Fact Check

Is Pelosi's Great-Grandfather the Founder of the KKK?

A routine review of content labeled satire.

Published Aug. 5, 2020

 (Wikipedia)
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Claim:
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's great-grandfather is Nathan Bedford Forrest, the founder of the Ku Klux Klan.

On July 9, 2020, America's Last Line of Defense published an article positing that Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate Army general and the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, was the great-grandfather of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:

Pelosi’s Dark Secret: Her Great-Grandfather Formed the KKK

Nancy Pelosi has always had the look of someone who was trying to cover up a dark family secret. Sandy Batt of the International Inquisitor decided to look up Nancy Pelosi’s genealogy and discovered the very secret that she was trying to hide for so long.

Her great-grandfather was none other than Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and a prominent post-Civil War Democrat.

This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:

Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site’s pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical. See above if you’re still having an issue with that satire thing.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

Sources

Americas Last Line of Defense.   "Pelosi’s Dark Secret: Her Great-Grandfather Formed the KKK."     9 July 2020.