Did former Vice President Dick Cheney get arrested on Christmas Eve in 2021? No, that's not true: A Pentagon representative told us the claim is false. There is also no evidence online from any reputable news outlet that he was arrested. Also, the claim was posted on a self-described satire website with no verifiable confirming evidence.
The story originated in a Real Raw News article (archived here) on December 28, 2021, under the headline "Dick Cheney Arrested." The article opened:
Disgraced former Vice President Dick Cheney was arrested Christmas Eve while trying to discretely reenter the United States to spend the holiday with his daughters--Liz and Mary-at the latter's home in Virginia, said a Judge Advocate General's Corps representative speaking under terms of anonymity.
This is what the article looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: Real Raw News screenshot taken on Wed Dec 29 18:22:09 2021 UTC)
The article continued, "As Real Raw News reported previously, the 9/11 mastermind had on 11 November fled the U.S. for New Zealand after discovering, apparently, that he, like his former boss George W. Bush, was the target of a military arrest warrant. Bush was apprehended that night, but Cheney had a sophisticated escape and evasion plan that aided his getaway."
Lead Stories did a Google search of the phrase "Dick Cheney arrested" to find no reputable sources writing a story about the former vice president being arrested on Christmas Eve in 2021.
The picture Real Raw News used to accompany this article is not even a real picture of Cheney. It's a still from the movie, "Vice," a 2018 biopic about the former VP. Cheney was played by actor Christian Bale.
Lead Stories emailed the Pentagon to verify the arrest claim. An on-duty officer from the Pentagon replied December 29, 2021, with "That claim is false."
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 is collected here.
