FACT CHECK: Did The Military Arrest Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack?
A post shared on Facebook claims the U.S. military recently arrested Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
Verdict: False
There is no evidence that Vilsack has been arrested. The claim originates from a website that says it posts “humor, parody, and satire.”
Fact Check:
Check Your Fact has debunked numerous false claims about political figures being arrested by the U.S. military. The latest such claim appears to focus on Vilsack. “Military Arrests Biden’s Sec. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack ~ April 29, 2022,” reads a May 1 Facebook post.
The claim is incorrect. There is no press release announcing the alleged arrest from the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice or the Department of Agriculture (USDA). There are likewise no credible news reports about Vilsack’s purported detainment.
Vilsack shared a tweet on his verified Twitter account May 2 about visiting the USDA Soil Health Conference in Maryland, as well as a photo of him meeting with Dominican Republic Minister of Agriculture Limber Cruz later in the day.
It was a pleasure to meet with Dominican Republic Minister of Agriculture @limbercruzl this afternoon. We had a great discussion around how our two countries can cooperate to mitigate the spread of African Swine Fever and improve upon our countries’ ongoing trade partnership. pic.twitter.com/teeBrx9GYC
— Secretary Tom Vilsack (@SecVilsack) May 2, 2022
The claim shared on Facebook stems from an April 29 article published by the website Real Raw News. The website’s “about us” page displays a disclaimer that states, “This website contains humor, parody, and satire.”
The article claims Vilsack had been arrested after he was connected “to the calculated destruction of a dozen agricultural processing facilities across the United States.” (RELATED: Does Joe Biden’s Climate Plan Require Americans To Eat 90% Less Red Meat?)
Check Your Fact previously corrected false rumors stemming from articles on the website that alleged a military tribunal had handed death sentences to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci.
