Did the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps begin the tribunal of Attorney General Merrick Garland on March 22, 2024, because he was purportedly charged with treason? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer told Lead Stories that the information in this claim is "false." This claim appears on a website that regularly publishes fabricated content.
The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News on March 26, 2024, titled "Merrick Garland Military Tribunal, Day I" (archived here). It began:
The United States Navy Judge Advocates General's Corps on Friday began but did not conclude the tribunal of Attorney General Merrick Garland, whom the Office of Military Commissions has charged with treason for weaponizing the Justice Department against President Donald J. Trump and the innocent protesters who visited the Capitol peacefully on January 6.
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Merrick Garland Military Tribunal, Day I
The United States Navy Judge Advocates General's Corps on Friday began but did not conclude the tribunal of Attorney General Merrick Garland, whom the Office of Military Commissions has charged with treason for weaponizing the Justice Department against President Donald J. Trump and the innocent protesters who visited the Capitol peacefully on January 6.
Lead Stories previously found the Real Raw News claim in January 2024 that U.S. special forces arrested Garland to be false.
Pentagon duty officers responded via email on March 28, 2024, to an inquiry from Lead Stories regarding the claim about Garland's purported charge and tribunal, writing:
This [claim] is false.
In a March 22, 2024, Facebook video post uploaded by the U.S. Justice Department, Garland is seen making multiple public appearances and issuing multiple public remarks between March 18, 2024, and March 21, 2024.
March 22, 2024, is the day cited in the article when Garland's tribunal purportedly began.
The article also claimed that Vice Adm. Darse E. Crandall made an opening statement at Garland's purported tribunal. Crandall's name has been used multiple times in conspiracy articles published by Real Raw News. These present him as leading extrajudicial military tribunals and executions, which are a popular QAnon trope. A site-specific Google search for the term "Vice Adm. Crandall" (archived here) brings up more than 70 articles about events that didn't happen -- claims that Crandall had announced the arrests of notable people, death sentences and hangings.
Lead Stories reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice for a statement regarding the validity of this claim and will update this fact check if a response is received.
Additional Lead Stories fact checks on claims involving Merrick Garland can be read here.
Real Raw News
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 "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 declares the site does not stand by the contents of the stories, calling them entertainment. Specifically, it says:
Information on this website is for informational and educational and entertainment purposes. ... 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.
