Fact check: False claim video shows Sen. John Kennedy presenting evidence of '2020 fraud'
The claim: Video shows Sen. John Kennedy presenting proof of '2020 fraud'
USA TODAY has recently debunked a series of social media posts that feature videos of politicians paired with misleading and attention-grabbing captions. A new example purportedly shows Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., presenting proof of "2020 fraud."
"Watch Kennedy Puts 'Biden's B----' Abrahams In Nightmare With '2020 F.R.Aud' Proof At Hearing," reads the caption of the video in a Nov. 6 Facebook post.
The video was viewed 32,000 times in a day.
But the caption is wrong. The video shows Kennedy questioning Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. He is not shown presenting evidence of fraud.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment.
Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks
Video shows Kennedy questioning Abrams
The video in the social media post is a clip from an April 2021 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled "Jim Crow 2021: The Latest Assault on the Right to Vote."
In the clip, Kennedy is shown questioning Abrams about various voting policies and practices. He does not present evidence of fraud.
A similar clip from the same Senate Judiciary Committee hearing previously circulated online with a caption that claimed it showed Kennedy "exposing" Hunter Biden. USA TODAY debunked that claim at the time.
Fact check: Video shows House GOP criticizing Jan. 6 committee, not laughing at Liz Cheney
Post is common style of misinformation called 'false framing'
This style of misinformation, in which a video is paired with a misleading caption, is called "false framing," Mike Caulfield, a research scientist at the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public, previously told USA TODAY.
Though the caption is blatantly wrong, the misinformation can still be effective because "the majority of people scroll past these with the sound off, which allows one to describe falsely without consequence,” Caulfield said. “The fact it autoplays silently makes it engaging, without undermining the framing.”
Fact check: Video shows Ron DeSantis talking immigration, not calling for Biden impeachment
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that a video shows Kennedy presenting proof of "2020 fraud." The video shows the senator questioning Abrams about voting policies. He does not present evidence of fraud.
Our fact-check sources:
USA TODAY, Oct. 19, Fact check: False claim that video shows Sen. Hawley refusing to use general's pronoun
USA TODAY, Oct. 26, Fact check: False claim video shows Matt Gaetz calling Liz Cheney a 'traitor'
Senate.gov, April 20, 2021, Jim Crow 2021: The Latest Assault on the Right to Vote
USA TODAY, Nov. 4, Fact check: Video shows House GOP criticizing Jan. 6 committee, not laughing at Liz Cheney
Mike Caulfield, Oct. 18, Email exchange with USA TODAY
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.
Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Video shows Kennedy quizzing Abrams, not 2020 fraud proof
