Fact check: Fake tweet claims Nancy Pelosi accused 'White Nationalists' of vandalism

Devon Link, USA TODAY

The claim: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted 'White Nationalists' vandalized her San Francisco home

After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home was vandalized in the early hours of the new year, a fake tweet denouncing those responsible is circulating online.

“What happened to our home was a travesty and a desperate attempt by White Nationalists to bully me," reads the image, which appears to capture a tweet from Pelosi.

The image, which was posted by Facebook user Les Roediger on Jan. 2, appears to show the speaker tweeted the message at 7:56 p.m. Jan. 1. The image shows the tweet received 519 retweets and 4,000 likes, yet there is no record the speaker ever shared this message.

"Nancy Pelosi said she was attacked by White Nationalists!" Roediger captioned the altered image. "I'm certain there were arrests and evidence, otherwise it's just feelings, right? #Antifa."

Roediger, who’s Facebook bio claims he's the “Vice President-Elect of the United States #TrumpRoediger2020”, has not responded to USA TODAY’s request for comment.

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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) walks to the House chamber in the US Capitol on January 03, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) walks to the House chamber in the US Capitol on January 03, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Speaker’s office confirms tweet is fake

Pelosi’s Deputy Chief of Staff Drew Hammill wrote that the tweet was “fake” and confirmed that Pelosi has not publicly accused "White Nationalists" of the vandalism in an email to USA TODAY.

"The tweet is fake," wrote Hammill. "We have made no public comment on this matter."

USA TODAY could find no record of the tweet on the speaker’s Twitter timeline or of any tweet regarding the vandalism.

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Reports confirm Pelosi’s home was vandalized

Vandals defaced Pelosi’s home around 2 a.m. Jan. 1, reportedly leaving messages like “$2k," "Cancel Rent!” and "We want everything" on her garage door and placing a pig’s head and fake blood on the sidewalk outside the house.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Louisville, Kentucky, home was also vandalized after Congress adjourned Friday without a final decision on $2,000 stimulus checks.

USA TODAY reported Jan 2. that police had no suspects in the investigations.

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Our ruling: False

We rate the claim that Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted that white nationalists vandalized her home FALSE. Pelosi's office and her Twitter timeline confirm the speaker never posted such a tweet.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Fake Nancy Pelosi tweet lays blame for vandalism

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