2022 FactCheck: on Principles & Values

Jonathan Wichmann: Claimed insurrection was led by "Antifa" without evidence

But Wichmann's claim flies in the face of a litany of evidence without presenting any reasonable evidence itself. Wichmann did not respond to an array of messages seeking a defense of his claim.

A growing number of protesters have been identified and connected to long histories supporting Trump, QAnon and far-right causes. This includes people some have claimed were Antifa activists. There is no credible evidence that the crowd was infiltrated or led by Antifa activists in disguise. We rate Wichmann's claim Pants on Fire.

Mike Lee: FactCheck: worked to overturn Electoral College votes

"In the days leading up to January 6, I had a job to do. There were rumors circulating suggesting that some states were considering switching out their slates of electors. I did research on that; I made phone calls to figure out whether the rumors were true. The rumors were false. On that basis, I voted to certify the results of the elections."

Lee did vote on January 6 to certify Biden's victory. But before that, he wasn't merely doing research. To the contrary, on Jan. 4, he told Mark Meadows in reference to Trump: "I've been spending 14 hours a day for the last week trying to unravel this for him."

Asked during the debate if Biden fairly won the election, Lee said "yes, Joe Biden is our president" because Biden "was chosen in the only election that matters: the election held by the Electoral College." But Lee's texts show that he kept working to achieve a Trump victory for three weeks after the Electoral College affirmed Biden's win on December 14, 2020.