Barack Obama

Were hundreds of new Hillary Clinton emails published on the U.S. State Department's website in recent days? No, that's not true: Although Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has pledged to release additional emails Clinton sent when she was Secretary of State, he has not yet done so. As recently as October 14, 2020, he described the release as an "ongoing…

Is a portrait of former President Barack Obama wearing his infamous tan suit his official White House portrait? No, that's not true. The 44th president's official portrait has yet to be unveiled by the Trump administration and might never be. The portrait of Obama wearing that suit -- for which he was taken to task by conservative media for wearing…

Did the Obama administration, including then-Vice President Joe Biden: "Outsource" the imprisonment of Al Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden, to Iran; Arrange for bin Laden to be moved to Pakistan for a staged killing in May, 2011; Pay Iran $152 billion to keep its role a secret; Order a SEAL Team 6 helicopter shot down in August 2011 to…

Did Barack Obama say, "Legally, an impeached president can't appoint judges"? No, that's not true. The satire website Obamawatcher.com published the fake article claiming that the former president gave a legal argument for why President Donald Trump could not nominate someone for the United States Supreme Court. The website is part of America's Last Line of Defense, a network of…

Did Mike Pence sign a bill when he was governor of Indiana to send same-sex marriage applicants to jail? No, that's not true: Pence, while a strong opponent of same-sex marriage, could not have signed any such bill because the legislation never existed. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Instagram. It opened: Mike Pence signed a bill…

Is this a photo of Barack and Michelle Obama as a young couple? Not really. The original photo of the Obamas has been manipulated, intentionally distorting the features of Michelle Obama to make her appear masculine. The manipulated image appeared in a post (archived here) where it was published on October 10, 2020, under the title "Barry & Michael back…

Does a photo showing President Obama kissing Rep. Nancy Pelosi's cheek show a drunken Pelosi and is it a photo she doesn't want "out there"? No, that's not true: The photo shows Obama and Pelosi after they deplaned from Air Force One on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Washington after a flight from Israel on September 30, 2016.…

Did Chelsea Clinton tweet in 2018 that she was sick of people harassing former President Barack Obama because he "had the courage of conviction to marry a transsexual" in Michelle Obama? No, that is not true. The tweet is fake. The former first lady is not a transsexual. The claim can be found in a post (archived here) published to…

Was Ruth Bader Ginsburg "nominated and confirmed 43 days before an election"? No, that's not true: Ginsburg was nominated and confirmed in 42 days (not 43) in 1993 -- which was not an election year. The previous year, 1992, was an election year, in which Bill Clinton won for the first time. Approximately eight months into his first term, he…

Are "pedophilia code words" contained within a conversation about Joe Biden that took place between Kamala Harris and Barack Obama? No, that's not true: The alleged coded language is based on a fake FBI document. Lead Stories tracked down the real bulletin, which makes no mention of code words. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on Instagram…