Dominion

Did politician Matt Gaetz post on X about "momentary lapses of judgement from decades ago" in relation to "prepubescent girls" and the "Epstein files"? No, that's not true: A viral screenshot of such a post originated on a Reddit subforum ironically named "TOTALLYREALTWEETS". It was posted by a user whose bio read "fake tweet writer" and the text in the…

Did JD Vance's sister take to social media to ask internet trolls to stop saying the Vice President killed Pope Francis? No, that's not true: The video is one of a series by comedian Blaire Erskine in which she has played roles such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's baby sitter and a Trump voter waiting in the cold for a…

Did Elon Musk's satellite-based high-speed internet system Starlink play any role in counting or uploading votes in the U.S. election that could have allowed for potential vote manipulation or cheating? No, that's not true: Election security experts told Lead Stories that there's no evidence of vote tampering involving Starlink. U.S. voting systems are managed by county and state offices on…

Is there a "nationwide issue" affecting Dominion voting machines that is impacting people's ability to vote as they intend? No, that's not true: Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson misspoke when she said that. According to a Dominion press release, Michigan is the only state experiencing such issues, specifically with Dominion Voting Assistance Terminals -- a device used by voters…

Did Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis say Dominion Voting Systems will not operate in the state? No, that's not true: Dominion is one of two certified election systems in the state, with 18 of Florida's 67 counties using it in 2024, according to the Florida Division of Elections website. There has been no verified statement or policy announcement from the governor…

Did Elon Musk say he might buy the TV talk show "The View" just so he could cancel it -- as claimed in a meme on social media? No, that's not true: The text caption and composite image showing show co-host Whoopi Goldberg and Elon Musk originated in a March 4, 2023, article on the satirical website Patriot Party Press.…

Mike & Dennis At Lead Stories we have a long history of looking at Mike Lindell's election fraud claims. Readers will remember our fact checks about Lindell's four conspiracy-filled election fraud "documentaries" here, here, here and here, or our coverage of his Cyber Symposium here. We also warned him about Dennis Montgomery, a man with a long history of providing…

Does the state of Georgia have 2.2 million "phantom voters" on its voter rolls, a situation that could lead to widespread voter fraud? No, there's no evidence that's true: A woman making this claim in a video on social media provided just four examples of people she says were recorded incorrectly as having voted. A spokesman for the Georgia Secretary…

Does the video "Plandemic 3: The Great Awakening" assemble the "forbidden puzzle pieces to reveal the big picture of what's really happening in America and beyond"? No, that's not true: The video repeats an unsubstantiated claim of a plan by global elites to replace national sovereignty with a one-world government and rehashes previously debunked false and misleading claims made by…

Does BlackRock own Dominion Voting Systems? No, that's not true: A BlackRock spokesperson told Lead Stories the asset management/investment company owns part of Dominion Resources Inc., a completely different company, in the energy sector. The similarly-named voting software and ballot equipment company, Dominion Voting Systems, is owned by Staple Street Capital and its employees. Dominion Voting Systems sued Fox News…