Did Donald Trump settle multiple child rape cases for millions of dollars? No, that's not true: A claim has gone viral again that there is a list of payments Trump made to settle rape accusations brought against him by male and female minors. There is no evidence of the cases ever having been filed against Trump and no proof the…

Does a photo show U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert on a group tour in Washington, D.C., in January 2021? No, that's not true: The photo was taken more than a year earlier, at a 2019 rally in Colorado. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published by "Will Watkins" on January 13, 2021. The post included a short introductory…

Did former politician Trey Gowdy say "If you're okay with rigging an election, I'm ok with martial law to stop you" as several social media posts are claiming? No, that's not true: there is no record of Gowdy ever saying these words, they do not appear on his social media accounts or in news reports about Gowdy. Gowdy denied to…

Are U.S. governors' names on a leaked list of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members? No, that's not true: Although there are credible reports of a leaked CCP database, people with direct knowledge of the list told Lead Stories no governors are on it. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published by the Hal Turner Radio Show on December…

Did Sen. Lindsey Graham and Joe Biggs, a leader of the Proud Boys, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated as a hate group, take a photo together shortly before supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021? No, that's not true: The photo in question, in which both Graham and Biggs…

Does this video show "fully armed military units ... moving in Texas USA"? This video is presented without any evidence about where it was recorded or when. Because of the lack of information, it is impossible to draw conclusions about these vehicles at a truck stop or whether they, as claimed, are loaded with live ammunition. Many of the captions…

Are these 57 counties of thousands in the United States "needed" to win the Electoral College? No, that's misleading: A map showing 14 states that include 57 populous counties as a potential path to 270 Electoral College votes is not correct -- those states and thereby the counties in them are not necessary to win the election. In 2016 Donald…

Would President Donald Trump lose lifetime benefits if impeached? No, that's not true: To lose such benefits, he'd also have to be convicted and removed from office. Impeachment is a process. The House of Representatives first votes on articles of impeachment. If a majority of members votes to impeach, the question moves to the Senate, which holds a trial. If…

Does this video show the Trump family and others having a party while watching television coverage of the assault on the U.S. Capitol building? No, that's not true: This video, posted on the account of Donald Trump Jr., shows the scene inside the backstage tent in the moments before Donald Trump went on stage to speak to supporters gathered at…

Is the White House pardons office soliciting Trump supporters involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection to apply for presidential pardons? No, that's not true: Parler posts posing as being from White House pardons attorneys were fake, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The pardons office "does not have a social media presence and is not involved in…

Did Alabama man Kevin Greeson die after accidentally tasing himself inside the U.S. Capitol during the January 6, 2021, insurrection? No, this claim is based on a fake statement purported to be from Greeson's family. The real family statement said he suffered a heart attack, and did not say it was triggered when he accidentally tasered "himself in the balls."…

Did Olive Garden announce it was revoking the "Never Ending Pasta Pass" for any customers identified as a participant in the invasion of the U.S. Capitol, along with the revocation of Sean Hannity's "Lifetime Pasta Pass"? No, that's not true: The person who created the meme has acknowledged he was making a "social media statement" as a joke. He has…

Is it true that all insurrectionists were let go after storming the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021? No, that's not true: A number were arrested on the day of the riots and charged in connection with the violence and destruction. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) where it was published by Shaun King on January…

Did President Donald Trump file state and federal lawsuits against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for allegedly "leaking" the tape of a "confidential litigation call" regarding the president's request to overturn election results? No, that's not true: Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, whom the Gateway Pundit article used as the source about lawsuits, told Lead Stories he was…

Did police withhold tear gas when insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021? No, that's not true: There has been criticism of the police response to the rioters and the chief of Capitol police resigned in the aftermath of the chaos, but tear gas was used on the mob of Trump supporters who interrupted Congress' ceremonial counting…

Was Vice President Mike Pence arrested during the chaos engulfing Capitol Hill on January 6, 2020? No, despite what social media posts are saying there is no evidence for this. Pence is still tweeting from his @VP account. An example of the claim appeared in a post (archived here), published on January 6, 2021. This is what the post looked…

Were directions to Washington, D.C., from Apple Maps and Google Maps purposefully shut down to prevent Donald Trump supporters from reaching rallies in support of his crusade to overturn the election he lost? No, that's not true: Both applications were still providing directions to D.C. and within D.C. Lead Stories staff from coast to coast tested a variety of cities…

Is the White House flying a 1776 flag as a signal from President Trump for a revolution? No, that's not true: This is a photo from 2019 and not a signal to revolt. This post comes as many Trump supporters are descending on Washington, D.C., to protest the January 6, 2021, meeting of Congress to certify the Electoral College vote…

Did D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser order the shut down of businesses during the week of January 4, 2021, to discourage Trump supporters from gathering in Washington? No, that's not true: In a statement on protests planned for January 6, 2021, Mayor Bowser discouraged D.C. residents from engaging with the protesters and laid out a slew of street closures around the…

Did Donald Trump literally beg the Georgia secretary of state to "invent" 11,000 votes? No, that's not true: The president did not utter "invent" during an hour-long phone call with Brad Raffensperger. To be clear, Trump repeatedly pressured Raffensperger to recalculate the vote in Georgia so that the state would flip in his favor -- he used the words "find"…