FACT CHECK: Was Mike Pence Pictured Waving A Confederate Flag?
An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows Vice President Mike Pence waving a Confederate flag among a group of Republican lawmakers.
Verdict: False
The Confederate flag was superimposed into the image. The original picture shows Pence holding a selfie stick to take a photo of himself and Republican lawmakers.
Fact Check:
The photo has circulated online along with claims that Pence waved a Confederate flag while flanked by a group of Republican lawmakers since at least 2017. (RELATED: Does Alabama Celebrate Robert E. Lee And Martin Luther King Jr. On The Same Day?)
Had the vice president done so, it would have been picked up by major media outlets, yet none have reported on it. No other photos of Pence waving the Confederate flag at this event have surfaced on social media, and the White House has not put out a statement.
The image has been photoshopped. Taken in 2016, the original photo shows Pence using a selfie stick to take a picture with Republican members of Congress not long after he and President Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election.
The verified House Republicans Twitter account tweeted out the picture on Nov. 17, 2016, with the caption “UNIFIED.”
UNIFIED. pic.twitter.com/QqXrIClMtX
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) November 17, 2016
Republican Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers tweeted the resulting selfie.
Great having @mike_pence visit today! I’m excited to work with him and @realDonaldTrump to shake up the status quo in Washington, D.C. #MAGA pic.twitter.com/2xQIGs2a9Z
— CathyMcMorrisRodgers (@cathymcmorris) November 17, 2016
The original picture was criticized by some for its lack of diversity, with the website Mashable labeling it the “whitest selfie ever.” That criticism might have inspired the creation of the altered image.
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