On October 11, Senator Capito and Senate Republicans each put out a video hyping the possibility that drug dealers were disguising their fentanyl as candy and giving it to children. “Halloween would be dangerous, this year,” they said. From Capito’s senate website, here’s the senator’s version:

VIDEO: CAPITO, GOP SENATORS RELEASE PSA WARNING ABOUT DANGERS OF RAINBOW FENTANYL AHEAD OF HALLOWEEN

Capito then fearmongered through most of October with seven tweeted warnings. The senator also appeared on local WTRF to scare local families:

With trick-or-treating happening in most WV communities tomorrow, it has never been more important to watch out for harmful drugs disguised as candy. pic.twitter.com/bqMPSEFLRp

— Shelley Moore Capito (@SenCapito) October 30, 2022

(Of course, WTRF’s stenographer did not challenge any of Capito’s assertions.)

The scary story about what Democratic policies on borders had supposedly wrought eventually paid off for the Republicans. As the Washington Post explained last week:

Since then, news coverage has exploded, with nearly 1,400 print and broadcast stories, most of these published in the days leading up to Halloween.

On Monday, Halloween came and went without one verified fentanyl incidence:

We can't find any reports of kids OD'ing on fentanyl disguised as Halloween candy.

We can't find any reports of politicians apologizing for spreading this lie.

— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) November 1, 2022

Not surprising, Senator Capito has had nothing to say on the matter and Fox News, where the Halloween-illegals-drug dealers-fentanyl was a frequent story, has moved on. Is this next?

Time for Fox to roll out the ‘Fentanyl Laced Turkeys Smuggled Across Border by Cartels While Biden Does Nothing’ segments.

— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) November 2, 2022