Says four Republican representatives "voted to impeach President Donald Trump."
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., center, is joined by fellow Republican lawmakers while speaking during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 31, 2019. (AP)
No, four Republicans did not vote to impeach President Trump
The House of Representatives hasn’t yet voted on whether to bring impeachment charges against President Donald Trump. But some Facebook users are posting as if they have.
One post published Nov. 12 and shared several hundred times includes photos of four Republican lawmakers. Text above the images claims they have voted to impeach Trump.
"Will Hurd, Fred Upton, Susan Brooks and Brian Fitzpatrick," the post reads. "Remember these faces next election!"
This post 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.)
(Screenshot from Facebook)
The House has voted on whether to authorize a formal impeachment inquiry against Trump, but it hasn’t voted on articles of impeachment. The resolution to start an inquiry passed in a 232-196 vote Oct. 31. No Republicans voted for the measure.
Featured Fact-check
We reached out to the Facebook user who published the photo for evidence to back up the claim, but we haven’t heard back.
The first public impeachment hearings began Nov. 13 in the House. On Sept. 24, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the inquiry, which centers on whether Trump solicited foreign interference from Ukraine in the 2020 election.
Representatives have not yet voted on whether to impeach Trump. That will happen after hearings conclude, which could be as soon as late December.
The four lawmakers cited in the Facebook post have criticized Trump in the House before. In July, Reps. Hurd of Texas, Upton of Michigan, Brooks of Indiana and Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania were the only House Republicans who voted in favor of a resolution to rebuke the president’s comments that four minority Democratic congresswomen should "go back" to their ancestral countries.
Other Republicans who criticized Trump in recent months have faced similar disinformation on social media. After he expressed concern about the president’s July phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, Rep. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, became the subject of false claims about his own ties to the country. When Vermont’s Republican Gov. Phil Scott spoke in favor of an impeachment inquiry, another social media post falsely claimed he, too, had "voted" to impeach the president.
This new Facebook post is inaccurate as well. We rate it False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Nov. 12, 2019
The New York Times, "Nancy Pelosi Announces Formal Impeachment Inquiry of Trump," Sept. 24, 2019
PolitiFact, "Fact-checking Trump, Ukraine impeachment hearings, day 1," Nov. 13, 2019
PolitiFact, "The impeachment inquiry: What to expect from public hearings and beyond," Nov. 11, 2019
PolitiFact, "Pelosi, Romney and Kerry don’t have sons working for companies linked to Ukraine," Oct. 10, 2019
U.S. Congress, H.Res.489, July 16, 2019
U.S. Congress, H.Res.660, Oct. 31, 2019
U.S. Office of the Clerk, Final vote results for Roll Call 482, July 16, 2019
U.S. Office of the Clerk, Final vote results for Roll Call 604, Oct. 31, 2019
The Washington Post, "Trump’s removal would require Republican dissidents. But those who speak out become targets of viral disinformation." Oct. 3, 2019
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Daniel Funke
No, four Republicans did not vote to impeach President Trump
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.