“FBI RAIDS OBAMA – Find Massive Secret That Was Hidden For YEARS!” ran the audacious headline from “maxireport.com.”
Readers of TWS Fact Check might simply roll their eyes, thinking to themselves “Of course that’s fake—why dabble in such clickbait?” Not so hasty; confidence is the foe of all fact-checking. While the headline is entirely misleading, the main story within the article is largely correct.
Under the tab “Any Politics” the article reports on how the owner of “Obama Mart” in South Carolina has “been charged with four counts of sales tax evasion.”
That’s true. The owner of Obama Mart (a small Obama-themed gas station and convenience store) Murad Alhanik was arrested in January for failing to pay over $136,000 in sales taxes from 2013 to 2016.
Maxi Report’s headline is also incorrect in looping the FBI into the story, as it was South Carolina’s Department of Revenue that made the arrest.
“Clearly, just like his idol Obama, Alhanik thought he was above the law,” the post said, later adding, “hopefully, his idol Obama can join him in prison soon as well!”
TWS Fact Check could not determine whether Maxi Report is a satirical/hoax website, and titles such as “GEORGE SOROS’ SECRET PLAN TO HAVE SEAN HANNITY FIRED JUST BLEW UP IN HIS FACE” leave us wondering still.
Death, taxes, and false headlines. These three remain.
If you have questions about this fact check, or would like to submit a request for another fact check, email Holmes Lybrand at [email protected] or the Weekly Standard at [email protected]. For details on TWS Fact Check, see our explainer here.
