FACT CHECK: Did Mitch McConnell Call For Nancy Pelosi To Be Imprisoned?

Joseph Casieri | Fact Check Reporter

A video shared on Facebook claims Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to be jailed.

Verdict: False

There is no evidence McConnell made such a remark. He doesn’t call for Pelosi to be imprisoned in the Facebook video.

Fact Check:

McConnell, who recently returned from a trip to areas in Kentucky affected by floods, has now called for an “immediate explanation” from the FBI in regards to its raid of Mar-a-Lago, according to The Hill. The minority leader has also joined with 25 other Republican senators to defend Pelosi’s recent trip to Taiwan, the outlet reported.

Now, a Facebook video viewed over 52,000 times claims he recently called for the imprisonment of Pelosi. “She Should Be 𝐉𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐃!” Mitch Mcconnell 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 Nancy Pelosi To Her Face In 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬,” The post’s caption and title claims.

The claim is baseless. Check Your Fact found no mention of “imprisonment” in Pelosi’s verified social media accounts or any press release on her website confirming this statement. Likewise, McConnell has not addressed this on his website or verified social media accounts. There are no credible news reports suggesting McConnell made such a comment. (RELATED: Did Kevin McCarthy Say That Nancy Pelosi ‘Should Be Jailed And Prosecuted’?)

The video, which is 12 minutes long, contains two clips from speeches that McConnell gave on the Senate floor. In the first clip from March 2019, McConnell criticized Pelosi for not addressing the rise of anti-Semitism in the U.S., alluding to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s comments about money being the primary motive in congressional support for Israel. The second clip from February 2021 shows the minority leader discussing the events on Jan. 6 and calling for the continued “investigation and prosecution of anyone who broke the law that day.”

This is not the first time statements have been falsely attributed to McConnell. Check Your Fact recently debunked a post that alleged he said he would resign if he was not the majority leader in November.

Check Your Fact has reached out to McConnell’s office and will update this piece accordingly if a response is received.

Joseph Casieri

Fact Check Reporter

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