On 3 February 2018, the disreputable web site Your News Wire reported falsely that actor Denzel Washington said the election of President Donald Trump saved the United States from becoming an "Orwellian police state." YourNewsWire reported:
Donald Trump’s election victory saved the United States from the establishment of an “Orwellian police state” in the hands of Democrats who would have used the same authoritarian tactics “over and over again” to “circumvent the will of the people in future elections,” according to Denzel Washington.
“If the Democrats had won the election, we never would have found out they were using false documents to get warrants to spy on American citizens and political opponents. We never would have known this. Think about it!” said Denzel Washington at a press conference in New York.
“They would have a tool they would use over and over again to circumvent the will of the people in future elections,” said Denzil [sic] Washington, who has just been nominated for an Oscar for his film Roman J. Israel, Esq.
There is no evidence that Washington made this comment, though it isn't the first time he has been painted as an avid supporter of President Trump without factual support. At a red carpet event for his film "Fences" he responded to a question about how he voted in 2016 with "none of your business."
YourNewsWire is a fake news site that is notorious for making up sensational quotes and attributing them to celebrities or politicians. YourNewsWire. For example the site started a false rumor that actor Sylvester Stallone said former President Barack Obama was a "closeted homosexual" and claimed, again falsely, that actress Julia Roberts had said former First Lady Michelle Obama "isn't fit to clean Melania Trump's toilet."
YourNewsWire also regularly exploits the early hours of tragedies to spread false rumors and conspiracy theories.