Illinois Archives - FactCheck.org

Rittenhouse Testified He Drove Himself to Kenosha Without Weapon

November 17, 2021

Kyle Rittenhouse, who is on trial for murder, testified in court that he drove himself from his home in Antioch, Illinois, to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 24, 2020, the day before he shot and killed two men at a protest that became violent. The weapon he used, according to testimony, had been stored at a friend’s house in Kenosha. Democratic Rep. Karen Bass falsely claimed that Kyle’s mother drove her armed son across the Illinois-Wisconsin border.

Baseless Claim Turns Fake IDs Story into Voter Fraud Tale

September 11, 2020

A claim being shared on Facebook distorts the facts about fake IDs seized in a Chicago airport this year, baselessly claiming the phony IDs were tied to names “ALL Registered to Vote” as Democrats. Federal authorities announced no connection to a voter fraud scheme, and those making the claim offer no evidence.

Video Doesn’t Show ‘#ElectionFraud’ in Illinois

March 17, 2020

Social media posts claim that a video clip is evidence of “#ElectionFraud.” The clip actually shows a standard newsroom rehearsal ahead of the Illinois primaries.

A Falsehood About Chicago’s CityKey ID Cards

March 8, 2019

Viral social media posts have revived a false claim regarding a Chicago ID card program. The CityKey cards do not allow noncitizens to vote; that is still illegal.

No Evidence Sen. Harris, Smollett Are Related

February 28, 2019

Viral posts have erroneously claimed that Sen. Kamala Harris is the aunt of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, who police have accused of faking a hate crime.

Misleading Ads from Leading GOP PAC

October 15, 2018

Congressional Leadership Fund, the highest-spending super PAC seeking to sway House races in the upcoming midterms, has been flooding TV airwaves around the country with ads attacking Democrats running in close races. But we found that some of those ads are misleading.

Deadly ‘Pot’ Not Approved by The FDA

May 18, 2018

Q: Did an FDA-approved form of “synthetic marijuana” lead to recent deaths in Illinois?

A: No. The drugs that have killed four people in the last two months are unregulated and illegal.

Chicago School Fight

March 25, 2015

Chicago mayoral candidate Chuy Garcia claims in a new ad that Mayor Rahm Emanuel “took” money from closed public schools and “gave” it to “elite private schools.” Those “private schools,” in fact, are publicly funded charter schools — open to all students tuition-free.

2014 Campaign Whoppers

October 28, 2014

No shortage of tall tales in the midterm elections, from both parties.

Midterm Medicare Mudslinging

October 3, 2014

Democrats, Republicans spend nearly $50 million on TV ads that repeat old, scary Medicare claims.