FACT CHECK: Claim That Navy JAG Arrested USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong Is Satire

A post shared on Facebook claims the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps purportedly arrested U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Inspector General Phyllis Fong.

Verdict: False

The claim is false and originally stems from a Jan. 30 article published on the satire site “Real Raw News.” A spokesperson for Navy JAG denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

The USDA denied that Fong was forcibly removed from her office after she reportedly refused to comply with being terminated by the Trump administration, according to Fox News. Fong worked for the USDA for 22 years, the outlet indicated.

The Facebook post claims Navy JAG purportedly arrested Fong “after she refused to comply with her firing by the Trump administration.” The post further claims Fong “is one of the key players behind the artificial inflation of poultry and egg prices in the U.S.” as a result of “mutating bird flu.”

The claim is false and originally stems from a Jan. 30 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. (RELATED: Did Elon Musk Refer To USAID As ‘One Of The Biggest Global Terrorist Organizations In History?’)

Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find the claim referenced on Navy JAG’s website or its verified social media accounts. In addition, the USDA does not appear to have publicly commented on the claim. Trump has not mentioned the claim, either.

Check Your Fact also did not find any credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On Feb. 7, Lead Stories debunked the claim, indicating it originally stemmed from the same satire site.

Furthermore, Patricia Babb, a spokesperson for Navy JAG denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

“This is not true,” Babb said of the claim.