FACT CHECK: Instagram Post Does Not Show Tom Cotton Posing With Gold Bars In Iraq

An image shared on Instagram purports to show Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton posing with gold bars in Iraq.

Verdict: False

The claim is false. A spokesperson for Cotton denied he was pictured in the Instagram image via an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

Cotton said he expects the Senate will confirm all of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees, according to the Washington Examiner. Cotton also said he had “a good meeting” with Pete Hegseth and Pam Bondi, Trump’s Secretary of Defense and Attorney General nominees, respectively, while appearing on “Fox and Friends,” the outlet reported.

The Instagram image purports to show Cotton posing with gold bars in Iraq. “A real image of Tom Cotton discovering WMD in Iraq,” text that appears above the image reads. The image shows a U.S. soldier wearing a camouflage uniform posing with a large pile of gold bars.

Besides Instagram, the image was also posted on X, where it has amassed over one million views.

The claim is false. A reverse image search led Check Your Fact to the “Military Porn” channel on Reddit. An image posted on the forum shows two soldiers wearing uniforms that may be similar to that of the one in the Instagram post. Likewise, the image shows the two soldiers posing with a pile of gold bars. “Saddam’s gold, Iraq 2003 [1920 X 1346],” the image’s title reads.

In addition, Cotton does not publicly appear to have referenced the image on his website or his verified social media accounts. According to Cotton’s biography published on Britannica, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2005, or two years after the photo shared on Reddit was taken. Cotton’s bio via his official website states he served five years in the Army on active duty and deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne. The same bio indicates Cotton previously practiced law but stopped due to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim that the Instagram image showed Cotton posing with the gold bars. Actually, the opposite is true. Both Reuters and USA Today debunked the claim. (RELATED: Image Showing Pete Hegseth At The 9/11 Memorial In His Underwear Is Misleading)

Furthermore, Caroline Tabler, a spokesperson for Cotton, denied he was pictured in the Instagram image via an email to Check Your Fact.

“That picture is not a real photo of Senator Cotton,” Tabler said.

The patch that appears on the soldier’s uniform indicates that he appears to be a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. The patch matches that of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, according to the website Military Uniform Supply. Tabler directed Check Your Fact to the website.