FACT CHECK: Did The Military Sentence Anthony Fauci To Death?

Trevor Schakohl | Legal Reporter

A post shared on Facebook alleges Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), was sentenced to death following a military tribunal.

Verdict: False

The military has not arrested or convicted Fauci of any crime nor has he been sentenced to death by a military tribunal. The rumor stems from a satirical website that features “humor, parody, and satire.”

Fact Check:

The Facebook post alleges Fauci, who serves as the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, had been sentenced to death by a panel of military officers following a trial.

“Military Sentences Fauci to Hang!” reads the post. It goes on to claim the verdict was handed down by military officers at Guantanamo Bay April 19. (RELATED: Viral Image Claims To Show Bill Gates And Anthony Fauci Violating Social Distancing Guidelines)

The claim is false. None of the Defense Department or Navy Judge Advocate General Corps’ social media posts mention Fauci being sentenced to death. Likewise, no press releases from either agency mention a military tribunal handing Fauci a death sentence.

Check Your Fact recently debunked other rumors claiming Fauci had been arrested and was facing a military tribunal.

CBS News interviewed Fauci on April 21, one day after the post claimed he had been convicted and sentenced to hang. The NIAID director appeared on “Red & Blue” to discuss a “dangerous precedent” being set after a federal judge in Florida overturned a federal mask mandate for travelers on airplanes, buses and trains, the outlet reported.

A keyword search traced the text of the Facebook post back to an article first posted April 20 on Real Raw News. The website features a disclaimer on its “about us” page stating that the site “contains humor, parody, and satire.”

Other false claims of military arrests and tribunals have stemmed from Real Raw News in the past.

Trevor Schakohl

Legal Reporter
Follow Trevor on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/tschakohl

Trending