Fact Check

Did Trump Invoke 'Article 9' Treason Prosecutions Against Democrats?

A routine review of content labeled satire.

Published Jan. 30, 2020

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Claim:
President Trump has invoked 'Article 9' treason prosecutions against Democrats.

On Jan. 30, 2020, the Daily World Update website published an article positing that President Donald Trump had invoked "Article 9" of the Constitution to institute prosecution on charges of treason against Democrats involved in his impeachment:

Trump Invokes Article 9 to Begin Prosecution of Democrats for Treason

The Democrats have been planning and pushing forward their fake impeachment scam for three years now. From the moment that President Trump set foot in the White House, the socialist plot to remove him had begun.

Trump has decided to invoke Article 9, a section of the constitution reserved for legal discourse against traitors to the presidency. Article 9 reads as follows:

Whereas an elected official’s loyalty to the president comes into question, and furthermore said official chooses to begin action to unseat said president, that elected shall be deemed unfit and unworthy of his office and a traitor to God and country. The President shall be given sole legal authority and responsibility to remove the traitorous personnel from public service. This should be done swiftly and without prejudice.”

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."

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

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David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.