FACT CHECK: Did Joe Biden Get The 1st Presidential Debate Questions In Advance?
A viral Facebook post shared over 750 times claims Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden received the questions for the first presidential debate in advance.
Verdict: False
There is no evidence Biden received the debate questions in advance. Spokespeople for the Biden campaign and Fox News, as well as debate moderator Chris Wallace, denied the claim.
Fact Check:
Biden and President Donald Trump squared off onstage Tuesday night during the first of three planned presidential debates. Misinformation related to Biden and the debate has circulated widely online, with this particular Facebook post claiming Biden received the debate questions ahead of time.
The Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Sept. 22 that Wallace, a Fox News host and the debate’s moderator, had selected the debate’s six topics: “the Trump and Biden Records, the Supreme Court, Covid-19, the Economy, Race and Violence in our Cities and the Integrity of the Election,” according to the press release. There is, however, no evidence Biden received the questions for those topics beforehand.
Wallace stated at the beginning of the debate that “none of the questions has been shared with the commission or the two candidates,” and, according to The New York Times, a Fox News spokesperson said that the claim is “entirely false, and any assertion otherwise is patently absurd.” Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the Biden campaign, also refuted the claim, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Did Joe Biden Wear A Wire During The First Presidential Debate?)
The claim seems to originate from Jerome Corsi, a former InfoWars editor who, per the Washington Post, has spread conspiracy theories in the past. He said during a Sept. 24 radio interview that he received information that “Joe Biden has been given the questions from Fox’s Chris Wallace and he’s being prepared on the exact questions he’s gonna be asked.” Corsi did not provide any sourcing for his allegation.
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