On February 10-11, the TV channels with the pro-government editorial policy, Imedi and POSTV, as well as online media outlets such as INFO9 news agency, NewsHub, Reportiori, and others (1, 2, 3), along with Facebook accounts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) spread information that Republican Congressman Joe Wilson was making money by selling tickets to Donald Trump’s inauguration on his official website. In Imedi TV’s article, which is the primary source of this claim, it is stated that “to purchase a ticket, a user would enter a separate link provided on the website, fill out a special questionnaire, and upon successful completion of the registration and payment, he or she would become the ticket holder.” The article also mentions that the congressman sells flags and that his website has a separate section called “Tours and Tickets.”
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The circulating claim that Congressman Joe Wilson was making money by selling inauguration tickets is false. On his website, tickets to Trump’s inauguration were available for free. These tickets were distributed free of charge to American citizens through congressmen, requiring only registration and completion of a questionnaire. Similar registration requirements are found on the websites of all congressmen.
Attendance at the U.S. presidential inauguration ceremony is free. The Inaugural Committee issued 220,000 tickets that allowed holders to attend the event from the Capitol grounds. Information on both the committee’s and government websites states that these tickets are free and are distributed to congressmen, who then allocate them to residents of their respective districts. However, due to the limited number of tickets, registration on congressmen’s websites was necessary to request them. Similar registration requirements to get tickets can be found on other congressmen’s websites.
Notably, the information about inauguration tickets published on Congressman Joe Wilson’s website does not mention any payment requirement. The website states that a special form must be filled out to confirm that the requester’s representative in Congress is indeed Joe Wilson. It also notes that tickets are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
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What Do We Know About the Sale of Flags and Tours?What Do We Know About the Sale of Flags and Tours?
The circulating report and article also mention that flags are sold on the congressman’s website and that there is a separate link titled “Tours and Tickets.” It is true that Joe Wilson’s website sells flags, but this is not unusual, as all congressmen offer the public a similar service. Through a government program, flags can be ordered via congressmen, flown over the Capitol, and then delivered to the buyer with an official certificate. As for “Tours and Tickets,” this section refers to tours in the U.S. capital, with the most popular destinations being the White House and the Capitol. Just like in the two aforementioned cases, all congressmen offer these tours to their district’s residents.
Source: Joe Wilson’s website
These activities are free of charge. However, due to high demand, members of Congress assist citizens in making reservations for these tours. For example, to book a White House tour, visitors must register through a congressman’s office between 21 and 90 days prior to the tour date.
The “Tours and Tickets” service varies slightly from congressman to congressman. While all of them include Capitol and White House tours, some representatives also facilitate visits to other landmarks in Washington, D.C., which are also free of charge. In the case of Joe Wilson, his website lists the following available tours: Capitol, White House, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, FBI Headquarters, Library of Congress, and Supreme Court. However, the website clarifies that Wilson’s office can only assist in booking the first three tours (Capitol, White House, and Bureau of Engraving and Printing). For visits to the FBI, Library of Congress, and Supreme Court, individuals must contact those institutions directly to arrange a tour. As noted earlier, tours of the Capitol, White House, and Bureau of Engraving and Printing are free of charge.
We completed all six steps of the tour request form, and none of them mentioned any payment, further proving that these services are free.
Information about “Tours and Tickets” available on Congressman Joe Wilson’s website
The Imedi TV report also includes comments from Irakli Zarkua and other Georgian Dream politicians, who claim that Joe Wilson received money from Formula for lobbying, supposedly confirmed by FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act). However, this claim is disinformation, as no such record exists in the FARA registry. Myth Detector investigated this issue in December.
Manipulative and misinformative claims about Joe Wilson and Donald Trump’s inauguration have been spread multiple times in the past. For more details, see the reports by Myth Detector:
- Are Tickets to the U.S. Presidential Inauguration Available for Purchase?
- What Do We Know About the Connection Between Congressman Joe Wilson and Formula TV, and What Does the FARA Registry Reveal?
- Where Was Salome Zourabichvili Watching Trump’s Inauguration From?
Archive: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
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