QUESTIONABLE SOURCE
A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, a complete lack of transparency, and/or is fake news. Fake News is the deliberate attempt to publish hoaxes and/or disinformation for profit or influence (Learn More). Sources listed in the Questionable Category may be very untrustworthy and should be fact-checked on a per-article basis. Please note sources on this list are not considered fake news unless specifically written in the reasoning section for that source. See all Questionable sources.
- Overall, we rate Declassified with Julie Kelly Right Biased due to consistently pro-Trump framing, attacks on Democratic institutions, and promotion of narratives aligned with election denial and January 6 revisionism. We rate it Questionable low for factual reporting because of its reliance on poor sources, inflammatory rhetoric, amplification of conspiracy theories, and association with claims that have been contradicted by established fact-checking organizations.
Detailed Report
Questionable Reasoning: Poor Sourcing, Conspiracy Theories, Propaganda, Failed Fact Checks
Bias Rating: FAR RIGHT (8.4)
Factual Reporting: LOW (8.0)
Country: USA
MBFC Country Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY
History
Declassified with Julie Kelly is a Substack-based publication authored by conservative commentator Julie Kelly. According to its About page, the outlet focuses on alleged “weaponization” of the Department of Justice, January 6 prosecutions, 2020 election-related claims, and litigation involving Donald Trump. Kelly is also a contributor to American Greatness and has written extensively defending Trump and challenging the legitimacy of the January 6 investigations.
Read our profile on the United States media and government.
Funded by / Ownership
The site is independently operated by Julie Kelly and funded through Substack subscriptions and podcast revenue. No corporate parent company is disclosed.
Analysis / Bias
Declassified consistently frames the DOJ, FBI, federal judges, and Democratic officials as corrupt actors engaged in coordinated “lawfare” against Donald Trump. Language is highly loaded and adversarial.
In Boasberg Wants Illegal Venezuelans Back to the U.S.–On Our Dime, the article portrays a federal judge as acting out of personal animus toward Trump, using mocking and inflammatory rhetoric rather than neutral legal analysis.
In No Ashli Babbitt Treatment for Renee Good, the piece advances a narrative of systemic media hypocrisy and minimizes the severity of January 6 while attacking mainstream coverage.
In The Media Went Dark on Minnesota Somali Fraud Scandal in 2024 to Protect Tim Walz, Kelly amplifies claims tied to YouTube personality Nick Shirley. Shirley has been criticized for false and misleading claims, as documented by Media Bias Fact Check in this report: Fact vs Fiction: Did a Minneapolis Daycare List the Governor’s Office Phone Number on Google as Evidence of Fraud?.
Kelly herself has been associated with disputed or misleading claims. FactCheck.org addressed misrepresentations by Trump allies regarding FBI document searches in this analysis: Trump Allies Misrepresent FBI Order on Document Search at Mar-a-Lago. Additionally, Poynter documented misinformation surrounding January 6 narratives in PolitiFact’s 2021 Lie of the Year: Lies about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and its significance, which included commentary aligned with narratives promoted by Kelly and similar commentators. Further analysis from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington examined efforts to recast January 6 as an “inside job” in this report: Election Deniers and Talking Heads Have Spent Three Years Trying to Rewrite Insurrection History — It’s Not Working.
The outlet routinely relies on partisan framing, rhetorical attacks, selective sourcing, and amplification of disputed narratives related to election fraud and January 6.
Failed Fact Checks
- The publication’s author has been connected to narratives that have been contradicted or debunked (See Above) by fact-checking organizations, including FactCheck.org and PolitiFact (via Poynter). The repeated promotion of disputed election and January 6 narratives lowers factual reliability.
Overall, we rate Declassified with Julie Kelly Right Biased due to consistently pro-Trump framing, attacks on Democratic institutions, and promotion of narratives aligned with election denial and January 6 revisionism. We rate it Questionable low for factual reporting because of its reliance on poor sources, inflammatory rhetoric, amplification of conspiracy theories, and association with claims that have been contradicted by established fact-checking organizations. (D. Van Zandt 02/15/2026)
Source: https://www.declassified.live/
Last Updated on February 15, 2026 by Media Bias Fact Check
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