On Tuesday, January 4th, The Gazette’s fact-checker reached out to Congresswoman Hinson’s office, requesting additional sourcing for Hinson’s November 3rd opinion column blasting the Administration for considering $450,000 payments to some illegal immigrants.
Specifically, the fact-checker asked: “Would you like to provide any sourcing on this statement? What specific program is Rep. Hinson referring to with these payments?”
The Gazette fell far short in fact-checking the “additional sources” and “specific program” Congresswoman Hinson was referring to in her opinion piece. Read the fact-check here.
This story was widely reported story reported in media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and The Hill, and President Biden discussed this issue during televised press conferences.
Despite this widespread coverage, the fact-checker claimed Congresswoman Hinson had not provided enough context about the issue, pointing to just one of her tweets on the widely covered policy that didn’t link to an article. The Gazette simply ignored her other social media posts that include the links they deem necessary for context.
Hinson released the below statement on the fact-check:
“This is unserious, and frankly, insulting to the intelligence of my constituents and those who read The Gazette. Facts are facts, and the clear facts here are that the Biden Administration was considering $450,000 payments to some illegal immigrants before our pressure and serious public backlash stopped them in their tracks. I believe in accountability and transparency. That’s why I hold press calls every single week and respond to media inquiries like this one, but that accountability has to go both ways. The Gazette should do better.” –Congresswoman Ashley Hinson
The fact-checker also left out the statement Representative Hinson provided regarding the proposal, which still stands:
“Iowans were furious when it was reported the Administration was considering paying some illegal immigrants $450,000—this would have been an absurd use of taxpayer dollars especially as working American families are dealing with record-high prices that are making their lives less affordable. Not to mention, $450,000 is more than a Gold Star family receives if a service member is killed in action. That’s why I joined legislation to block this proposal from moving forward and made sure Iowans’ voices were heard on this issue. I’ll always hold the Administration accountable for policies, like this one, that will harm Iowans and our country.”
