Fact Check: Did Justice Department announce it'll livestream arrest of Epstein clients?

WASHINGTON, DC: After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the administration would livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, a rumor is circulating on social media platforms claiming that the Department of Justice has announced that it will livestream the arrest of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients. The claim has sparked speculation, prompting a fact-check.

Claim: Justice Department to livestream arrest of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients

The claim surfaced as a post on X, according to which the DOJ announced that it will livestream the arrests of Epstein clients.

The post has garnered thousands of views as of this writing, and includes an AI-generated image showing former President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick being arrested by the FBI, with people and the media around them cheering.

The claim drew applause from online users, indicating that they believe the claim to be authentic, while a few others remained skeptical.

Fact Check: The claim was intended as satire

The claim, however, is false, as the Justice Department has made no such announcement about livestreaming the arrests of the clients linked to the convicted offender.

There are no official statements, press releases, or social media posts from the department or the Attorney General Todd Blanche about such a livestream.

If the DOJ had really made such an announcement, it would not go unreported by credible news media outlets, but a search on Google and Bing for the claim yielded no credible news media reports.

Moreover, the claim was posted by an X account called ‘The Babylon Bibi,’ which describes itself in its bio as ‘satire.’ Hence, the post was intended as satire, made for the sake of engagement.

Pete Hegseth announces livestreaming of Nidal Hasan's execution

The claim surfaced after Hegseth on Thursday, October 8, revealed new details about the planned execution of former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan, saying that he wants the public to be able to watch it. 

“We’ll make sure that people can watch it. That it’s public,” Hegseth said, explaining why he believed the public should be allowed to witness the execution. 

When asked if Hassan had made any final request before execution, Hegseth bluntly said, "We don't care. We'll see him on December 3rd." 

The update came days after  President Donald Trump approved Hasan's execution by firing squad for his involvement in the 2009 Fort Hood attack.

“It’s going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad,” Hegseth said.