FACT CHECK: Did Mike Pence Tweet About An Instagram Page Alleging Kamala Harris Received Debate Questions Beforehand?

Bradley Devlin | General Assignment & Analysis Reporter

An image shared on Facebook over 300 times claims Vice President Mike Pence tweeted about an Instagram account releasing evidence that Democratic vice presidential nominee got the debate questions beforehand.

Facebook/Screenshot

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

Check Your Fact found no record of Pence tweeting the statement. The tweet appears to be fabricated.

Fact Check:

In the days following the first and only vice presidential debate, social media users have shared an undated tweet that appears to come from Pence’s Twitter account. The tweet reads, “I want to thank everyone for the support for tonight’s debate. I’d say it was a success. It was also brought to my attention that the Instagram page @electionleaks released evidence of Kamala receiving the questions beforehand. This is unfair and I’d say that everyone should check out the evidence to judge for themselves.”

There is, however, no record of Pence tweeting the statement. It shows up on neither his Twitter timeline nor in ProPublica’s archive of the vice president’s deleted tweets. The tweet appears to be fabricated. (RELATED: Did Joe Biden Tweet About Trying To Get An Instagram Page Removed After It Alleged He Wore A Wire?)

The Instagram page @electionleaks, which has over 118,000 followers, is currently private. It previously shared a video that falsely suggested Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wore a wire during the first presidential debate.

Check Your Fact found no publicly available evidence at the time of publication in media outlets such as The New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal that Harris received the questions prior to the debate. The debate moderator, USA Today’s Susan Page, said at the beginning of the debate: “No one in either campaign, or at the commission or anywhere else has been told in advance what topics will raise or what questions I’ll ask,” according to the transcript.

Bradley Devlin

General Assignment & Analysis Reporter
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