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Headline Roundup December 8th, 2020

Fact-Checking the Georgia 'Suitcase' Voter Fraud Claims

Summary from the AllSides News Team

Security footage of 2020 presidential election vote-counting at Georgia's State Farm Arena came into the spotlight this week. President Donald Trump, along with some of his allies and supporters, claim the video proves that vote counters hid ballots from Republican poll watchers; the video was played during the Trump legal team's testimony at a hearing Thursday in Georgia. Fact-checkers including Politifact (Lean Left bias) and Snopes (Center) reported Trump's claims to be false, saying the video shows no evidence of fraud. Georgia certified its election results for Joe Biden Monday. Left- and center-rated outlets tended to report that the allegations and video were debunked by independent fact-checkers and other sources. Coverage from right-rated outlets focused on The Federalist's analysis, which says the video hasn't been debunked and focuses on the allegation that poll watchers were told to go home early, after which the fraud purportedly took place. Other coverage from left-rated sources concentrated on how the Trump administration has circulated these specific fraud allegations, framing Trump and his team as disillusioned.

Featured Coverage of this Story

From the Left
Video Doesn’t Show ‘Suitcases’ of Illegal Ballots in Georgia
Video Doesn’t Show ‘Suitcases’ of Illegal Ballots in Georgia

FactCheck.org

Fact Check

The Trump campaign is falsely claiming that surveillance camera footage captured election workers in Georgia adding thousands of illegal ballots that were brought into an Atlanta facility in suspicious “suitcases” on election night.

The campaign presented the video to Georgia state lawmakers on Dec. 3. President Donald Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, wrote on Twitter the same day: “The video tape doesn’t lie. Fulton County Democrats stole the election. It’s now beyond doubt.” Trump himself later amplified the claim at a rally in Georgia on Dec. 5.

But state officials told...

Open on FactCheck.org
From the Right
No, The Georgia Vote-Counting Video Was Not ‘Debunked.’ Not Even Close
No, The Georgia Vote-Counting Video Was Not ‘Debunked.’ Not Even Close

The Federalist

Analysis

A Big Tech-backed “fact” “checking” outfit claimed to debunk explosive evidence in support of Republicans’ claims of significant election problems at a Thursday Georgia Senate hearing. It didn’t. Not even close.

Newly discovered security footage from Georgia’s State Farm Arena showed dozens of ballot counters, media, and Republican observers leaving en masse at the same time from the ballot-counting area for Fulton County. After they left, a small remnant of about four workers began pulling trunks containing thousands of ballots from underneath a table with a long tablecloth and running...

Open on The Federalist
From the Left
No, Georgia election workers didn’t kick out observers and illegally count ‘suitcases’ of ballots
No, Georgia election workers didn’t kick out observers and illegally count ‘suitcases’ of ballots

PolitiFact

Fact Check

Georgia election officials disputed a video promoted by President Donald Trump’s campaign as evidence of election fraud, saying the footage shows nothing but "normal ballot processing."

The surveillance video was introduced as proof of illegal activity by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his team during a Dec. 3 hearing with Georgia state legislators. The Trump campaign then circulated One America News Network’s live coverage of the event online.

Social media posts sharing the video were flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News...

Open on PolitiFact

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