FACT CHECK: Facebook Post Falsely Claims John Bolton Was Arrested

A post shared on Facebook claims John Bolton was purportedly arrested by U.S. Secret Service agents for treason.

Verdict: False

The claim is false and originally stems from a Jan. 24 article published on the satire site “Real Raw News.” A spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

President Donald Trump stripped security protections from Bolton, who served as his national security adviser during his first term, according to Axios. Bolton, who has faced death threats for being a critic of the Iranian regime, said, “This is a matter that people should take seriously,” the outlet reported, citing CNN.

The Facebook post claims Bolton was purportedly arrested by U.S. Secret Service agents for treason. According to the same post, the Secret Service agents purportedly handcuffed Bolton at his Bethesda, Maryland home and then took him to a holding cell, where he is set to remain until a “military attache [shows] up to take custody of him.”

The claim is false and originally stems from a Jan. 24 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: No, Biden Didn’t Ratify The ERA)

Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find the claim referenced on Bolton’s verified social media accounts. The U.S. Secret Service has not repeated the claim on its website or its verified social media accounts, either. In addition, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim.

Furthermore, a spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

“This claim is categorically false,” the spokesperson said.