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| - On Dec. 5, 2024, the Facebook page America's Last Line of Defense posted a meme claiming U.S. President Joe Biden had pardoned Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and former chief medical adviser to Biden, for any actions he had taken over the past 20 years.
Text in the meme stated: "FOIA Confirms: Biden Quietly Pardoned Anthony Fauci For 'Any Actions Since 2004.'" "FOIA" refers to the Freedom of Information Act, which allows anyone to request access to federal agency records or information unless the records are protected from disclosure by certain exemptions.
(Facebook user "America's Last Line of Defense")
Meanwhile, ALLOD's caption read: "What would their science guy need a pardon for, hmmmm? This one is fishy for sure."
As of this writing, the post had received more than 1,000 shares and 700 comments, with some readers interpreting the rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events. One commenter wrote, "What a despicable act. I guess we shouldn't expect any different. They can go out as corrupt as they came into office."
However, there was no evidence Biden had pardoned Fauci. Rather, the rumor about the president pardoning the health expert came from the Facebook page ALLOD — an account affiliated with satire news site the Dunning-Kruger Times. The ALLOD page, classified as "Satire/Parody," has a history of fabricating stories for shares and comments. As such, this claim is labeled satire.
The meme in question also has the "Satire" label on the bottom right, which states in small print, "Nothing on this page is real."
Below the meme, the Facebook page posted an article from the Dunning-Kruger Times that elaborated on the claim:
Crooked Joe Biden went and did it, patriots. He pardoned Anthony Fauci for any crimes he may have committed going back 20 years.
What crimes might those be? Well, if you don't know, you haven't been paying attention. Fauci told everyone that they should wear masks. Then, he said we shouldn't stand too close together and that our kids shouldn't go to school.
To make matters worse, he also said we should all get vaccines, even though he also said they won't stop the disease.
[…]
At least he's been exposed. By FOIA, which is an anagram for a request, not an actual agency, but thanks for stopping by. God Bless America.
The Dunning-Kruger Times "About Us" page states:
Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical.
However, according to news reports, Biden's officials were discussing preemptive pardons to protect those who they think would be targeted by President-elect Donald Trump, even though they have not committed any crimes. Among those being considered are former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, a vocal Trump critic, and Fauci, who helped coordinate Biden's COVID-19 response.
Biden had not made any decision on the matter as of this writing, and an anonymous source told Reuters that the people being considered for preemptive pardons may not want them. The White House has told reporters to expect more pardons before Biden departs office.
We have covered satirical articles about Trump's future administration's plans before, including a fake story that claimed he had nominated former Mexican drug lord El Chapo as U.S. ambassador to Mexico.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
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