FACT CHECK: Facebook Post Falsely Claims US Ambassador To The UN Was Arrested For Treason
A post shared on Facebook claims U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Linda Thomas-Greenfield was purportedly arrested by the U.S. Marine Corps for treason.
Verdict: False
The claim is false and stems from a June 17 article published on the satire website, “Real Raw News.”
Fact Check:
Thomas-Greenfield became the U.S. Ambassador to the UN in 2021, according to her official biography via the United States Mission to the United Nations’ website. Prior to becoming ambassador, Thomas-Greenfield worked for the U.S. Foreign Service for 35 years.
The Facebook post claims Thomas-Greenfield was purportedly arrested by the U.S. Marine Corps for treason. “Marines Arrest U.S. Ambassador to U.N. For Treason — Wanted ‘Blue Helmet’ ‘Peacekeeping Force’ to Monitor 2024 Presidential Election,” the post reads.
The claim is false and stems from a June 17 article published on the satire website, “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 [of] legal counsel,” the disclaimer reads.
According to the June 17 article, the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command purportedly intercepted a phone call between Thomas-Greenfield and UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix in which the pair discussed deploying 60-70,000 peacekeepers to polling stations on Election Day 2024. The same article claims the peacekeepers would be used to protect the polling stations from “‘MAGA insurrectionists and disloyal U.S. military elements’ eager to destabilize the election by intimidating Democrat voters.”
Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. In fact, the opposite is true. On June 21, Reuters reported the claim was false.
Additionally, the claim is neither referenced on the U.S. Marine Corps’ website nor its verified social media accounts. Thomas-Greenfield also has not publicly commented on the claim. (RELATED: No, Navy JAG Did Not Hang Four Colorado Supreme Court Justices)
Check Your Fact has contacted the U.S. Marine Corps for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.