Fact Check: Did Nick Shirley find Bernie Sanders has a Chinese bank account?
WASHINGTON, DC: According to a post circulating on a social media platform, citizen journalist Nick Shirley has exposed that Senator Bernie Sanders has a Chinese bank account that has $15M in it. The claim has sparked backlash and criticism against the Senator, with many calling for verification, prompting a fact-check.
Claim: Bernie Sanders has a Chinese bank account
A viral post that surfaced on X has alleged that Nick Shirley has uncovered a Chinese bank account belonging to the socialist senator. The claim is accompanied by a picture of Sanders and Shirley, along with an overlay text stating, “Bernie is having a hard time explaining why he has $15 million in a Chinese bank account.”
The post further states, “We can all thank Nick Shirley for digging that one up.”
The post has garnered a hundred thousand views as of this writing, with many appearing to believe the claim is true while a few others remained skeptical and questioned the authenticity of the allegation.
Fact Check: No such allegation against Bernie Sanders
The claim, however, is false, as there are no reports of the conservative journalist making such an allegation against the senator.
There are no press releases, official announcements, or social media posts from the journalist about finding a Chinese bank account linked to Sanders.
If the claim were true, it would have been widely covered by credible news media outlets, making headlines and triggering massive nationwide outrage against the senator. A search on Google for the claim yielded no such news reports.
The search also revealed that the claim originated from an X account called ‘John McAfee News,’ which, though not explicitly a parody account, has posted several such fake and exaggerated claims, likely intended as satire.
California's 'Stop Nick Shirley Act' sparks debate
The claim surfaced amid the debates surrounding the signing of the immigrant services confidentiality bill by California Governor Gavin Newsom, also dubbed the ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act.’
The bill would allow immigration support services providers to protect themselves from harassment and violence by removing their addresses from the public record.
Critics of the bill have argued that it will prevent independent journalists from conducting and publishing investigations into organizations serving immigrants.
“The legislation makes it harder for investigative reporters like Nick Shirley to do what they’ve done and, quite frankly, I think we need more people looking at how we’re spending our money, and more transparency and accountability,” said Senator Tony Strickland.
