Fact Check: Did Donald Trump order death penalty for Lindsay Clancy?

WASHINGTON, DC: As the Lindsay Clancy case has ended in a mistrial and her lawyer is seeking a pardon for her from President Donald Trump, a social media post claimed that the president has ordered the death penalty for her. The claim has sparked conflicting reactions and concerns, requiring a fact-check.

Claim: Donald Trump ordered the death penalty for Lindsay Clancy

According to a viral claim that surfaced on X, President Trump has signed an executive order for the death penalty for Lindsay Clancy for the strangulation of her three children, which her attorney argued that she ​was not guilty by reason of insanity, as the ​tragedy occurred while she was suffering from postpartum psychosis. 

The post included a graphic featuring Fox News’ ​logo with the text, “President Trump Issues Executive Order To Throw ​Down the Death Penalty On Lindsay Clancy.” 

The claim has spread across multiple social media platforms, garnering millions of views, and most users objected to the alleged development, indicating that many believe the claim to be true. A few others remained skeptical and called for a fact-check.

Fact Check: Donald Trump signed no such orders

The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence of Trump ordering the death penalty for Clancy. 

There are no executive orders, official statements, or public announcements from the president or his administration supporting the claim.

The claim that Fox News reported the fabricated claim is also baseless, and a spokesperson for the news outlet confirmed that it was not an authentic Fox News graphic. 

A White House spokesperson also confirmed through email that the claim is ‘obviously false.’

If the claim were true, prominent news and entertainment media outlets would have widely covered it, but a Google search for the claim yielded no such media reports.

Lindsay Clancy's lawyer seeks Donald Trump's pardon

As of September 4, the case has taken a surprising turn after ending in a mistrial, and her lawyer is now seeking a pardon for her from Trump. 

Clancy’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, said, “I’d like to say that perhaps Donald Trump, who felt compelled to speak out about this case, may very well, Mr President, I would hope that you would consider this young lady, the type of person she is, and consider a pardon.” 

However, Trump does not have the authority to pardon Clancy, as she is facing state-level murder charges prosecuted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and not federal charges.