Fact Check: Did Mike Johnson announce fine for the Dems who skipped State of the Union?
WASHINGTON, DC: Following the backlash after the Democrats skipped President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, a claim began to circulate on social media platforms that Speaker Mike Johnson announced a fine and censure for the absentee Democrats. The claim has sparked speculations about its authenticity. Let us fact-check the claim.
Claim: Mike Johnson announced a fine and censure for Democrats
The claim surfaced as a Facebook post published on Wednesday, February 25, that stated, “Mike Johnson announces: Democrats who skipped the State of the Union will be censured and fined $25,000 each.”
The claim came after reports indicated that dozens of Democrats are expected to skip the State of the Union address, with many planning counter-events in opposition to the POTUS’s speech.
The post has garnered more than a hundred thousand views, along with thousands of likes, comments, and shares. People commenting under the post even appear to believe the claim to be true, while a few others dismissed it as unverified.
Fact Check: The claim originated from a parody account
The claim, however, is false as it originated from a popular parody account called ‘America’s Last Line of Defense’ which describes itself as ‘The flagship of the ALLOD network of trollery and propaganda for cash. Nothing on this page is real.”
There is no credible evidence available to support the claim, such as official statements or social media posts by the speaker or any government organization.
A search on Google for relevant keywords also does not produce any credible results that support the claim.
There is also an absence of media reports about the fine and censure, suggesting that the claim is false.
Democrats boycott State of the Union
As part of skipping SOTU, two counterprogramming events, the 'State of the Swamp' and the 'People’s State of the Union', have been organized in response to Trump’s address.
Representative Sean Casten (D-IL) said earlier, “My respect for the office of the President of the United States cannot abide the disrespect that Donald Trump shows to that office every day.”
“As such, while I will watch the State of the Union elsewhere, I will not attend in person, as I am not interested in being used as a prop for his theatrics,” he added.
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark also joined Casten in announcing that she will not attend the event in person.
She, however, said she will be 'hearing from the people of my district about their personal experiences with skyrocketing costs, new barriers to healthcare, dismantled Social Security services, and brutal cuts to medical research.'
