Says Ronald Reagan said, "Nancy Pelosi is extremely evil."
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A Facebook post wrongly claimed that former president Ronal Reagan called U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi evil.
No, Ronald Reagan didn't call Nancy Pelosi evil
Did Ronald Reagan call Nancy Pelosi "extremely evil"? That’s what some Pelosi critics are saying on Facebook. But it’s not true.
"Nancy Pelosi is extremely evil," a Facebook post from Jan. 26 quotes Ronald Reagan as saying. "She comes from the Baltimore democrat corruption machine the D’Alesandro family, both her father Tom D’Alesandro and her brother Tommy D’Alesandro were mayors of Baltimore, a well oiled corrupt democrat family."
This post, which was shared more than 4,300 times by Jan. 29, was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
Pelosi was born in Baltimore in March 1940 to Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr., who was the mayor of that city from May 1947 to May 1959. Her brother also served a term as mayor. Those are confirmable facts.
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But we couldn’t find any evidence that Reagan called Pelosi evil, or denounced her family as corrupt. That’s because it doesn’t exist, according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.
Joanne Drake, chief administrative officer for the organization, said she could tell PolitiFact "with great conviction that Ronald Reagan never spoke those words. Ever."
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Our Sources
Facebook post, Jan. 26, 2019
Encyclopedia Britannica, Nancy Pelosi, last updated Jan. 28, 2019
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., visited Jan. 29, 2019
Baltimore Magazine, "The gavel goes back to Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi of Little Italy," Jan. 4, 2019
Jan. 29, 2019 interview with Joanne Drake, chief administrative officer, The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute
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No, Ronald Reagan didn't call Nancy Pelosi evil
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