A post shared on Facebook claims members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were overthrown in a “coup” of the Pentagon.

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

There is no evidence there was a Pentagon “coup” or that the joint chiefs were overthrown. The claim appears to stem from a website that says it “contains humor, parody, and satire.”

Fact Check:

“Pentagon Coup! Joint Chiefs Overthrown,” the May 6 Facebook post states. The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a group of high-ranking military officials who advise the president. (RELATED: Video Claims To Show Bill Gates Presenting About A Vaccine For Religious Fundamentalism At The Pentagon)

There is no evidence, however, there was a Pentagon “coup,” or that the Joint Chiefs of Staff were overthrown. Had such an incident occurred, media outlets certainly would have reported on it, yet none have.

Check Your Fact searched the Joint Chiefs of Staff website, but found no mention of any member being overthrown. A further search of the Defense Department’s website likewise turned up no instances of a recent “coup” of the Pentagon resulting in members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff being overthrown.

The claim appears to stem from a May 5 article published by Real Raw News bearing the headline, “Pentagon Coup! Joint Chiefs Overthrown.” The article claims a “confidential source” told Real Raw News that chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley had asked his colleagues “to abandon their allegiance to Donald J. Trump and swear fealty to Joseph R. Biden and Kamala Harris,” but only Chief of the National Guard Bureau Gen. Daniel Hokanson took the chairman’s side. The article then alleges Milly and Hokanson were arrested at the Pentagon on April 14 and sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to face a military tribunal.

Milly gave a speech at Howard University’s ROTC commissioning ceremony on May 5, the university reported, and Hokanson recently testified in a remote May 4 House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing, footage published by CSPAN shows, further proving they could not have been arrested and sent to Guantanamo Bay.

Real Raw News includes a disclaimer in the “About Us” section of its website that reads, “Information on this website is for informational and educational purposes. This website contains humor, parody, and satire.” While Real Raw News warns readers the article may be intended as satire, some social media users have shared the claim without such a disclaimer, seemingly believing the erroneous claim to be factual.

Check Your Fact has previously debunked false claims stemming from Real Raw News articles, including one that baselessly claimed President Joe Biden was denied entry into the Pentagon in April.