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Did the Democrats oust Nancy Pelosi? No.
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- The U.S. House of Representatives didn’t kick Nancy Pelosi out of office. The chamber has expelled only five lawmakers in more than two centuries, most recently in 2002.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in 2018 this year would be her last as the chamber’s Democratic leader, and there’s some speculation she might retire from Congress entirely.
But a recent Facebook post announcing purported "breaking" news claims that her colleagues couldn’t wait.
"Whole Congress ERUPTS as House Democrats KICKS Nancy Pelosi from office," the grammatically incorrect post from Sept. 27 said.
It was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook.)
The post includes a nearly 18-minute video with a variety of footage, including a speech from former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and remarks from conservative pundit Ben Shapiro. But nothing in the video supports the claim made in the post.
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The U.S. House of Representatives can expel members for "disorderly behavior" with a two-thirds majority vote, and it’s happened only five times.
Three lawmakers were expelled in 1861 for fighting on behalf of the Confederacy during the Civil War. More recently, in 1980, former Rep. Michael Myers, D-Pa., was expelled for bribery, and in 2002, former Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio, was expelled on corruption charges.
The expulsions in the past century drew wide media coverage, and the expulsion of Pelosi — not just a lawmaker but also the House speaker — would be big news. And yet, there has been none.
That’s because this Facebook post is Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Facebook post, Sept. 27, 2022
The New York Times, After Nancy Pelosi: A San Francisco Race ‘That Shall Not Be Named,’ Aug. 13, 2022
UPI, Rep. Michael Myers, D-Pa., was expelled from the House, Oct. 2, 1980
The Washington Post, James A. Traficant Jr., colorful Ohio congressman expelled by House, dies at 73, Sept. 27, 2014
U.S. House, List of Individuals Expelled, Censured, or Reprimanded in the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Sept. 27, 2022
U.S. House, Discipline & Punishment, visited Sept. 27, 2022
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Did the Democrats oust Nancy Pelosi? No.
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