FACT CHECK: Did An Intel Officer Post About Resisting The Trump Administration On Facebook?

A post shared on X claims that an intelligence officer posted about resisting the Trump administration on Facebook.

This “intel officer” advises bureaucrats to use “strategic interpretation” to pretend to follow a directive while deliberately sabotaging it and undermining the policy. This is what I called “malicious compliance,” and it’s insubordination and a firing offense. https://t.co/POG8xgolf9

— Ace of Spades (@AceofSpadesHQ) January 27, 2025

Verdict: Misleading

The person who posted the original Facebook post is not a current intelligence officer.

Fact Check:

Social media users are claiming that an intelligence officer posted on Facebook ways to resist the Trump administration. One user wrote, “This ‘intel officer’ advises bureaucrats to use ‘strategic interpretation’ to pretend to follow a directive while deliberately sabotaging it and undermining the policy. This is what I called ‘malicious compliance,’ and it’s insubordination and a firing offense.”

This claim is misleading. The identification of the person as an intelligence officer likely comes from this Killeen Daily Herald article that identifies a Lisa Yates as a former U.S. Army intelligence officer who served in the 1980s. She is currently a Spanish teacher and has not worked for the federal government for at least 24 years.

The Herald later posted on Facebook that the woman is not the same as the person who made the post in the original tweet. A  Killeen Daily Herald editorial staff member told Check Your Fact that they reached out to the woman they profiled and confirmed she did not make the post in the tweet.

“The Herald is aware of a Facebook post by a user named Lisa Yates that has generated some controversy on social media, and has confirmed that the person who made the post is not the same Lisa Yates featured in the Oct. 9 Unsung Heroes,” reads the Facebook post.

Check Your Fact reviewed the account that posted the original post. They are not a current intelligence officer nor currently work in the federal government, according to a review of publicly available data. We are not identifying the person. (RELATED: Facebook Video Purporting To Show Robot Cutting Elon Musk’s Hair Is AI-Generated)

Check Your Fact reached out to the Pentagon, who referred to the U.S. Army. Check Your Fact reached out to the U.S. Army for comment.