Did Kennedy Center give DNC $5 million after getting relief from coronavirus stimulus?
The claim appeared as a post (archived here) on Facebook on March 29, 2020, under the title "Why did we give the Kennedy Center 25 mil?" It read:, Social Media Users saw this, , The post, and many like it, claims The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts gave $5 million to the DNC the day after being told they would receive $25 million in the Congressional stimulus aimed at rejuvinated an economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States, which has more cases globally than any other country, is under a national emergency as declared by President Trump., "In fact, the government relief funds have not be delivered to anyone or any group yet, so the posts claims would be impossible. Still, the story went viral on Facebook, with each post earning hundreds of likes and shares.", For example, Facebook user Tim Boyer slammed the money in the stimulus bill, posting:, , Once it started getting shared, the posts drew angy commenters furious about reports - now shown to be fake - that the Kennedy Center was giving $5 million to the DNC., User Cari Kelemen appears to have fueled the fake news in a tweet that went viral., The Kennedy Center Timeline:Completes a $250 M renovation2019: Receives $41 M from taxpayersYesterday: Gets $25 M from Relief BillToday: Tells musicians it will stop paying themDonates $5 M to the DNCThe Kennedy Center launders taxpayer money for the Democrats., She incorrectly told her 44,000 followers that the Kennedy Center, the performing arts conglomeration in Washington, DC, donated $5 million to the DNC the day after getting a deposit of $25 million from the government., Kelemen followed her first Tweet up with her theory about how Planned Parenthood "launders taxpayer money for the Democrats.", And Planned Parenthood launders taxpayer money for the Democrats in the same way. The Democrats make sure PP gets millions in taxpayer dollars and then PP donates millions back to the DNC., Twenty-two hours after her first tweet, Kelemen "clarified" her statement to say she had written about a "next-step hypothetical," but didn\t acknowledge her own, original words were false., To clarify, my original tweet should have said:*Tomorrow* donates $5 M to the DNC.It was meant as a next-step hypothetical based on the way the DNC has used Planned Parenthood to launder taxpayer money in the past. I did not intend to confuse anyone. Apologies if I did., On March 29, Kelemen wrote:, The Kennedy Center contributes almost exclusively, over 98%, to Democrat candidates and causes. I took a hearsay tweet at face value and did not verify the 5 million as a lump sum contribution, my apologies. That sum could have been confused with a 5 M contribution from UAE., , Lead Stories is working with the CoronaVirusFacts/DatosCoronaVirus Alliance, a coalition of more than 100 fact-checkers who are fighting misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about the alliance here., Alexis Tereszcuk is a writer and fact checker at Lead Stories and\xa0an award-winning journalist who spent over a decade breaking hard news and celebrity scoop with RadarOnline and Us Weekly.\n\nAs the Entertainment Editor, she investigated Hollywood stories and conducted interviews with A-list celebrities and reality stars. \xa0\n\nAlexis’ crime reporting earned her spots as a contributor on the Nancy Grace show, CNN, Fox News and Entertainment Tonight, among others., Note: if reading this fact check makes you want to contact us to complain about bias, please check out our Red feed first., Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, deceptive or\n      inaccurate stories (or media) making the rounds on the internet.\n      \n      Spotted something? Let us know!., Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, deceptive or\n        inaccurate stories (or media) making the rounds on the internet.\n        \n        Spotted something? Let us know!.
Fact Check: Kennedy Center Did NOT Give DNC $5M After Getting $25M In Relief From Coronavirus Stimulus | Lead Stories