FACT CHECK: No, Navy JAG Did Not Find Victoria Nuland Guilty ‘By Default’ And Sentence Her To Hang
A post shared on Facebook claims the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps purportedly found former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland guilty “by default” and sentenced her to hang.
Verdict: False
The claim is false and originally stems from an April 9 article published by 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:
Nuland announced her intention to retire in March 2024, according to The Associated Press. She is set to become a faculty member at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs effective July 1, the institution stated via a Mar. 6 press release.
The Facebook post claims Navy JAG purportedly found Nuland guilty “by default” and sentenced her to hang. The post does not provide a source to support its claim.
The claim is false and originally stems from an April 9 article published by 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 on legal counsel,” the disclaimer reads.
According to the same article, Nuland purportedly refused to cooperate and enter a plea at an arraignment following her alleged Mar. 4 arrest. Nuland also purportedly refused to enter a plea on seven more occasions, including at Guantanamo Bay, prompting the Navy Judge Advocate General, Vice Adm. Darse E. Crandall to enter a guilty plea on her behalf and sentence her to hang on April 16.
The April 9 article is a follow-up piece to a Mar. 9 article published by the site claiming Nuland and her husband Robert Kagan had purportedly been arrested by U.S. Marines on charges of treason and seditious conspiracy. Check Your Fact also debunked that claim.
Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. In addition, the claim is neither referenced on Navy JAG’s website nor its verified social media accounts. (RELATED: Was Trump’s Golf Club The Epicenter Of New Jersey Earthquake?)
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.
Read the full article here