Fact-Checking the 2016 Election: The Reporting of Fahrenthold
During the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, the role of investigative journalism became a focal point of public discourse. One of the most prominent figures in this effort was Fahrenthold, a reporter whose meticulous approach to verification brought several high-profile stories to light. His work was so influential that a 2018 study found he was the third-most mentioned entity in Twitter discussions regarding Donald Trump, trailing only Trump himself and CNN.
Key Facts
- Pulitzer Prize: Fahrenthold won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting on April 10, 2017.
- Charity Verification: Contacted over 400 major charities to verify Trump's claims of personal donations.
- Access Hollywood: Broke the story of the 2005 recording featuring lewd comments by Donald Trump.
- Secret Service Spending: Revealed over $900,000 in Secret Service expenditures at Trump-owned properties.
Investigating the Trump Foundation and Charitable Claims
A significant portion of Fahrenthold's work focused on the Donald J. Trump Foundation and claims made by Trump, the 2016 Republican nominee, that he had personally donated millions of dollars to charity. Starting in May 2016, Fahrenthold launched a transparency-driven effort to verify these assertions.
To maintain openness, he used Twitter to post handwritten lists of the charities he contacted and their subsequent responses. Over a four-month period, Fahrenthold and his colleagues at The Washington Post contacted more than 400 major charities. The result of this exhaustive search was that only one charity confirmed receiving a personal donation from Trump between 2008 and May 2016.
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The impact of this reporting was substantial. The New York attorney general initiated an inquiry into the Trump Foundation's fundraising practices, eventually issuing a "notice of violation" that ordered the Foundation to cease fundraising in New York. The Poynter Institute hailed Fahrenthold as a "journalism star" of the campaign, and President Obama cited the reporting while campaigning for Hillary Clinton in September 2016.
The Access Hollywood Tape Revelation
On October 7, 2016, Fahrenthold broke one of the most consequential stories of the election: the existence of a 2005 Access Hollywood video. In the recording, Donald Trump made lewd comments about groping women, stating that his celebrity status allowed him to "grab them by the pussy" without consequence.
The timeline of the leak was rapid. After receiving a call from an unnamed source at 11:00 AM, Fahrenthold published the story and the tape in The Washington Post by 4:00 PM that same day. The article became the most concurrently viewed piece in the history of The Post's website.
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The story broke just two days before the second presidential debate between Trump and Hillary Clinton. While staff at Access Hollywood (owned by NBC) had found the tape earlier that week, they had not planned to air it until the Monday following the debate. Following Fahrenthold's publication, both NBC News and Access Hollywood ran their own stories that evening.
Secret Service Expenditures at Trump Properties
Fahrenthold's investigative work continued beyond the 2016 election. In August 2020, he and other reporters at The Washington Post published a piece revealing that the Secret Service—the federal agency responsible for protecting high-ranking officials—had spent more than $900,000 at properties owned by Trump during his presidency.
In response to these findings, White House spokesperson Judd Deere stated that the administration was compiling a "dossier" on Fahrenthold.
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Reporting Summary
| Topic | Key Finding/Action | Outcome/Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Charitable Giving | Only 1 of 400+ charities confirmed a personal donation | Pulitzer Prize; NY AG notice of violation |
| Access Hollywood Tape | 2005 recording of lewd comments | Most viewed article in Washington Post history |
| Secret Service Spending | Over $900,000 spent at Trump properties | White House stated they were building a dossier on the reporter |
Frequently Asked Questions
What award did Fahrenthold receive for his reporting?
Fahrenthold won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting on April 10, 2017, for his work casting doubt on Donald Trump's claims of generosity toward charities.
How did Fahrenthold verify the charity donation claims?
He and his colleagues contacted over 400 major charities and shared the process transparently on Twitter via handwritten lists of contacted organizations and their responses.
When was the Access Hollywood tape published?
The story and tape were published in The Washington Post on October 7, 2016, two days before the second presidential debate.
What was the result of the Trump Foundation inquiry?
The New York attorney general issued a "notice of violation" that ordered the Trump Foundation to stop raising money in the state of New York.
How much did the Secret Service spend at Trump properties?
According to reporting published in August 2020, the Secret Service spent more than $900,000 at properties owned by Donald Trump during his presidency.