FACT CHECK: Did Navy JAG Arrest NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli?
A Facebook post falsely claims that U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps investigators have arrested National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Monica Bertagnolli. This misinformation originated from a satirical article published on the site “Real Raw News” on August 16. Both the U.S. Navy JAG Corps and the NIH have denied the claim’s validity. Bertagnolli became the 17th NIH director in November 2023 and is described as the first surgeon and second woman to hold the position. The circulating post makes unsubstantiated accusations against her, alleging she was involved in a conspiracy related to upcoming elections. No credible news sources or evidence substantiate these claims, which are dismissed as satire according to Disclaimers on the “Real Raw News” site.
A post shared on Facebook claims U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps investigators have purportedly arrested National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Monica Bertagnolli.
Verdict: False
The claim is false and originally stems from an August 16 article published on the satire site “Real Raw News.” In addition, spokespersons for the U.S. Navy JAG Corps and the NIH denied the claim’s validity to Check Your Fact via email.
Fact Check:
Bertagnolli took office as the 17th NIH director in November 2023, according to her official biography via the NIH’s website. Bertagnolli is “the first surgeon and second woman to hold the position,” the same biography indicates.
The Facebook post claims U.S. Navy JAG Corps investigators have purportedly arrested Bertagnolli. “U.S. Navy JAG investigators on Wednesday arrested NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli, a Deep State despot who sought to usher in a second Plandemic ahead of Election Day 2024, this time using COVID-19 and Monkey Pox as an excuse to enforce mail-in voting,” the post, which does not provide a source to support its claim, reads.
The claim is false and originally stems from an August 16 article published on the satire site “Real Raw News.” A “Disclaimer” included on the site’s “About Us” page indicates its content is not meant to be taken literally. “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 [of] legal counsel,” the Disclaimer reads.
The August 16 article further claims Bertagnolli was purportedly charged with conspiracy to defraud the nation, voter suppression, and treason. According to the same article, U.S. Army Cyber Command supposedly intercepted a call between Bertagnolli and World Health Organization Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in which Bertagnolli “asked whether the WHO was ready to declare Mpox a public health emergency of international concern and said active health crises would help ‘President Harris’ secure victory in November.”
Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. The U.S. Navy JAG Corps has neither referenced the claim on its website nor its verified social media accounts. The NIH has not publicly commented on the claim, either. (RELATED: Did Navy JAG Indict Tim Walz?)
Furthermore, Patricia Babb, a spokesperson for the U.S. Navy JAG Corps, denied the claim’s validity to Check Your Fact via email.
“This is not true,” Babb said of the claim.
An NIH spokesperson also denied the claim.
“We can confirm that claim is blatantly false,” the same spokesperson said.
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