A viral image shared on X, formerly Twitter, purports to show a D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer smiling while using pepper spray on a Jan. 6 protester.

This is a good way to start a riot. Spray pepper spray into the face of a peaceful protester on J6. What a complete setup. pic.twitter.com/D4TNal2xiC

— PAMELA HENSLEY🇺🇸 (@PamelaHensley22) November 27, 2023

Verdict: False

The image is digitally altered. The officer is not smiling in the original image published via Getty Images. A spokesperson for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department denied the image’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

Former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney claimed Kevin McCarthy visited former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago following the Jan. 6 riot after staffers claimed Trump was “depressed” in her upcoming book, “Oath and Honor,” according to Insider. Cheney’s book is set for a Dec. 5 release, the outlet reported.

The X image, viewed over 300,000 times, purports to show a D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer smiling while using pepper spray on a Jan. 6 protester. “This is a good way to start a riot. Spray pepper spray into the face of a peaceful protester on J6. What a complete setup,” the image’s caption reads.

The image is digitally altered, however. The officer is not smiling in the original image published via Getty Images. The officer is also not wearing glasses in the original image. In addition, the officer’s nose and ears appear to have been enlarged in the altered image.

“Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they invade the Inauguration platform of the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021. – Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification,” the image’s caption reads.

Likewise, the digitally altered version of the image has not been featured in any credible news reports about the Jan. 6 riot that occurred at the U.S. Capitol in 2021.

Furthermore, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department has not publicly commented on the altered image via statements published on its website or verified social media accounts. (RELATED: Was Zachary Rehl Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Seditious Conspiracy?)

A spokesperson for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department denied the image’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.

“This photo has been digitally altered, as is notated by the X platform,” the spokesperson said.