FACT CHECK: Facebook Post Falsely Claims Navy JAG Has Started Garland’s Military Tribunal, Accuses Him Of ‘Treason’

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on Facebook claims the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps has purportedly started a military tribunal for Attorney General Merrick Garland, who is allegedly accused of treason.

Verdict: False

The claim is false and originally stems from a Mar. 26 article published on the satire site “Real Raw News.” A spokesperson for the U.S. Navy JAG Corps denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

House Republicans threatened “to hold Garland in contempt of Congress” over an audio recording of President Joe Biden’s conversation with Special Counsel Robert Hur, according to Axios. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has allegedly failed to produce materials, including audio recordings, tied to the interview following a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee, the outlet reported.

“Merrick Garland Military Tribunal, Day 1,” the Facebook post purports. Via its comments section, the post further claims Garland maintained his innocence despite being accused of weaponizing the DOJ against innocent individuals who peacefully protested at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and being charged with treason as a result. Garland purportedly chose to represent himself during the tribunal, according to the same post.

The claim is false and stems from a Mar. 26 article published on the satire site “Real Raw News.” A “Disclaimer” included on the site’s “About Us” page indicates its content is not meant to be taken literally. “Information on this website is for informational and educational and entertainment purposes. This website contains humor, parody, and satire. We have included this disclaimer for our protection, on the advice on legal counsel,” the disclaimer reads.

The Mar. 26 article is also a follow-up to a January piece published by the site claiming Garland had purportedly been arrested.

Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim regarding Garland’s supposed tribunal. In fact, the opposite is true. Lead Stories debunked the claim via a Mar. 28 article. (RELATED: Facebook Post Falsely Claims JAG Convicted Matthew Graves Of Treason)

Furthermore, the claim neither appears on the U.S. Navy JAG Corps’ website nor its verified social media accounts.

Patricia Babb, a spokesperson for the U.S. Navy JAG Corps, denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

“This is not true,” Babb said of the claim.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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