCheck.org→ How Old Claims Compare to IG Report
On Dec. 9, the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General released its report on the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into whether individuals associated with the Trump campaign were coordinating with Russia’s inte
PolitiFact→ How the impeachment articles against Trump are similar to, and different from, Clinton and Nixon
House Democrats have settled on two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump — the first alleging abuse of power and the second alleging obstruction of Congress. In several ways, the new articles carry historical echoes. But in othe
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Uber Receive 235 Reports of Rape and 5,981 Reports of Sexual Abuse?
On December 8 2019, the Facebook page “Feminists United” shared a screenshot of the following tweet about 235 reports of rape purportedly received by Uber in a year: For every man that doesn't understand why women are fed up. Last
Truth or Fiction?→ British Media Falls For Bogus Claim That Protesters ‘Whacked’ Government Advisor
On December 9 2019 — just days before a hotly contested and high-stakes general election on December 12 — British news organizations were apparently taken in by a disinformation effort as they spread a false accusation against protesters outside o
Truth or Fiction?→ Do You Need to Remove Barcodes from Donated Toys Because People Exchange Them for Cigarettes and Beer?
On December 9 2019, a number of news outlets published a syndicated article with the headlines “Donating Toys This Holiday Season? You Might Want to Remove the Barcode,” or, alternately, “Remove The Barcode If You’re Donating
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Butt Plug’ Christmas Tree in Paris
In December 2019 a number of Facebook users shared photographs and memes depicting a purportedly modernist Christmas tree in Paris, France — which also happened to resemble a giant version of a certain type of sex toy: In the post above, atop a p
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Two Christmas Parades NOT Cancelled In North Carolina Because of Potential For ANTIFA Violence
Were two Christmas parades in North Carolina cancelled because of the potential of ANTIFA Violence? No, that's not true: There is no known Antifa connection to the decision by officials in Wake Forest and Gardner, North Carolina, to cancel the
Truth or Fiction?→ Anti-Vaxxer Arrested in Samoa Boasted of American Support via Social Media
Authorities in Samoa have arrested a disinformation-peddling anti-vaccine “activist” local time amid a measles outbreak that has killed 62 people that experts said was spurred in part by social media. Samoa Observer identified Edwin Tamase
FactCheck.org→ Republicans Cherry-Pick Facts on Impeachment
As the House Judiciary Committee began public hearings on whether to draft and approve articles of impeachment, Republicans presented a set of facts that they claimed cleared President Donald Trump of any wrongdoing. The Republican National Committee o
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Pelosi DID NOT Say Dems Will ‘Shut It All Down’ If They Don’t Get Their Way On Impeachment
Did Nancy Pelosi say Dems will 'shut it all down' if they don't get their way on impeachment? No, that's not true. Pelosi never said such a thing, and the story - taken from a satire site known to be ripped off and copied by fake news sites wh
Truth or Fiction?→ Rep. Duncan Hunter’s Office Backtracks on ‘Transcript’ After Announcing Guilty Plea
On December 4 2019 —a day after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to misuse campaign funds — the office of Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-California) took responsibility for an oddly-scripted release that accompanied his interview with a local news outlet an
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Jeffrey Epstein Saga Does NOT Get Fishier And Fishier With Banker’s Hanging Death
Did the Jeffrey Epstein saga get fishier and fishier with the hanging death of a banker? No, that's not true: Thomas Bowers, who worked at two large banks over recent decades, committed suicide by hanging at his Malibu, California, home on Nov
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Omar Is NOT Legally Married In Somalia, NOT Voiding Her Citizenship
Is Ilhan Omar married to a Somali man named B'oom B'oom? No, that's not true: The man in the photo is Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, an American actor who played the role of Freddy 'Boom Boom' Washington in the popular TV series Welcome Back, Kotter
Snopes→ Did Joe Biden Mention His ‘Hairy Legs’ In Public Remarks?
The alleged remarks come from the same video that brought us a story about a scary fellow in Biden's youth known as "CornPop."
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Private Prisons Suing States for Millions of Contract Quotas?
A long-popular October 2018 Facebook post continued spreading through late 2019, alleging that private prisons were suing states over unmet contract quotas promising a minimum number of profitable inmates. A status update read “SO WE JUST NOT GO
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Rep. Ilhan Omar ‘Recruited by a Foreign Government’?
On November 25 2019, the co-founder of a far-right group supporting United States President Donald Trump took to Twitter to misrepresent allegations against Democratic Party Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Ryan Fournier, a leader of the group Students F
FactCheck.org→ Meme Distorts Hatch Quote
Quick Take A meme on Facebook misrepresents a year-old comment from former Sen. Orrin Hatch. He did not say, “I don’t care if Trump broke the law.” Hatch said, “I don’t care” about allegations that Trump paid hush mo
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Pepsi And Others Are Not Making Us Cannibals One Bite At A Time
Do Pepsi Co. and other food companies use cells from aborted fetuses as ingredients for their products? No, that's not true: The false claim is based on the use of HEK 293 cells -- which were developed decades ago from live-baby birth fetal ce
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This an Actually Photograph of an Albino Painted Wood Turtle?
A colorful photograph circulating online in November 2019 may be authentic, but experts we talked to suggested that readers should be wary of the source material. The striking photo was featured on Science and Space, a blog that has no bylines and no
Lead Stories→ Fake News: 13 Uber Drivers NOT Arrested For Sex Trafficking In Georgia
Were 13 Uber drivers arrested for alleged sex trafficking in Georgia? No, that's not true: The claim began with a now-deleted tweet that claimed 13 Uber drivers were arrested in Atlanta for sex trafficking. The false claim spread through socia
Lead Stories→ Fake News: CNN Does Not Break Down And Admit Entire Russian Collusion Theory Was A Hoax
Did CNN break down and finally admit the entire Russian collusion theory was a hoax? No, that's not true: CNN reported that an FBI agent is "under investigation" for altering a document "related to 2016 surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Ukrainian Indictment Claims $7.4 Billion Obama-Linked Laundering, Does NOT Put Biden Group Take At $16.5 Million
Does a Ukrainian indictment claim there is a $7.4 billion Obama-linked money laundering scheme, and does the indictment put a Biden group's take at $16.5 million? No, that's not true: There was no such indictment as of November 21, 2019. The f
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the November Democratic Debate
Summary We spotted several false claims and factual flubs: South Bend Mayor Peter Buttigieg falsely claimed that President Donald Trump “had to confess in writing, in court, to illegally diverting charitable contributions that were supposed to g
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Julia Roberts Supposed to Play Harriet Tubman in a 2019 Biopic?
In November 2019, just after the film Twitter was outraged over news that white actor Julia Roberts was “suggested” by a studio executive to play Harriet Tubman, a black woman and a former slave turned abolitionist hero: Julia Roberts
FactCheck.org→ Legal Implications of Outing the Whistleblower
In one heated exchange during day three of the impeachment hearings, Rep. Adam Schiff cut off a line of questioning to protect the whistleblower’s identity, saying the whistleblower has “a statutory right to anonymity.” But the law he
FactCheck.org→ Scalise Spins Facts on Security Aid
Rep. Steve Scalise spun two keys facts about Ukrainian aid to defend President Donald Trump against accusations that Trump withheld that aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate the alleged Ukraine interference in the 2016 U.S. election, as well as forme
Lead Stories→ Fake News: No Evidence Hillary Clinton Killed Jeffrey Epstein And She Did Not Admit It
Is there any evidence that Hillary Clinton killed Jeffrey Epstein and did the former secretary of state declare that she did it? No, that's not true: Jeffrey Epstein was found dead on August 10, 2019 in a federal prison cell in New York, where