January 6 conspiracy theories and debunked claims

A look at the false claims pushed by Donald Trump and his team

The House of Representatives panel looking at the January 6, 2021, insurrection spent their second hearing on Monday debunking former president Donald Trump’s claims of widespread election fraud.

The nine-member panel said Mr Trump knew the claims were false, but he continued to push them anyway.

Even today, the former president and many in the Republican Party insist the 2020 election was "stolen".

Here is a look at some of the claims made by Mr Trump or people in his campaign, along with the panel’s findings.

Joe Biden in Coconut Creek, Florida, in October and US President Donald Trump in Green Bay, Wisconsin. AFP

Republicans currently hold 50 seats in the Senate and a victory in just one of the Georgia Senate runoff races will give them a majority and the ability to hamstring the agenda of President-Elect Joe Biden's agenda after he takes office on January 20. AFP

In the lead-up to the January 5 runoff election, Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff continues to focus on early voting efforts across metro Atlanta. AFP

A woman holds a sign during a Latino meet and greet and literature distribution rally on December 30, 2020 in Marietta, Georgia. AFP

People cheer during a Latino meet and greet and literature distribution rally in Marietta, Georgia. AFP

Senate candidate Jon Ossoff removes his mask before speaking at a literature distribution rally in Marietta, Georgia. AFP

Voters were offered custom stickers and cloth face masks after participating in the final voting at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Georgia's US Senate runoff election in Atlanta, Georgia. EPA

Trump supporter Gary White waves his flags as Republican Senator from Georgia Kelly Loeffler participates in a campaign event in Woodstock, Georgia, USA. EPA

Republican Senator from Georgia Kelly Loeffler participates in a campaign event in Woodstock, Georgia, USA. EPA

Democratic Georgia US Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock participate in a dual campaign event during the final week of early voting in their US Senate runoff election in Stonecrest, Georgia, USA. EPA

Democratic Georgia US Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock participate in a dual campaign event during the final week of early voting in their US Senate runoff election in Stonecrest, Georgia, USA. EPA

Democratic Georgia US Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock participate in a dual campaign event during the final week of early voting in their US Senate runoff election in Stonecrest, Georgia, USA. EPA

Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock speaks to the crowd during an "It's Time to Vote" drive-in rally in Stonecrest, Georgia. AFP

US Senator David Perdue speaks during a campaign event as he runs for re-election at the Olde Blind Dog Irish Pub, in Milton, Georgia. Reuters

Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue high five each other as Mr Perdue takes the stage to speak during a campaign event in Milton, Georgia. AFP

Ivanka Trump, Assistant to the President, speaks during a campaign rally for Republican Georgia Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. AP

The claim: Voting machines were rigged

Mr Trump and his legal team, including Rudy Giuliani, repeatedly claimed Dominion voting machines were somehow compromised and were awarding his votes to Joe Biden.

The accusation was repeated by Trump supporters on January 6, who claimed it as evidence that their votes had been stolen.

“We have a company that’s very suspect. Its name is Dominion," Mr Trump said after the 2020 election.

"With the turn of a dial or the change of a chip, you can press a button for Trump and the vote goes to Biden. What kind of a system is this?”

What the panel found:

The panel played recorded video testimony from Mr Trump’s former attorney general William Barr, who said he saw “absolutely zero basis” for the allegations, which he described as “idiotic”.

Trump supporters thought there was “this systemic corruption in the system and that their votes didn’t count, and that these machines controlled by somebody else were actually determining it, which was complete nonsense", Mr Barr said.

“I was somewhat demoralised because I thought, boy, if he really believes this stuff he has, you know, lost contact with … he’s become detached from reality."

The claim: Dead people voted

Mr Trump repeatedly insisted that dead people who were still on the electoral roll somehow had ballots cast in their name.

What the panel found:

Former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt testified that allegations by the Trump team of voting fraud in that city and state were seriously and thoroughly investigated, including allegations that thousands of dead people had ballots cast in their names.

“Not only was it not evidence of 8,000 dead voters in Pennsylvania, there wasn’t evidence of eight,” said Mr Schmidt, a Republican.

“We took seriously every case that was referred to us, no matter how fantastical, how absurd."

First gentleman Douglas Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris, US President Joe Biden and wife Jill Biden salute the crowd after their electoral victory on November 7, 2020. Outgoing president Donald Trump has yet to concede his loss. AFP

Rudy Giuliani, lawyer for former president Donald Trump, gives a press conference in the car park of the Four Seasons landscaping company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after Joe Biden was declared as winner of the 2020 presidential election, which he claimed was false. As a result of these claims, Mr Giuliani can no longer practice law in the state of New York. EPA

Donald Trump meets Clint Hickman, vice chairman of Arizona's 4th District, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, at Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, Mr Hickman said that he refused to take calls from the White House and Mr Trump, who he said was trying to overturn the battleground state's results. AP

Four days before the Capitol riot, Donald Trump placed a call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and asked the official to 'find' 11,780 votes to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the battleground state. The House committee investigators have already interviewed election officials in the state. AP

Ruby Freeman was an employee of the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections in Atlanta, Georgia, during the 2020 presidential election. After the state went to Joe Biden, Donald Trump accused Ms Freeman of stealing ballots in a call with Brad Raffensperger, who told Mr Trump that he was being misled by claims on social media. Reuters

Kimberly Guilfoyle, engaged to Donald Trump's son, boasted to a Republican operative that she had raised $3 million for the rally that helped fuel the January 6 Capitol riot. She may be called to testify. AFP

Kash Patel, chief of staff to former acting secretary of defence Christopher Miller, gave a deposition on Capitol Hill to the committee on December 9, 2021. Members of the committee and staff members had been meeting with Mr Patel and 'Stop the Steal' organiser Ali Alexander. Getty Images / AFP

The Willard Hotel in Washington played home to a 'war room' set up by advisers of Donald Trump and has become the focus of the congressional investigation into the January 6 attack. AFP

Former White House chief strategist in the Trump administration Steven Bannon leaves a federal courthouse in Washington after being indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress. EPA

Roger Stone, a former adviser and confidant of Donald Trump, gave a deposition before the committee in which he repeatedly pled the Fifth Amendment when questioned. Getty Images / AFP

Bennie Thompson was chosen by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to lead the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack on the US Capitol. Getty Images / AFP

Bennie Thompson meets Liz Cheney, vice-chair of the select committee, Adam Kinzinger and Jamie Raskin on Capitol Hill. The committee voted unanimously to recommend contempt of Congress charges for former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark for defying his subpoena, refusing to answer questions and failing to hand over documents to the committee. Getty Images / AFP

Liz Cheney, committee chairman Bennie Thompson and other members of the committee speak to reporters after meeting with Nancy Pelosi. Reuters

Republican Scott Perry of Pennsylvania helped promote theories that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, resulting in millions of tax dollars spent on recounts in the state. Election workers there were also threatened with violence. Reuters

Chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party Kelli Ward led the charge to pressure Maricopa County officials to invalidate the results of the 2020 presidential election. Ms Ward also said that 'outside agitators' were responsible for the deadly attack. AP

Jim Jordan, a Republican congressman, admitted to speaking with Donald Trump on January 6. Reuters

Lawyer John Eastman spoke with Donald Trump's personal legal representative Rudy Giuliani at the January 6 'Stop the Steal' rally in Washington. During the melee, Mr Eastman emailed Greg Jacobs, aid to vice president at the time Mike Pence, to say that it was Mr Pence's fault that the riot was taking place because he refused to block the election's certification results. Reuters

Before Mike Pence could certify the Electoral College votes before Congress, the last step in the process before Joe Biden was to be sworn in, rioters breached the US Capitol. Outside the chamber doors, a person was shot and police officers were beaten and trampled as some rioters yelled: 'Hang Mike Pence!' EPA

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said he has no intention of complying with a subpoena to appear before the committee and missed a scheduled deposition. Committee members voted unanimously to pursue criminal contempt charges against Mr Meadows for refusing to give evidence. AFP

In a legal setback, a federal appeals court ruled against Donald Trump, demanding he turn over White House records to the committee. AP

Fox News host Sean Hannity sent text messages to the White House during the January 6 insurrection. AP

The Oath Keepers is a US militia group that recruits former members of the military and law enforcement, with many participating in the January 6 attack. The committee has sent a subpoena to its founder, Stewart Rhoades, and several members have been arrested. AP

The select committee subpoenaed Enrique Tarrio, naming him as leader of the Proud Boys, an extremist group that responded to Donald Trump’s call to descend on Washington and which played a central role in the attack on the Capitol. EPA

US Olympic swimmer Klete Keller can be seen, with arms extended and wearing a blue kerchief covering his face, during the attack on the US Capitol. He pled guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding and is co-operating with the committee. AFP

House select committee member Liz Cheney told CNN that a witness said Donald Trump's daughter and former White House adviser, Ivanka Trump, pleaded with her father to put a stop to the violence that took place on January 6. Getty Images / AFP

On January 9, 2021, Twitter banned Donald Trump after he tweeted his support for the rioters. Reuters

'Stop the Steal' organiser Ali Alexander gave a deposition on Capitol Hill to the committee. Getty Images / AFP

Stephanie Grisham, former White House Press Secretary under former US president Donald Trump, leaves the O'Neill House office building following a meeting with the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. Reuters

The claim: Suitcases of ballots disappearing and reappearing

One of the examples of fraud that Mr Trump used as proof that the 2020 election was stolen was video surveillance from the vote-counting centre in Atlanta showing “suitcases” of ballots being pulled from under a table and “added in secret in Georgia".

What the panel found:

BJ Pak, the former US attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, testified that was not what happened.

Mr Pak said Georgia officials and his own review showed the “suitcases” were just boxes of ballots to be counted.

He said the video simply showed election workers who had been preparing to go home and had packed up uncounted ballots for the night pulling them out to be counted.

Al Schmidt, former Philadelphia city commissioner, testifies during a hearing by the select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Getty / AFP

The claim: Truckloads of unexpected votes for Biden appear in places such as Philadelphia

Mr Trump has repeatedly suggested that there was a rush of unexpected votes in swing state Pennsylvania within inner city areas such as Philadelphia.

He also has claimed there were more votes in Philadelphia than there were registered voters.

What the panel heard:

“That was absolute rubbish,” Mr Barr said. “There was nothing strange about the Philadelphia turnout.”

He said Philadelphia ballots were not counted in each voting precinct.

Instead, they were taken to a central location for tallying after polls had closed, which would explain the late arrival of ballots on election night.