On February 23, in response to a House hearing on cable TV providers’ roles in spreading misinformation about the 2020 election, One America News correspondent Pearson Sharp proclaimed that “OAN is proud of our truthful journalism and can back up and prove that all of our reporting relies strictly on the facts.” But Sharp himself has repeatedly lied on-air about the 2020 election and the January 6 insurrection, as recently as this month.

Despite bombastic claims of principles, Sharp’s “reporting” frequently lied or misled about the 2020 election

Sharp alleged that the Michigan results were certified “under pressure” and Democrats had “threatened” and “harrassed” to get the results certified. Citing Republicans, Sharp claimed that “there’s significant evidence of voting fraud” and blamed “massive amounts of voting irregularities” for Biden’s victory in the state. He later alleged that “Dominion Voting Systems is behind much of the chaos seen in the aftermath of the election.” Sharp concluded that “as more and more discrepancies in major voting errors are uncovered on a daily basis, it seems clear that the American people, regardless of party, are justified in their concerns over the integrity of their elections.”

Sharp continually promoted the Georgia “suitcases” conspiracy theory, before and after it was debunked. A day after the election, Sharp reported that “evidence of voter fraud in Georgia is piling up” with video from a Georgia election site, allegedly showing four poll workers who ignored a “mysterious” burst-pipe evacuation order “reaching under tables” once they were out of sight from their colleagues, “and pulling out suitcases stuffed with ballots.” In reality, no pipe burst, there was no evacuation, the alleged nefarious “suitcases” were standard ballot containers, and the activity on the video was standard procedure, as later confirmed by the office of the Georgia Secretary of State. Despite widespread debunks, Sharp returned to the “suitcases” story two weeks later, attacking two poll workers in the nonexistent voter fraud conspiracy theory. 

Sharp: One America News is “the only broadcast news network out there with the integrity to report that this election isn't over.” After the Electoral College voted Biden the winner of the 2020 election, a defiant Sharp declared that “no matter what the mainstream media tells you, Joe Biden is not officially the president-elect … until the electoral votes are counted by the joint session of Congress on January 6.” Sharp said, “Considering the massive scale of voting fraud being reported, it is irresponsible for any journalist or news organization to declare that Joe Biden is the undisputed winner.”

Sharp: “Little-known procedures that could take place on January 6 regarding the Electoral College” could give Trump a second term. On the morning of the insurrection, Sharp falsely reported that then-Vice President Mike Pence could legally consider certifying any electoral votes, “including the competing votes cast by Republican electors in states that officially voted for Joe Biden.” Sharp lied that “there’s still a chance” of a Trump victory, with Republicans objecting to the election results “relying on Vice President Pence to shift the vote in their favor, and a spokesman for Pence said that the vice president still supports efforts to challenge the votes." 

Sharp also misled viewers about the insurrection

Sharp reported that the military response to the insurrection could be proof that Biden “wasn't actually elected by the people.”

 

Sharp: “President Trump said nothing to incite any kind of violence.” Sharp reported on February 11 that the media and the Democrats’ claims of Trump’s culpability were “patently false” and “lack[ed] any kind of evidence.” He took issue with House Democrats removing a video clip of Trump using the word “peaceful” from a compilation of his violent commentary at the pre-insurrection rally. Among other irrelevant counter-claims, Sharp falsely reported that this video was “censored online precisely because if it were widely shared, the American people could see for themselves that President Trump said nothing to incite any kind of violence.”