How This Site Works
Are They Corrupt? is a public-records accountability tracker. The premise is simple: pair every claim about an elected official with a link to the primary record that supports it. If we can't cite it, it doesn't go on the page.
Methodology
1. Sourcing. Every flag carries a sources[] array. Every source has a label, a URL, and (where relevant) a date or document locator. Our preferred sources are federal agency releases (DOJ, FEC, House Ethics Committee, OCC), court filings, and established public-records aggregators (OpenSecrets, GovTrack, Campaign Legal Center).
2. Severity ratings. "High" flags represent documented violations, formal ethics referrals, or filed FEC complaints. "Moderate" flags represent significant patterns or aggregate-level concerns. "Low" flags represent contextual financial or background facts that voters may wish to know but that do not constitute alleged wrongdoing.
3. Epstein file context. Inclusion in the Epstein Files database is gated on appearance in a primary released document or in mainstream press coverage of the same. The contextRole field describes what the document depicts: passenger on a flight, business contact, named in an allegation, FBI tip (marked unverified where the document itself says so), or public official handling the files. We do not collapse those distinctions and we do not infer guilt from mere appearance.
4. Bipartisan scope. The database includes Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Officials are included based on documented flags, not on party.
Legal Disclaimer
Are They Corrupt? reports facts drawn from public records. Presence of a flag on this site does not establish criminal wrongdoing. Many flags represent ethics referrals, civil complaints, or aggregate-level concerns rather than convictions.
For Epstein-file-related entries: the U.S. Department of Justice's February 14, 2026 letter to Congress explicitly states that names appear in the released materials "in a wide variety of contexts," including in unrelated press reporting fragments. We do our best to record the specific context the document depicts. We welcome correction requests with citations to primary sources.
Officials named on this site who believe a flag is materially inaccurate are invited to submit correction requests. We will publish corrections where the underlying primary record warrants them.