In Georgia this summer, a fake wanted poster falsely identified a woman as a so-called ballot mule.
In Arizona, voters dropping off their ballots complained about being photographed and filmed, in some cases by people carrying weapons.
The incidents appear inspired by a film, "2,000 Mules," that spins a wild tale of how the 2020 election was supposedly stolen from Donald Trump. At its heart is a conspiracy theory claiming Democratic groups are colluding with paid operatives – the titular "mules" – to stuff ballot drop boxes with fraudulent votes.
There's no evidence for any of this. The film, which is directed by right-wing commentator Dinesh D'Souza and relies on data and analysis from controversial election group True the Vote, has been thoroughly, and repeatedly, debunked by fact-checkers and rejected by law enforcement.
But the film is the latest in a long line of movies that use the tropes and signifiers of documentaries to gain credibility. In recent years, documentary style films about the 2020 election, the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines have spread conspiracy theories and recycled debunked lies.
"Documentaries have been used for decades to try to make bad actors and folks who are trying to push conspiracies or push disinformation or push a specific political agenda look more professional, look glamorous, look like something that you can believe," said Jiore Craig, head of elections and digital integrity at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which tracks online...
A federal jury has convicted a San Francisco man of conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with a scheme involving fraudulent insurance claims on already-wrecked vehicles, pros...