A Facebook post and a video it shared used the same headline to attack Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.:
“Alert Boom! Omar facing 40 years in prison and deportation after 7 new crimes uncovered.”
The post went up Jan. 27. But it’s based on a 2019 article that was debunked.
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Omar, a former refugee of Somali descent who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, is not facing criminal charges.
The video refers to a 2019 article on The Gateway Pundit, a conservative website known to spread misinformation.
The article claimed a report found “credible evidence” that Omar and her family changed their name to illegally enter the United States. The article also described the report’s claim that Omar committed eight counts of perjury, which the article said could carry up to 40 years of prison time or deportation.
In 2020, Reuters fact-checked a similar headline, based on the same video. Reuters rated the headline false, finding no criminal investigation of Omar.
Nearly three years later, there is still no evidence that Omar is facing a criminal investigation.
On Feb. 2, Omar was removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a party-line vote. Republicans won control of the House in the November elections.
We rate the Facebook post False.
