“Breaking: Trump’s ENTIRE wall just got paid for by ONE person & you won’t believe who!”
As some readers might guess, the above headline from The Deplorable Society is completely incorrect. Trump’s “wall” has not been paid for by one unbelievable patron.
Facebook users correctly flagged this article as potentially containing incorrect information.
While the headline is entirely phony, the article beneath it is not. As the article correctly notes, Senator Ted Cruz has introduced legislation called the EL CHAPO Act, which would potentially take money from famed drug lord Joaquín Guzmán Loera, also known as “El Chapo” and use it to fund efforts to secure the border.
“El Chapo” arrested again in 2016, after escaping (a second time) in 2015, and is in custody in the United States. His trial will start in September 2018. He would have to be convicted for his money to be forfeited, if Cruz’s proposed legislation became law.
Cruz told Fox and Friends “if El Chapo is convicted … the estimates are that his criminal fortune is roughly worth about $14 billion dollars.” Cruz’s proposed law would send those funds to securing the border.
Cruz elaborated in a press release on the matter:
The proposed legislation is aptly titled the Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order Act (yes, that’s EL CHAPO).
Some estimates for “the wall” vary from around $12 billion to $22 billion.
While the body of the article contains accurate information the headline is entirely spurious.
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