False claim McConnell's late sister-in-law tied to Baltimore bridge collapse | Fact check

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
Updated ·3 min read

The claim: Mitch McConnell’s late sister-in-law was CEO of shipping company involved in Baltimore bridge collapse

A March 27 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) claims a U.S. senator is tied to the fatal collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

“Angela Chao, sister-in-law of Senator Mitch McConnell, who drowned in her vehicle 6 days ago, was the CEO of the shipping company that owned the massive cargo ship that hit the Key Bridge & caused its collapse just 24+ hours ago,” reads one of the statements in the image, which is a screenshot of a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

It garnered more than 100 likes in two days. Another version of the claim spread widely on X.

Fact check roundup: What's true, false info about the Baltimore bridge collapse? We checked the facts.

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Our rating: False

Chao was the CEO of a shipping company, but not the one involved in the Baltimore bridge collapse. She led Foremost Group, which a company spokesperson said is unaffiliated with Grace Ocean Private Ltd., the owner of the ship that crashed into the bridge.

Company spokesperson says claims of connection to bridge collapse are 'grossly inaccurate'

Chao, whose sister Elaine Chao is married to McConnell, died after unintentionally driving her vehicle into a pond while drunk at a Texas ranch in February. Rescue efforts were unsuccessful and Chao ultimately drowned, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Her death occurred more than six weeks prior to the Baltimore incident – not six days, as the post claims.

Fact check: Baltimore bridge collapse caused by accidental ship collision, not 'false flag'

The Foremost Group, a New York-based shipping company founded by Chao’s parents in 1964, identifies Chao as its CEO on its website.

It has no connection to the Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd., which owns the ship that crashed into the Baltimore bridge on March 26.

Chao had "no ties" to the latter company, nor are the two companies affiliated in any way, said Patrick O'Connor, a spokesperson for Foremost Group.

"Foremost is involved in dry bulk shipping and charters fundamentally different vessels," O'Connor said. "Suggestions that Angela had ties to the company are grossly inaccurate and offensive."

USA TODAY has debunked an array of claims about the Baltimore incident, including that a cyberattack caused the Dali to crash into the bridge, that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the collapsed bridge was “racist” and that photos in an Instagram post show the aftermath of the event.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Reuters, PolitiFact and The Associated Press also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: False claim tying McConnell to Baltimore bridge collapse | Fact check

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