FACT CHECK: Instagram Post Falsely Claims Michael Flynn Listed As Donald Trump’s Vice President On FEC Filing

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

An image shared on Instagram purports to show a recent Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing listing retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as 2024 presumptive Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump’s vice president.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kyle Bainbridge (@only.dads.official)

Verdict: False

Flynn denied the claim’s validity via a July 3 statement posted on his verified X account. Trump has not yet announced his vice presidential pick, according to a July 6 article from The Washington Post.

Fact Check:

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that Americans are “nearly evenly split” over whether or not Trump should face jail time in relation to his hush money felony conviction, according to The Hill. The same poll indicates 50% of respondents feel Trump should not face jail time, while 48% feel he should, the outlet reported.

The Instagram image, which has received over 300 likes as of writing, purports to show a recent FEC filing listing Flynn as Trump’s vice president.

The claim is false. While Trump has not yet announced his vice presidential pick, he is seriously considering Republican Sens. J.D. Vance (Ohio) and Marco Rubio (Florida) for the job, The Washington Post reported on July 6. According to the outlet, Republican North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is “also in the mix.” Nowhere does the article mention Flynn’s name, however.

Likewise, both web and PDF versions of Trump’s most recent statement of candidacy, filed with the FEC on April 17, 2024, do not list the name of his vice president.

Additionally, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim made via the Instagram post. In fact, the opposite is true. On July 5, USA Today reported the image of the purported FEC filing was altered. The outlet indicated the most recent form Trump filed with the FEC is dated April 17 and does not include the name of his vice president.

Flynn also denied the claim’s validity via a July 3 statement shared to his verified X account. “I just saw 2 unauthorized FEC filings referencing my name. They are fake news! I don’t know anything about them, and my office has alerted the FEC,” Flynn wrote.

Furthermore, Trump has not publicly commented on the claim via his official website or his TRUTH Social account. (RELATED: Did Joe Biden Recently Say He May Resign From The Presidency For Medical Reasons?)

Check Your Fact has contacted a Trump spokesperson for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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