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| - FACT CHECK: Did Scott Perry Make This Statement About The 2020 Presidential Election?
A post shared on Facebook purports Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry claimed Italian satellites switched “millions of votes” during the 2020 presidential election.
Verdict: False
The claim is false. A spokesperson for Perry told Check Your Fact the statement was fabricated.
Fact Check:
Perry has been referred to the House Ethics Committee for “refusal to comply with subpoenas” related to the Jan. 6 committee investigation, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The Pennsylvania-based lawmaker’s emails about the 2020 election are among those that have been accessed by federal investigators, according to CNN.
The Facebook post purports Perry made a statement about Italian satellites switching “millions of votes” during the 2020 presidential election. The post further claims Perry said Chinese thermostats also purportedly switched votes. Perry’s statement was allegedly broadcasted by Lancaster-based news outlet WGAL.
The claim is false. There are no credible news reports suggesting Perry made the purported statement. Likewise, the claim neither appears on Perry’s website nor his verified social media accounts. In addition, WGAL has not publicly commented on the purported claim.
“[This statement] is a complete claptrap and fabulously fabricated,” Jay Ostrich, a spokesperson for Perry, told Check Your Fact in an email. (RELATED: Did Trump Say He Got ‘F–ked Out Of The 2020 Election’ At His Daughter’s Wedding?)
Although Perry did not make a public statement about such a claim, he allegedly mentioned the theory to then-President Donald Trump’s White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows via text messages, Talking Points Memo reported. Perry appeared to believe an Italian defense contractor was able to use military-grade satellites to switch votes from Trump to President Joe Biden, the outlet indicated.
Meadows supposedly then asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the claim, which allegedly stemmed from a YouTube video, which was “never substantiated,” according to The New York Times. Meanwhile, DOJ official Jeffrey Clark raised the possibility of internet-connected thermostats being used by Chinese hackers to control voting machines, The Washington Post reported.
Check Your Fact has also contacted a WGAL spokesperson for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
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