Claim of bill banning certain 9/11 speech is baseless, uses fabricated news story | Fact check
The claim: Congress is considering a bill that would criminalize questioning 9/11
An April 29 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a screenshot of a supposed news article that claims certain kinds of speech about the 9/11 terror attacks would be outlawed under a new congressional proposal.
“Congress to vote on bill that would criminalize questioning the events surrounding 9/11,” reads the headline of the article.
Additional text in the article reads, “With strong support from AIPAC and the ADL, Congress is set to vote on a bill that would criminalize any questioning of the events that took place during the September 11th attacks. The bill calls for fines up to $10,000 and 5 years imprisonment of anyone who questions or challenges the official narrative.”
Other versions of the claim spread widely on X, formerly Twitter.
More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page
Our rating: False
There is no such legislation mentioned on bill tracking websites or in legitimate news outlets. The image is a cropped version of a fabricated New York Post article.
Post is a 'complete fraud,' Anti-Defamation League says
The idea of banning questions about 9/11 runs counter to the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech. Any legislation seeking to do so would be covered by legitimate news outlets, but there is no credible news reporting on the supposed bill.
There’s also no mention of any such bill on Congress' website or on GovTrack.us, both of which list and track legislation in Congress. However, terrorist attacks have been mentioned throughout the current Congressional session, including a successful Senate resolution to designate the week of Sept. 11 as “Patriot Week” and a House resolution to encourage states to discuss the attacks in their elementary and secondary education curriculum, which did not make it out of committee.
The acronyms in the Instagram post refer to the Anti-Defamation League and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, both of which told Paste BN that claims of their purported involvement in the 9/11 legislation are false.
“This post is a complete fraud,” Anti-Defamation League spokesperson Todd Gutnick said. “There is no such legislation.”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has also “not supported any such legislation,” spokesperson Marshall Wittmann said.
Fact check: False claim Trump said World Trade Center attack didn't happen in speech
The Instagram post is a cropped version of an image posted on X that includes a New York Post banner on top. But like the claim itself, the image isn't legitimate.
No such article appears on the outlet’s website. The image appears to be an altered version of an April 26 report on Harvey Weinstein that includes the same date, timestamp and byline.
This is not the first time a post has claimed the First Amendment is in danger. Paste BN previously debunked a false claim that it’s now illegal to protest in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.
Paste BN reached out to users who shared the post for comment. One told Paste BN they realized the information was false after posting.
The Associated Press, Lead Stories and Reuters also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- Congress.gov, accessed May 4, Legislation search
- GovTrack, accessed May 4, Legislation search
- Marshall Wittmann, May 3, Email exchange with Paste BN
- Todd Gutnick, May 3, Email exchange with Paste BN
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.
Paste BN is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.