Fact Check

Nancy Pelosi Was Just Taken from Her Office in Handcuffs?

Reports that the House Minority Leader was taken from her office in handcuffs for plotting to overthrow the president are fake news.

Published March 11, 2017

 (Kim Wilson / Shutterstock.com)
Image Via Kim Wilson / Shutterstock.com
Claim:
Rep. Nancy Pelosi was arrested by the Secret Service for plotting a coup to overthrow the president.

On 10 March 2017, TheLastLineOfDefense.org posted an article stating that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California), the U.S. House Minority Leader, had been arrested by the Secret Service for plotting a coup against President Trump:

BREAKING: Nancy Pelosi Was Just Taken From Her Office In Handcuffs

Liberal menace and purveyor of lies, Nancy Pelosi (D-California), was just taken from her office in handcuffs by the United States Secret Service. While little information is available as of yet, one agent did tell a reporter for the Washington Examiner that the arrest came at the direct order of the president:

“Mrs. Pelosi’s arrest order comes directly from the Oval Office,” said Special Agent Matthew Derpmore, “She’s wanted for questioning in a possible coup attempt against the president. That’s all we’re authorized to say at this time.”

The article went on to state that warrants were also being served on three other (unnamed) members of Congress believed to have participated in the plot.

Although various unreliable web sites such as LastDeplorables.com, RedCountry.us, and USARumor.com copied the report, which also spread rapidly via social media, no such incident was reported in any legitimate media sources, and for very good reason: it was satire, not fact.

TheLastLineOfDefense.org is a known purveyor of fake news, as stated in a disclaimer on their "About Us" page:

DISCLAIMER: The Resistance may include information from sources that may or may not be reliable and facts that don’t necessarily exist. All articles should be considered satirical and any and all quotes attributed to actual people complete and total baloney. Pictures that represent actual people should be considered altered and not in any way real.

Sources

Stryker.     “BREAKING: Nancy Pelosi Was Just Taken from Her Office in Handcuffs.”     The Resistance: The Last Line of Defense.   10 March 2017.

David Emery is a West Coast-based writer and editor with 25 years of experience fact-checking rumors, hoaxes, and contemporary legends.