A post shared on Facebook purports a U.S. military tribunal convicted former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain of seditious conspiracy.
Verdict: False
The claim stems from a satirical website. There is no evidence supporting the claim.
Fact Check:
Klain transitioned the role of White House Chief of Staff to Jeff Zients during a Feb. 1 event, Fox News reported. Klain’s plans to step down from his role were made public in late January as a special counsel was investigating Biden’s handling of classified information as Vice President, according to CNN.
The Facebook post purports a U.S. military tribunal recently convicted former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain of seditious conspiracy. The post further claims Klain’s lawyer Jeremy Bartholomew requested a mistrial during the tribunal, but it was denied. Klain was then sentenced to 20 years in Guantanamo Bay’s Camp Delta.
The claim is false. There are no credible news reports supporting the claim. Likewise, the claim is neither mentioned on the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps website nor on its verified social media accounts. In addition, Klain has not publicly commented on the purported claim.
“This is not true,” U.S. Navy JAG Corps spokesperson Devin Arneson said of the claim in an email to Check Your Fact.
A keyword search reveals the claim stems from a Feb. 7 article published on the website “Real Raw News.” A disclaimer included on the site’s “About Us” page indicates it contains “humor, parody, and satire.” (RELATED: Did James Mattis Flee The Country After Allegedly Being Charged With Treason?)
The latest article is a follow-up to a previous piece published by the site purporting Klain had been arrested for alleged crimes he’d committed during the 2020 presidential election. A Feb. 3 article published by the site claimed Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis wanted to witness Klain’s alleged military tribunal, but he was denied access to Guantanamo Bay.
This is not the first time a person within Biden’s administration has been the target of misinformation. Check Your Fact previously debunked a claim from December 2022 suggesting COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients had been arrested.
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