Bloggers invent (another) nonsensical claim about Malia Obama, Antifa-linked arrest

Fake news sites spread false rumors that former first daughter Malia Obama was arrested for participating in an Antifa attack — and to notch up the drama, they added that the arresting officer was found dead of a heart attack.

Sure sounds suspicious, if true! But it’s not.

The Last Line of Defense published an article on Nov. 4 with the headline, "UPDATE: Malia Obama among 10 arrested In racist Antifa attack." Another fake news site, Info Media, published an identical article that cites The Last Line of Defense as a source at the bottom.

Popular News Today published a fake article on Nov. 6 that added a plot twist to the original fake news story: "BREAKING: Cop who arrested Malia Obama found dead under suspicious circumstances."

None of this is true. The Last Line of Defense is a satirical site that tries to fool conservatives into clicking on false headlines. The author’s work, which we’ve debunked before, often ends up on other fake news sites.

Featured Fact-check

Sean Duffy

stated on March 17, 2024 in a segment on Fox Business' "The Bottom Line"

Tyson Foods announced it would hire 52,000 migrants.

Beyond the site’s disclaimer, there are many other ways to show the story is fake.

The article says that Malia Obama, and nine other Harvard students, attacked an elderly woman. The Cambridge Police Department daily log, an overview of the department's daily calls for service, does not mention an attack involving 10 assailants, Antifa or any of the names listed in the fake news article.

The department’s News & Alerts page also does not have a post announcing the death of an Officer Patrick Farley, Malia’s fake arresting officer.

The photo of the police officer used in the Popular News Today fake news article is not a photo of a person named Farley but a photo of Brad Miller, a former police officer in Arlington, Texas. Miller was in the news last year for shooting an unarmed teenager.

We rate this narrative Pants on Fire!