False story claims ABC News whistleblower died in car accident

In the days following the September 10, 2024 US presidential debate presented by ABC News, online users spread a rumor that an alleged “ABC News whistleblower” had died in a car accident. The rumor alleged that ABC News had fed US Vice President Kamala Harris the moderators' questions before the televised event, giving her an unfair advantage over former President Donald Trump.

However, the rumor that a whistleblower from the news network died in a car accident was false. Furthermore, we have not yet found any credible evidence that a “whistleblower” has released an authentic “report” or “affidavit” to support such a claim. Nor have we found any reliable data to suggest that Harris received questions in advance for the debate.

As The Daily Beast reported, an ABC News spokesperson denied the rumor that the network had provided Harris with questions. “Absolutely not,” the spokesman said, adding: “Harris was not asked any questions before the debate.”

Snopes also received the following statement from an ABC News spokesperson: “ABC News followed the debate rules agreed to by both campaigns, which clearly state: 'No topics or questions will be given to campaigns or candidates in advance.'”

The false rumor spread about X

An example of how this rumor spread online is a post (archived) from an account on X called Retro Coast (@RetroCoast) on September 13: “Breaking: The ABC News whistleblower who revealed Kamala Harris received debate questions in advance has DIED in a car crash. The accident occurred early on the morning of September 13th outside of Bethesda, #Maryland.” The post has been viewed more than 300,000 times.

Other users mentioned the rumor on X, including in a post from September 14 (archived) that has been viewed more than 3.3 million times.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene shared it

Republican U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia also posted on September 15 (archived): “The ABC whistleblower who claimed Kamala Harris was asked questions before the debate has died in a car crash, according to news reports.”

Greene did not cite any sources. Instead, she shared speculation in a post seen by millions of users.

Hours after Greene's post, she clarified in a second post (archived): “This story appears to be false and I'm glad to hear it. We need a serious investigation into the whistleblower's report that Kamala Harris received debate questions from ABC in advance!”

Greene has a history of spreading false or unsubstantiated rumors, including promoting the Qanon conspiracy theory, questioning the 2018 Parkland, Florida school shooting, falsely claiming that George Floyd died of a drug overdose, spreading 9/11 conspiracy theories, and baselessly suggesting that the Rothschilds, a Jewish banking family, were part of a conspiracy regarding “Laser or blue light rays” were the cause of the wildfires in California in 2018.

The source of the rumor

A “community note” under Greene's first post said the rumor about the fatal car crash came from an article posted on a general blog on Sept. 13. The blog's name was listed as “Bgrnd Search,” or “Background Searched Articles,” and was hosted on CountyLocalNews.com – a website that has nothing to do with any specific U.S. state or local news.

The site did not list any author names other than “admin,” and displayed fraudulent ads and unfinished template elements at the bottom of every page, including the words “custom footer text left” and “custom footer text right.” We emailed the site owner(s) to ask questions, and shortly thereafter, one of the owners removed the story from the site. We have yet to receive a response to our email.

The appearance of the article suggested that its author may have used an artificial intelligence tool to write it. The article began:

An explosive revelation has just rocked the political headlines. An ABC News whistleblower who revealed that Kamala Harris had received questions in advance for the debate has died in a tragic car crash. The incident occurred in the early hours of September 13 outside Bethesda, Maryland.

News of the whistleblower's death has sparked a flood of speculation and conspiracy theories online, with many questioning the circumstances of the accident and wondering if foul play was involved. Some even suggest that the whistleblower may have been targeted because of the information he revealed about Harris.

This tragic turn of events has reignited debates about media ethics and the role of whistleblowers in our society. It is a stark reminder of the risks people take when they go public with sensitive information that could potentially harm powerful figures.

The timing of the whistleblower's death is particularly eerie: it occurred just days after the first report that Harris had received questions for the debate in advance. The incident has caused a stir and led to calls for a thorough investigation into what actually happened.

A user on X mentioned that the creator of the false rumor may have based the story on a real bus accident that occurred in Maryland on September 13th—the same date mentioned in the false article.

The Associated Press' reporting said the accident involved a senior living bus and a dump truck, killing the bus driver and two passengers. The reporting made no mention of ABC News or a “whistleblower.” Furthermore, the real accident occurred in the Nanjemoy settlement, which is not near Bethesda – the city mentioned in the questionable website's article.

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