Did the military raid Hunter Biden's home in California on August 30, 2021? No, that's not true: A duty officer at the Pentagon verified with Lead Stories that it's false. Also, this could not have been possible as the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the U.S. military from enforcing domestic laws, and Lead Stories has previously debunked multiple contentions published by Real Raw News, a self-described satirical website.
The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published by Real Raw News on August 31, 2021. The post, which was titled, "Military Raids Hunter Biden's Cali Home," opens:
As Real Raw News reported yesterday, Delta Force operators arrested Hunter Biden after he and two female minors deplaned from a flight at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. The females, RRN has learned, had cellophane-wrapped packets of cocaine strapped to their torsos, and Hunter Biden's suitcase held 3kg of crack-cocaine.
This is how the article looked on September 2, 2021:
Military Raids Hunter Biden's Cali Home - Real Raw News
As Real Raw News reported yesterday, Delta Force operators arrested Hunter Biden after he and two female minors deplaned from a flight at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. The females, RRN has learned, had cellophane-wrapped packets of cocaine strapped to their torsos, and Hunter Biden's suitcase held 3kg of crack-cocaine. RRN cannot explain why [...]
The article continued:
RRN has learned that the U.S. military conducted a simultaneous raid on Biden's posh Venice, CA mansion, which he reportedly leases from Sweetgreen Co-founder Johnathon Neman at the cost of $25,000 per month.
Lead Stories reached out to the Pentagon to ask about the alleged arrest. In a September 2, 2021, email, a duty officer for the office of the Secretary of Defense responded:
This is false.
Enacted in 1878, the Posse Comitatus Act does not allow the U.S. military to arrest U.S. citizens or enforce domestic law. It is considered a federal crime to employ armed forces members in that way.
A Google search using the keywords "Hunter Biden Home Raid" and looking at what is trending on Twitter does not reveal any news coverage of such a search coexistent with this claim.
Real Raw News has a long history of publishing false claims in mock news stories, many of them about convictions and executions of various public figures at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. For example, the site reported former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was hanged (she wasn't); former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta was executed (he wasn't); and that "the military" convicted former Attorney General William Barr on charges of treason (it didn't).
The website for Real Raw News includes a disclaimer that warns readers not to take its content too seriously. Specifically, it says:
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.
(Source: RealRawNews.com screenshot taken Tue Aug 3 16:39:48 UTC 2021)
Lead Stories has covered claims published by Real Raw News in the past. Previous Lead Stories debunks of Real Raw News items are collected here .
