Campaign Donation

Was the Sephora company "a huge donor" to Donald Trump's 2024 campaign? No, that's not true: Neither the company nor any Sephora employee donated to the Trump campaign or Trump-favored political action committee, according to OpenSecrets.org. The company said in a statement: "Sephora does not make corporate donations to political candidates." Records show some Sephora employees did contribute to Kamala…

Did the Kamala Harris campaign say it could overturn Donald Trump's election victory with a recount? No, that's not true: There is no evidence of any such statement from the Harris campaign, nor evidence of any campaign staff making such a statement. Harris conceded the presidential election to Donald Trump the day after he won a majority of both the…

Is it illegal for foreign nationals to volunteer for political campaigns in the United States? No, that's not true: The Federal Election Commission says foreign nationals can take part in campaign activities as unpaid volunteers. However, federal law prohibits them from giving money, making donations, spending funds or being involved in decisions about election-related activities at any level -- federal,…

Are two Pennsylvania Republicans who appeared in pro-Kamala Harris campaign spots really "trained actors" who donated to Democratic causes for years? No, that's not true: The Democratic donations came from people with similar names but who live in different parts of Pennsylvania. The woman who is in the Harris ad confirmed to Lead Stories, "Both my husband and I are…

Do social media posts prove that Donald Trump "donated $25 million" to the victims of Hurricane Helene? No, that's not true: These posts offer no supporting evidence. Lead Stories found no reports that confirmed such a donation, including on Trump's account on Truth Social and his campaign website. He did post a link to a crowdfunding campaign where his supporters…

Did Netflix's stock drop almost 40 percent after a "big campaign donation announcement"? No, that's not true: The story originally came from a network of satirical websites and Facebook pages. A representative for Netflix confirmed public records showing the company's stock had not dropped 40 percent. Reed Hastings, Netflix's co-founder and executive chairman, did make a major personal donation to…

Did former basketball star and current media personality Shaquille O'Neal promote a stimulus check card? No, that's not true: The video making this claim uses a fake voice. O'Neal did not actually contribute his likeness or his voice to an advertisement for the so-called stimulus check card. The claim is the latest effort in a continuing scam to deceive online…

Do 222 contributions with "zero donor information" to the campaign of Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis prove there was fraud? No, that's not true: An Emory University political science professor emeritus told Lead Stories, "Looks like they're all very small donations for which donor info is not required under Georgia law." Other political scientists said the same. The…

Did Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis post a picture at an event showing George Soros, a billionaire philanthropist who is often the subject of conspiracy theories, in the background? No, that's not true: The original image, posted in a tweet by media personality John Cardillo, was altered to include a person resembling Soros. The claim appeared in…

Has an international blood bank called Safe Blood Donation been opened in at least 16 countries to offer "pure blood," free of COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: A disclaimer on the company's website says the Safe Blood Donation blood bank is not currently in operation and does not grant access to unvaccinated blood. Rather, the company offers a paid…