Fact Check: Did an ABC Whistleblower Affidavit Say the Presidential Debate Was Rigged?

Screenshots of an affidavit by a supposed "ABC News whistleblower" swept X over the weekend after being shared by right-wing politicians and commentators. The affidavit appears to be fabricated.

The Details: The  screenshots originated from an AI-generated website, according to Mediaite (Lean Left bias). The X account @DocNetyoutube was the first to share the screenshots, citing an anonymous source. The story was then shared by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Sen. Ted Cruz, Libs of TikTok, commentator Benny Johnson, and others. Originally, Taylor Greene claimed the whistleblower had died in a car accident before walking back the statement.

The Allegations: The apparently fake affidavit alleged that the Harris campaign received accommodations during the ABC presidential debate, including sample questions, fact-checking former President Trump as much as possible, restricting the scope of questions asked to Harris, a favorable split-screen view, and a smaller podium compared to Trump. ABC News explicitly denied that Harris had been given questions ahead of time.

How the Media Covered It: Sources on the right largely ignored the story or, in the case of The Gateway Pundit (Right bias) and American Thinker (Right bias), framed the story as allegedly true. Sources in the center and on the left framed it as an instance of "MAGA" spreading "unfounded rumors." The Daily Mail (Right bias) also called it false, saying,"Former President Donald Trump and his MAGA allies have stoked conspiracy theories that Harris had a leg up in the debate."