FACT CHECK: Viral Video Misrepresents ‘Wrap-Up Smear’ Comment Made By Nancy Pelosi
A video shared on Facebook claims California Democratic Rep. and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi purportedly made a comment about how the Democratic Party uses a tactic called the “wrap-up smear.”
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Verdict: Misleading
Pelosi’s comments were directed at Republicans during a 2017 press briefing while she served as the House Minority Leader. Pelosi’s spokesperson confirmed she accused Republicans, not Democrats, of using the “wrap-up smear” tactic in an email to Check Your Fact.
Fact Check:
Pelosi threw out the first pitch at a recent Washington Nationals game celebrating LGBTQ+ pride, according to Politico. Pelosi was chosen to throw out the first pitch in recognition of her long-standing commitment to fighting for the rights and dignities of the LGBTQ+ community,” the team said in a statement, Fox News reported.
The Instagram video, liked over 14,000 times, opens with a clip of Pelosi discussing a tactic called the “wrap-up smear.” This clip is followed by a woman claiming Pelosi accused the Democratic Party of using the particular tactic. “Openly admitting they lie to American citizens,” text overlay on the video reads.
The claim is misleading. Pelosi’s comments were directed at Republicans during a 2017 press briefing while she served as the House Minority Leader. Pelosi made the remark in response to a reporter who asked her about rehabilitating her image in Republican districts ahead of the 2018 election.
“It’s called the wrap-up smear,” Pelosi said. “You smear somebody with falsehoods and all the rest and then you merchandise it. And then you write it and if they see it’s reported in the press that this, this, this and this.”
The 2017 press briefing was not the first time Pelosi accused Republicans of engaging in smear tactics. During a 2017 interview with Jake Tapper on his CNN Sunday program, “State Of The Union,” Pelosi referred to then-President Donald Trump as the “deflector in chief” and accused him of using smear tactics to change the subject.
Pelosi’s comments on the program were made following Trump’s allegation that former President Barack Obama supposedly ordered him to be wiretapped.
“You make up something and then you have the press write about it, and then you say, ‘everybody’s writing about this charge,'” Pelosi explained to Tapper at the time.
Although Pelosi’s comments were misrepresented in the recent Instagram video, the Speaker Emerita has not publicly re-addressed the claim via her website or verified social media accounts. (RELATED: No, Nancy Pelosi Did Not Die)
Pelosi’s spokesperson Aaron Bennett confirmed her comments about the “wrap-up smear” tactic were directed at Republicans, not Democrats, in an email to Check Your Fact.
“The deliberate misrepresentation of Speaker Pelosi’s words in this video only further proves the point she’s making in the real, full, unedited clip. And social media companies must act to stop the torrent of misinformation,” Bennett said.
