Pedophilia

Did a military tribunal find Tom Hanks guilty of pedophilia and child endangerment, and then execute him because of it? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer confirmed to Lead Stories that the claim was "completely false." The originator of the claim has a disclaimer on its website to alert readers that it is not a real news source.…

Did President Donald Trump indict Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on his last day in office? No, that's not true. The claim was made without proof and the U.S. Constitution reserves indictment power to grand juries, not presidents. Barrett was, in fact, Trump's pick for the Supreme Court after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. Barrett took the oath of…

Was the Milwaukee County Children's Court judge arrested on seven counts of child porn also the former president of Drag Queen Story Hour Foundation? No, that's not true. Children's Court Judge Brett Blomme was arrested on seven counts of child porn in Milwaukee on March 16, 2021. But, he was not the president of the Drag Queen Story Hour Milwaukee…

Did Tom Hanks die of coronavirus in March of 2020? Or, were reports of his 'death' last year just a code to let certain people know that he had been indicted? Was Hanks then executed in May of 2020? Has the public been tricked with computer-generated imagery (CGI) to believe that Tom Hanks has been alive all along? No, these…

Was Oprah Winfrey wearing an ankle monitor during her interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry? No, that's not true. Video shows the billionaire TV mogul was wearing a pair of boots on which creases and folds naturally moved as she changed position during her March 7, 2021, interview with the royal couple that aired on CBS. Nicole Nichols, spokesperson…

Does the walking boot President-elect Joe Biden started wearing the week after Thanksgiving 2020 mean that he is wearing an ankle monitor? No, that's not true: According to a statement from Biden's doctor, he started to wear the boot due to hairline fractures in his foot, and could be in it for several weeks. This type of ankle-monitor claim has…

Does a photo posted to social media show Nancy Pelosi's son abusing a little girl? And is the image one of those purported to have been on Hunter Biden's laptop? No, that's not true: The photo is not new. It was published last year as part of an article about Paul Pelosi Jr. Also, the image does not show abuse.…

Did Anthony Weiner's laptop contain "proof Hillary Clinton & her associates are involved in child trafficking and pedophilia"? No, that's not true: The claim is part of a debunked conspiracy theory that has circulated for years. There's absolutely no evidence to support it. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on October 18, 2020. The post included screenshots…

Are "pedophilia code words" contained within a conversation about Joe Biden that took place between Kamala Harris and Barack Obama? No, that's not true: The alleged coded language is based on a fake FBI document. Lead Stories tracked down the real bulletin, which makes no mention of code words. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on Instagram…

Is "Pizza Gate" real? No, that's not true: So-called proof for Pizzagate is unsubstantiated and speculative. It relies on tricks of the trade common to people pushing unproven allegations. Authorities have described Pizzagate as a "fictitious online conspiracy theory." The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Facebook on August 21, 2020. The post contains a nearly hour-long…