Was Dick Cheney hanged at Guantanamo Bay on January 29, 2022? No, that's not true: A duty officer at the Pentagon told Lead Stories the claim "is false." Also, this claim was made on a self-described satirical website whose disclaimer says it publishes articles for "entertainment purposes."
The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News on January 29, 2022, titled "Dick Cheney Hanged at GITMO" (archived here). It opened:
The Judge Advocate General's Corps and the Office of Military Commissions do not typically conduct "business" on Saturdays, but for Richard Bruce Cheney, they made an exception.
Cheney, who on 18 January was convicted of treason and murder and sentenced to death, was hanged at Guantanamo Bay Saturday morning before a quorum of military brass--Rear Adm. Darse E. Crandall and 'White Hat' loyalists from other branches of the Armed Forces, excluding the National Guard and Coast Guard.
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Dick Cheney Hanged at GITMO - Real Raw News
The Judge Advocate General's Corps and the Office of Military Commissions do not typically conduct "business" on Saturdays, but for Richard Bruce Cheney, they made an exception. Cheney, who on 18 January was convicted of treason and murder and sentenced to death, was hanged at Guantanamo Bay Saturday morning before a quorum of military brass--Rear [...]
Lead Stories reached out to the Pentagon to ask about the story's claim. In an email dated January 31, 2021, a duty officer responded:
This is false.
A Google search using the keywords "Dick Cheney Hanged At Guantanamo Bay" produced no results substantiating this claim. If former Vice President Cheney had been arrested, tried or executed, or simply died of natural causes, that would be a news event producing widespread global news coverage. No such coverage happened.
Lead Stories also reached out to representatives of Cheney regarding this claim and will update this story if a response is received.
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.
