Did California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticize Nick Shirley, or did Sen. John Neely Kennedy criticize Adam Schiff, saying "Lock him up for lying to Congress, abusing power, and betraying the public trust!"? No, that's not true: Nearly identical stories mentioning those and other names were published by a network of foreign websites and Facebook pages. A search of Google News shows no reporting of a noteworthy person criticizing someone else with this exact phrase. The quote has been recycled in copy/paste clickbait posts on social media, applied to at least four different pairings of a critic and target.
One example of the quote appeared in a post on Facebook (archived here) published by "Jean Red on instagram" on March 25, 2026. The lengthy caption promoted a link to a website posted in the first comment under the post. The caption begins:
'LOCK HIM UP FOR LYING TO CONGRESS, ABUSING POWER, AND BETRAYING THE PUBLIC TRUST!' -- Gavin Newsom criticized Nick Shirley, saying he spent years at the center of some of the most controversial narratives and allegations in modern political discourse!
And you probably forgot just how deep the list actually goes.
This is the image included with the post:
(Image source: post by 'Jean Red on instagram' on Facebook.)
The caption continues:
He pushed viral claims for years, asserting he had 'strong evidence' of systemic issues that many critics say were never fully substantiated -- repeatedly made bold statements on public platforms about 'proof' that remains widely debated -- released selective footage and information that opponents argue lacked full context -- led highly charged online campaigns built on allegations, interpretation, and polarized narratives -- leveraged his growing platform to challenge institutions, drawing both support and intense backlash -- and continued to spotlight controversial claims while critics questioned the broader implications for public trust.
Shirley didn't just provoke debate -- critics argue he blurred lines between investigation and amplification, using influence in ways that some believe risked misinforming audiences and escalating division. Supporters, however, maintain he is exposing uncomfortable truths. That's not just 'content.' That's a national-level controversy.
Ongoing public discussions, disputed claims, and competing narratives -- all of it continues to point back to Shirley as a central figure in a rapidly evolving media landscape where information, influence, and accountability collide. For some, consequences should follow. For others, it's a fight over truth itself.FULL DETAILS BELOW!
The Facebook page "Jean Red on instagram" (archived here) that was used to promote the story had a page transparency tab (archived here) indicating it was run by page managers in the United States and Vietnam:
(Image source: 'Jean Red on instagram' transparency tab on Facebook.)
The Vietnam connection is significant, since fact checkers, including Lead Stories, have identified a major source of AI-generated false stories coming from a single operation based in that Southeast Asian country. You can see recent reporting and fact checks mentioning that country here.
A Google News search for news articles mentioning "Lock him up for lying to Congress, abusing power, and betraying the public trust" did not return any results (archived here).
The Facebook post linked to a story (archived here). The article contains the same photo montage as the Facebook post and the text about Newsom criticizing Shirley, but the all-capitals quote in question does not appear in the text or headline of the article.
A search on Facebook for the phrase "Lock him up for lying to congress, abusing power, and betraying the public trust" brought up several different versions of the story but with different pairings of critic and target (pictured below). The one Canadian version used the phrase, "lying to the House" rather than "lying to Congress." Lead Stories found examples involving:
- Newsom criticizing Shirley, an influencer (March 25, 2026, post archived here)
- Shirley criticizing Sen. Adam Schiff (March 21, 2026, post archived here)
- Kennedy criticizing Schiff (March 16, 2026, post archived here)
- Canadian politician Pierre Poilievre criticizing Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (March 21, 2026, post archived here)
(Image source: Lead Stories montage of screenshots from Facebook.)
Lead Stories has published a primer -- or a prebunk -- on how to identify these kinds of fake posts exported from Vietnam. It's titled "Prebunk: Beware Of Fake Fan Pages Spreading False Stories About Your Favorite Celebrities -- How To Spot 'Viet Spam.'"
