copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2022-10-12): That's despite claims from University of Texas researchers that about 1.4 million PPP loans show signs of possible fraud, like suspiciously high payrolls and multiple businesses listed at the same residential address. The SBA disputes these findings, but its own inspector general has estimated that at least 70,000 loans were potentially fraudulent. Meanwhile, the SBA is closely scrutinizing just a tiny portion of the millions of PPP loans for fraud and forgiveness eligibility. The SBA uses computer models to review all 11.4 million loans, according to Patrick Kelley, a senior official with the agency, but he says auditors have manually reviewed only about 215,000 loans, or roughly 2% of the total number issued. [...] About 1 million of the 11.4 million PPP loans remain unforgiven. The majority of these unforgiven loans are held by sole proprietors and independent contractors: one-person businesses specifically targeted by a later round of the program. Many work in service jobs heavily impacted by COVID-19, such as barbers, janitors and Uber drivers.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2020-07-08): Among the biggest PPP-related headlines this week is the news that Yeezy, the fashion line of nascent presidential candidate Kanye West, had received millions in PPP loans. Kanye became a billionaire earlier this year and recently secured a ten-year collaboration with Gap. [...] Reportedly one of the richest artists alive, Jeff Koons received $1 to $2 million in PPP loans. Last year, one of his works was sold for $91 million to Robert E. Mnuchin — yes, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s father. [...] A company that Paul Pelosi, husband of the Speaker of the House, is an investor in also received PPP money between $350,000 to $1 million. According to USA Today, he’s a "minor, passive investor" with an 8.1% stake in the company and didn’t realize it had applied for a PPP loan.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2023-09-06): To start this story at the end: The tip didn't pan out. We never found any reason to believe the official received one of the forgivable loans in the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, meant to keep businesses afloat and preserve jobs during the pandemic. [...] That hunt has been driven by a very public — but incomplete — database of PPP loans, posted by the U.S. Small Business Administration after it was sued by news organizations. Some outlets have set up websites that make the data easily searchable by the general public. [...] Which brings us back to the tip. The tipster, digging through that public data, was intrigued by a $20,000 PPP loan for an unnamed catering business, which was taken out by someone sharing the name of the elected official in Chicago. The loan came from a Florida-based lender which processed a similar PPP loan on the same date for someone else — who happened to have a name very similar to that of someone close to the elected official.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2023-01-18): SACHA PFEIFFER, BYLINE: So there is no doubt that these loans were a lifesaver for many companies. And anyone who got PPP funding is probably relieved to hear that 92% of all the loans have been granted full or partial forgiveness so far. That's according to Small Business Administration data released this month. But a lot of that money went to businesses that didn't need it - wealthy celebrities like Khloe Kardashian and Tom Brady, for example. They have companies that each got a PPP loan of about $1,000,000 entirely forgiven. Also, many businesses that thrived during COVID got their loans forgiven, like some manufacturing and construction firms. [...] PFEIFFER: Well, prosecutors have up to 10 years to chase pandemic fraud, but no one will be asking rich people who didn't need a loan to please give it back. That money is theirs to keep. Meanwhile, PPP has contributed to the federal debt, which recently hit $31 trillion. Paying that down could eventually lead to higher taxes and fewer government services, even for future generations. That's really disappointing to business owners I interviewed, like Roy Thurston. He owns a Cape Cod art gallery that got $14,000 in PPP loans all forgiven. And he said this.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2020-07-08): Members of Congress and their families are not barred from receiving loans under the PPP, and there is no evidence they received special treatment. Loans were granted to Democrats and Republicans alike, something President Donald Trump’s campaign was quick to highlight when records showed donors to his campaign coffers were among the earliest beneficiaries. [...] Buchanan, whose net worth is estimated at $74 million, received three loans for car dealerships totaling $2.7 million to $7 million. He told the Tampa Bay Times that he hoped any eligible small business "would use the program to make sure their workers continued to get paid during this difficult period." [...] Two wineries tied to Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and an Iowa farm run by his family received loans worth at least $2 million. The wineries got separate loans worth $1 million to $2 million, and an Iowa dairy farm that is tied to his relatives received $150,000 to $350,000.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2022-09-06): "Republican members of Congress whose PPP loans were forgiven," read an Aug. 24 Instagram post that listed the names of 13 members of Congress, including Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.. Alongside each name was a federal loan figure in the thousands or millions of dollars that had supposedly been canceled under that pandemic-era program. [...] Five car dealerships owned by the husband of Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., received a combined $3.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans. The loans to DM Motor, Dutch Miller Chevrolet, Dutch Miller Subaru, Dutch Miller of Charleston and Dutch Miller of Charlotte were all forgiven.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2023-12-15): Charted: The Richest Politicians in the U.S. [...] At some of the highest echelons of U.S. politics are federal and state-level politicians worth hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions. Who is the wealthiest U.S. politician today? [...] The list of richest politicians in the U.S. includes three billionaires, with the most famous being former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2022-08-24): "Republican members of Congress whose PPP loans were forgiven," read an Aug. 24 Instagram post that listed the names of 13 members of Congress, including Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.. Alongside each name was a federal loan figure in the thousands or millions of dollars that had supposedly been canceled under that pandemic-era program. [...] Four Pennsylvania car dealerships owned by Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., took in a combined $974,100 in Paycheck Protection Program loans, ProPublica’s database shows. Mike Kelly Automotive, LP received $197,300, Mike Kelly Automotive Group Inc. received $327,500, Mike Kelly Hyundai received $180,800 and Mike Kelly Chevrolet received $268,500. [...] Five car dealerships owned by the husband of Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., received a combined $3.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans. The loans to DM Motor, Dutch Miller Chevrolet, Dutch Miller Subaru, Dutch Miller of Charleston and Dutch Miller of Charlotte were all forgiven.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2020-07-08): Other players in the world of celebrity and influence who took advantage of loans under the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, to help struggling small businesses hurt by coronavirus shutdowns included Kanye West's $3 billion clothing and sneaker company, multimillionaire pop artist Jeff Koons and three branches of the Church of Scientology, which is reported to be worth at least $1 billion. "PPP was sold to the American people as a program to help Mom-and-Pop shops keep their lights on during the pandemic," Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US, a government watchdog group, said by email. "The reality is that the Trump administration created a program that helped the well connected cut to the front of the line to get these loans." [...] The Church of Scientology, whose founder, L. Ron Hubbard, made it a stated goal to recruit celebrities and which claims several household-name actors among its members, had several entities take PPP loans.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2024-09-30): List of richest American politicians This list of richest American politicians includes current and former office-holders and political appointees, and is not necessarily adjusted for inflation. Estimated wealth is at least $100 million in 2012 dollars, for all the people listed here. The amounts listed here do not necessarily pertain to the politicians' time in office (i.e. some of them may have gotten much richer later on, or lost their money before they ran for office). [...] - ^ a b c A Look at America's Richest Politicians, ABC News; accessed November 11, 2016.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2020-07-07): The post, which was published July 7 by a page called Feminist News, includes a collage of photos depicting eight public figures. It claims that businesses ranging from Kanye West’s apparel company, Yeezy, to "Devin Nunes’ winery" have received loans through the Paycheck Protection Program. "All these millionaires got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans while tens of millions of Americans got a bullsh*t $1200 check months ago," reads text in the collage. "This is how a mafia state works. The small inner circle gets rewarded. Everyone else suffers." [...] A Facebook post says eight wealthy public figures received loans as part of the federal Paycheck Protection Program.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2022-03-28): They came into their riches by participating in what experts say is the theft of as much as $80 billion — or about 10 percent — of the $800 billion handed out in a Covid relief plan known as the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP. That’s on top of the $90 billion to $400 billion believed to have been stolen from the $900 billion Covid unemployment relief program — at least half taken by international fraudsters — as NBC News reported last year. And another $80 billion potentially pilfered from a separate Covid disaster relief program. [...] The looting of the Paycheck Protection Program worked differently — and it could be far more lucrative. The program authorized banks and other financial institutions to make government-backed loans to businesses, loans that were to be forgiven if the companies spent the money on business expenses. Nearly 10 million such loans have already been forgiven. Many of the loans-turned-grants were for millions of dollars, public records show. [...] Washington, D.C., resident Elias Eldabbagh, who appears to have no criminal record, was charged last summer with trying to steal $17 million from PPP and another program. According to his LinkedIn page, he earned a degree in computer engineering from California State University, Sacramento, and has worked in various technology jobs. Among the property prosecutors seized was a Tesla Model 3.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2020-06-16): Much of the scrutiny surrounding lawmakers taking PPP loans has centered on Rep. Roger Williams, one of the wealthiest members of Congress. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo [...] Republicans on the list include Rep. Roger Williams of Texas, a wealthy businessman who owns auto dealerships, body shops and car washes, and Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, whose family owns multiple farms and equipment suppliers across the Midwest. The Democrats count Rep. Susie Lee of Nevada, whose husband is CEO of a regional casino developer, and Rep. Debbie Mucarsel Powell of Florida, whose husband is an executive at a restaurant chain that has since returned the loan. [...] The push for greater disclosures has been bipartisan in the Senate: Small Business Chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the lead architect of the PPP, earlier this month asked the administration in a joint letter with Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) to adhere to SBA disclosure practices and release the names and other details of PPP borrowers. In April, Rubio said Congress was prepared to force the administration to disclose loan recipients and "the bottom line is we’re going to know one way or the other who got this money."
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2024-02-22): In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Congress authorized historic levels of emergency funding for federal agencies to provide direct financial assistance to individuals, businesses, and state, local, and Tribal governments. The Justice Department’s efforts in this area have included the pursuit of cases involving improper payments under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was enacted to provide loans guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to eligible small businesses for payroll, rent, utility payments, and other business-related costs. Over the last year, the department has resolved approximately 270 False Claims Act matters, recovering over $48.3 million in connection with improper PPP loans. The department has also pursued other pandemic related fraud, including schemes by health care providers to profit from the pandemic by billing for unnecessary tests and services. [...] Coyne Public Relations LLC paid $2.24 million to resolve allegations that it received a PPP loan even though it was ineligible for the loan because it was a required registrant under the Foreign Agent Registration Act. John Seasholtz and four agricultural companies he owns agreed to pay more than $600,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by improperly inflating the employee headcount on the companies’ PPP loan applications by impermissibly including non-employee contract workers who were, in fact, employed by other, unrelated entities. The companies also agreed to repay loan funds relating to the ineligible contractors, thereby relieving the SBA of liability for approximately $1.8 million in loan guarantees.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2023-01-09): Called PPP for short, the program offered simple-to-get, potentially forgivable government loans to small businesses. Yet billions of dollars went to companies owned by wealthy celebrities, including Tom Brady and Khloe Kardashian, and companies that thrived during COVID, like many manufacturing and construction firms. [...] Bert Talerman, president of Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank, which processed roughly 3,700 PPP loans totaling about $315 million, has a more forgiving view. [...] Thurston received about $14,000 in PPP loans, all forgiven, and questions why businesses like TB12, a sports nutrition company co-founded by NFL quarterback Tom Brady, were also eligible. TB12 got a PPP loan for about $960,000, also forgiven — even though, Thurston notes, Brady bought a yacht in 2021 with an estimated price tag of $6 million.
Claim: Lists eight wealthy politicians and public figures who “got millions (or close to it) in PPP loans.” (Facebook posts, 2020-07-07)
Evidence (2020-07-06): A hydroponic lettuce farm backed by Trump’s eldest son, Donald Jr., applied for at least $150,000 in Small Business Administration funding. Albert Hazzouri, a dentist frequently spotted at Mar-a-Lago, asked for a similar amount. A hospital run by Maria Ryan, a close associate of Trump lawyer and former mayor Rudy Giuliani, requested more than $5 million. Several companies connected to the president’s son-in-law and White House adviser, Jared Kushner, could get upward of $6 million. [...] The program has been criticized for including some loan recipients, particularly large, publicly traded companies, and for favoring wealthier businesses that had existing relationships with banks. In some cases customers could essentially skip the line. Overall, however, many economists praise the PPP for having gotten billions to companies relatively quickly. [...] The loans helped a hospital executive tightly linked to another Trump attorney and confidant, Rudy Giuliani. Cottage Hospital, a 25-bed critical access facility in Woodsville, New Hampshire, received between $2 million and $5 million in PPP loans. The hospital’s CEO, Maria Ryan, is a longtime close associate of Giuliani’s.
Claim: “Amy Coney Barrett has said that a woman should not be able to own property, buy or sell without the permission of her husband or a male relative.” (Facebook posts, 2020-09-26)
Evidence (2020-09-26): There’s no evidence President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court made such a statement.
Claim: “Amy Coney Barrett has said that a woman should not be able to own property, buy or sell without the permission of her husband or a male relative.” (Facebook posts, 2020-09-26)
Evidence (2020-09-29): Amy Coney Barrett's Catholicism Is Controversial But May Not Be Confirmation Issue If Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed as the new Supreme Court justice, she will be one of six Catholics on the bench. She would be joined by an Episcopalian who was raised as a Catholic. and two Jewish justices. [...] In 2006, Barrett told graduates of the Notre Dame Law School, which she had attended and where she was teaching, that they should see their upcoming legal careers "as but a means to an end ... and that end is building the Kingdom of God."
Claim: “Amy Coney Barrett has said that a woman should not be able to own property, buy or sell without the permission of her husband or a male relative.” (Facebook posts, 2020-09-26)
Evidence (2020-10-12): Amy Coney Barrett says policy should be left to lawmakers. Here's what that means. [...] Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, said his constituents are scared that Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation would strip rights from them, for which they’ve long fought. [...] Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appellate judge and Notre Dame law professor, is a proven conservative who has long been atop President Trump’s Supreme Court short list.
Claim: “Amy Coney Barrett has said that a woman should not be able to own property, buy or sell without the permission of her husband or a male relative.” (Facebook posts, 2020-09-26)
Evidence (2020-09-26): Some notable quotes from Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, a former Notre Dame law professor and current judge on the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. President Donald Trump on Saturday announced he was nominating Barrett to fill the seat vacated by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. [...] ___ "If you’re asking whether I take my faith seriously and I’m a faithful Catholic — I am, although I would stress that my personal church affiliation or my religious belief would not bear in the discharge of my duties as a judge." — Confirmation hearing in 2017 before the Senate Judiciary Committee considering her nomination to be a 7th Circuit appeals judge, after Sen. Dick Durbin asked her if she was orthodox Catholic. [...] Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Claim: “Amy Coney Barrett has said that a woman should not be able to own property, buy or sell without the permission of her husband or a male relative.” (Facebook posts, 2020-09-26)
Evidence (2021-03-27): Amy Coney Barrett, a judge on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals nominated by President Donald Trump in 2017, was nominated by Trump to the U.S. Supreme Court in September 2020. [...] In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.
Claim: “Amy Coney Barrett has said that a woman should not be able to own property, buy or sell without the permission of her husband or a male relative.” (Facebook posts, 2020-09-26)
Evidence (2021-09-13): Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Sunday rejected claims that decisions by the high court are driven by political views at a speech at the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center. [...] Barrett said that while she may not like results of her decisions, "it’s not my job to decide cases based on the outcome I want," the newspaper reported. [...] The Supreme Court did not immediately comment on Barrett’s speech.
Claim: “Amy Coney Barrett has said that a woman should not be able to own property, buy or sell without the permission of her husband or a male relative.” (Facebook posts, 2020-09-26)
Evidence (2021-05-05): New Justice Amy Coney Barrett so far has voted in only a dozen cases that have been argued, where she has consistently aligned with Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch [...] Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has aligned most often with Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch in her first months on the bench. Yet as the court enters the final weeks of its annual session, Barrett is also separating herself from brethren on the right with a lower key, attention-deflecting manner. As she has adopted the legal method of her mentor, the late Justice Antonin Scalia, Barrett has avoided the flamethrower rhetoric that defined him and some followers on the bench today.
Claim: “Amy Coney Barrett has said that a woman should not be able to own property, buy or sell without the permission of her husband or a male relative.” (Facebook posts, 2020-09-26)
Evidence (2024-09-08): Amy Vivian Coney Barrett (born January 28, 1972) is an American lawyer and jurist serving since 2020 as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.[1] The fifth woman to serve on the court, she was nominated by President Donald Trump. Barrett was a U.S. circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 2017 to 2020. [...] Amy Vivian Coney was born in 1972 in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Linda (née Vath) and Michael Coney.[20][21] The eldest of seven children, she has five sisters and a brother. Her father worked as an attorney for Shell Oil Company, and her mother was a high school French teacher and homemaker. Barrett has Irish and French ancestry.[22][23] Her maternal ancestors were from Ballyconnell, County Cavan, Ireland, while there is also Irish lineage among her father's ancestors. Her great-great-grandparents emigrated from France to New Orleans.[24] Her family is devoutly Catholic, and her father is an ordained deacon at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Metairie, Louisiana, where she grew up.[25][26] Barrett attended St. Mary's Dominican High School, an all-girls Roman Catholic high school in New Orleans.[27] She was student body vice president of the school and graduated in 1990.[28]