Facebook Twitter Tumblr Close Skip to main content FactCheck.org® A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center ![\\"Become](\\" mini.png\\"/) ![\\"Follow](\\" twitter.png\\"/) ![\\"Get](\\" ![\\"Follow](\\" instagram-1.png\\"/) ![\\"Sign](\\" ![\\"Help](\\" FactCheck.org® * Home * Articles * Featured Posts * FactCheck Posts * SciCheck * En Español * 2024 elections * Players Guide 2024 * Debunking Viral Claims * Ask a Question * Ask FactCheck * Ask SciCheck * Donate * Topics * President Biden * Donald Trump * Kamala Harris * JD Vance * Tim Walz * health * Coronavirus * immigration * climate change * View All * About Us * Our Mission * Our Process * Our Funding * Our Staff * Undergraduate Fellows * Awards * Request a Correction * Contact Us * Search * More * Viral Claims * Subscribe * Instagram * Threads * YouTube * X (Twitter) * Facebook * TikTok * FactCheck On the Air * Mailbag Debunking Viral Claims # No ‘Charges Filed’ Against Beto O’Rourke By Saranac Hale Spencer Posted on October 22, 2018 * 2.6K * * * * Q: Were “charges filed” against U.S. Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke of Texas for accepting an “illegal $10 million campaign donation” from CNN? A: No. A Libertarian opponent filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, claiming CNN’s town hall event with O’Rourke was worth $10 million. ##### FULL ANSWER Beto O’Rourke, the Texas Democrat challenging Sen. Ted Cruz for his seat in the U.S. Senate, appeared in an hourlong town hall event on CNN on Oct. 18. Prior to the town hall, a false headline started circulating on Facebook saying: “CHARGES FILED AGAINST BETO O’ROURKE FOR ACCEPTING ILLEGAL $10 MILLION CONTRIBUTION.” There were no “charges” filed, but a complaint was filed with the Federal Election Commission about the CNN town hall with O’Rourke. Here’s what happened: On Oct. 11, CNN announced its lineup of political specials for the midterm elections. Among them was a town hall moderated by CNN’s Dana Bash with O’Rourke taking questions from the audience. A spokeswoman for CNN told FactCheck.org that the network had invited Cruz to appear in his own town hall program, but he declined. Cruz’s campaign manager, Jeff Roe, confirmed in a tweet that Cruz was “unable to participate” in “back to back town halls.” But, Roe added, “the Cruz campaign proposed that @CNN host one of the Cruz-O’Rourke debates. The O’Rourke campaign declined.” Following CNN’s programming announcement, Neal Dikeman, the third candidate in the race who is seeking the seat on the Libertarian line, wrote an open letter to CNN asking to be included in the televised town hall. Dikeman later filed a complaint with the FEC against CNN and O’Rourke, claiming that the town hall event would amount to an illegal $10 million campaign contribution if it aired as scheduled. In response, CNN attorney David C. Vigilante wrote a letter to Dikeman saying Cruz and O’Rourke are the “only two viable candidates,” based on polling, and that the CNN town hall was within the “press exemption” of campaign finance laws. Vigilante cited a case from 2009 that made similar allegations, which the FEC dismissed. So, while it’s true that the FEC has gotten a complaint about the town hall program with O’Rourke, no “charges” have been filed against the candidate. And it’s far from certain that the town hall could be considered an “illegal $10 million contribution” since the FEC hasn’t yet ruled on the complaint. Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on the social media network. FactCheck.org also collaborates with CNN’s “State of the Union” on fact- checking videos hosted by “State of the Union” anchor Jake Tapper. ##### Sources “CHARGES FILED AGAINST BETO O’ROURKE FOR ACCEPTING ILLEGAL $10 MILLION CONTRIBUTION.” iamatexan.com. 16 Oct 2018. Ventresca, Rachel. “CNN to host prime-time political events ahead of midterm elections.” CNN. 11 Oct 2018. Dikeman, Neal. Complaint to the Federal Election Commission. 15 Oct 2018. Vigilante, David. CNN Senior Vice President — legal department. Response to Neal Dikeman’s complaint. 17 Oct 2018. Share the Facts 2018-10-22 18:43:43 UTC FactCheck.org ![\\"FactCheck.org\\"](\\" 9 1 11 ![\\"FactCheck.org](\\" facts/rating_images/factcheck.org/distorts.png\\") FactCheck.org Rating: Distorts the Facts “CHARGES FILED AGAINST BETO O’ROURKE FOR ACCEPTING ILLEGAL $10 MILLION CONTRIBUTION.” iamatexan.com Website ![](\\" Tuesday, October 16, 2018 2018-10-16 Read More info * Categories * Debunking Viral Claims * Tags * 2018 Election * Location * Texas * Issue * campaign donations * campaign finance * People * Beto O\'Rourke * Ted Cruz Previous StoryVideo: Trump Campaigning in Kentucky Next StoryBogus Biden Quote Circulates Again Ask SciCheck Q: Are wind farms harmful to the environment? A: Like all energy sources, wind farms have some negative environmental impacts. But getting energy from wind farms results in dramatically lower greenhouse gas emissions than getting it from fossil fuels. 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CHARGES FILED AGAINST BETO O’ROURKE FOR ACCEPTING ILLEGAL 10 MILLION CONTRIBUTION