FACT CHECK: Was Director Of National Intelligence Avril Haines Arrested By The Military For Treason?

A post shared on Facebook claims Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines was arrested by the U.S. military for “treason and murder-for-hire.”

Verdict: False

There is no evidence to suggest Haines was arrested. The claim stems from a satirical website.

Fact Check:

The crime of treason is defined as “levying war against the United States” or “adhering to the enemies of the United States, giving them aid and comfort,” according to the National Constitution Center. A serious crime, treason must be proven via “open confession in court” or on “the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act,” the center reports.

A post shared on Facebook claims Haines was recently arrested by the U.S. military on charges of treason and “murder-for-hire.” The post features what appears to be a screenshot of a news article with text that claims she was arrested Tuesday morning by members of the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, one of whom shot Haines in the arm when she resisted arrest.

The claim is baseless. Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to suggest Haines was arrested on any charges. There is no mention of her alleged arrest on the JAG website or the organization’s social media pages. Similarly, neither the Department of Justice, Department of Defense nor the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has mentioned anything about her purported detainment on their respective websites.

A keyword search reveals the claim stems from an August 3 article published on the satirical website Real Raw News. The website includes a Disclaimer on its “About Us” page that indicates it “contains humor, parody, and satire.” (RELATED: No, The Military Did Not Execute Jen O’Malley)

Check Your Fact has reached out to JAG for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.

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