Politifact fact-checked and found that Senator Tom Cotton was “mostly” telling the truth (see below) about criminals in prison getting stimulus checks from the feds. This means that Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev could be getting money from the government even though he is a murdering terrorist.

Congressman Brian Mast of Florida posted a video of a friend who survived the Boston Marathon Bombing. Her message is incredible:

My friend Celeste is a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing.

President Biden just sent the bomber who blew off her legs a stimulus check.

Here’s her message:

“This is great. In a world where the guy who did this to me is getting a stimulus check right now…all I have to say is f__k you because I can walk.”

“You didn’t take anything from me.”

Politifact’s ruling on whether prisoners get stimulus checks:

Tom Cotton: “Senate Democrats just voted to give stimulus checks to criminals in prison.”

PolitiFact’s ruling: Mostly True

Here’s why: In the long hours of debate before Senate Democrats passed their sweeping COVID-19 relief package, Republicans offered amendments designed to put Democrats on record on very particular policy points.

Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., put forward one that would prevent $1,400 stimulus checks from going to prisoners. The amendment failed on a party-line vote.
Cotton tweeted that this was another example of spending tucked in the bill that had nothing to do with the pandemic.

“Senate Democrats just voted to give stimulus checks to criminals in prison,” he tweeted March 6. “They haven’t lost their jobs; they aren’t worried about paying rent or buying groceries.”

Cotton repeated his point March 8 on Fox News, saying “every single Democrat” wanted to send checks to prisoners — invoking Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Charleston, S.C., church shooter Dylann Roof.

The record shows that Democrats rejected the amendment to prevent payments to prisoners.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said it would harm prisoners’ families.

“Given the stark racial disparities in our criminal justice system, this would cause the most harm to Black and brown families and communities already harmed by mass incarceration,” Durbin said on the Senate floor. “Children should not be forced to go hungry because a parent is incarcerated.”

Prisoners qualify for stimulus payments because of broad eligibility requirements in this relief bill — and others. Prisoners must be a citizen or legal resident, and either need to have filed a tax return, possibly as part of a joint filing, or complete an Internal Revenue Service form requesting payment.

Our ruling

Cotton said Democrats voted to give stimulus checks to people in prison.

With that clarification, we rate this claim Mostly True.

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