Says Nancy Pelosi’s “daughter is on the board of the Kennedy Center so that’s why it was so important to send them all that money.”
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Nancy Pelosi’s daughter isn’t on the Kennedy Center Board
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- None of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s children is on the Kennedy Center’s board.
- Pelosi is an ex officio board member. So are several top Republican lawmakers.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has come under fire for furloughing workers even after it received $25 million in federal aid as part of a $2 trillion stimulus package to help dull the economic pain caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Some Republicans were already critical of funneling money to the Kennedy Center, while Democrats defended the bailout, saying it employs nearly 3,000 people.
But on Facebook, a widely shared post suggests House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s motivations for supporting the line item were personal.
"So Nancy’s daughter is on the board of the Kennedy Center," the March 30 post says, "so that’s why it was so important to send them all that money."
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.)
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The Kennedy Center didn’t respond to PolitiFact’s email asking about the Facebook post. But Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Pelosi, told us the post isn’t true.
None of Pelosi’s children appear on the center’s list of board of trustee officers, members appointed by the president, honorary trustees or emeritus trustees.
Nancy Pelosi has five children: four daughters — Nancy Corinne Prowda, Christine Pelosi, Jacqueline Kenneally and Alexandra Pelosi — and one son, Paul Pelosi.
Nancy Pelosi is an ex officio member, designated by an act of Congress, according to the Kennedy Center’s website. So are Trump administration officials such as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Republican lawmakers like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader of the House; and Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri. HuffPost reported the original budget request for the Kennedy Center came from a Kennedy Center staffer who was formerly a top aide to Blunt.
In an email to the Daily Caller, a spokeswoman for the Kennedy Center said that none of Nancy Pelosi’s children are affiliated with the institution, according to the outlet.
We rate this Facebook post False.
Our Sources
The New York Times, As furloughs grow, Kennedy Center defends use of $25 million in aid, March 31, 2020
Facebook post, March 30, 2020
U.S. News & World Report, 10 things you didn’t know about Nancy Pelosi, Nov. 7, 2006
Teen Vogue, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s daughter said her mom will cut off your head, Jan. 3, 2019
The Washington Post, ‘Makes going to work look east’: decades before she was House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi had an even harder job, Feb. 12, 2019
Los Angeles Magazine, Nancy Pelosi has Donald Trump by the balls (in a manner of speaking), Oct. 16, 2019
The Kennedy Center, Board of Trustees, visited April 2, 2020
HuffPost, Senate Coronavirus Stimulus Includes Arts Funding Despite GOP Dismissing It As Frivolous, March 26, 2020
Check Your Fact, Fact Check: Does Nancy Pelosi’s daughter sit on the board of the Kennedy Center, March 31, 2020
Email interview with Drew Hammill, deputy chief of staff for Nancy Pelosi, April 3, 2020
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Nancy Pelosi’s daughter isn’t on the Kennedy Center Board
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