A Facebook post baselessly claimed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was not only arrested, but was running a child sex trafficking ring. Despite the lack of evidence, the post gained thousands of views.
"US Navy SEALs are arresting Ron DeSantis for running child sex traffick ring with CPS and judges. Foster war 2023 operation shut down," the July 25 read in uppercase letters. (The post used the abbreviation for Child Protective Services.)
This post was flagged as part of Meta鈥檚 efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our , which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
The two-hour video in the post started with footage of a supposed military operation, with text that read, "Military takes out child sex traffick ring king pins."
This was a simulation, not a real military operation. The footage was from a May 27, 2022, titled "War invasion military operation in downtown Tampa Florida." The video鈥檚 caption called the event a demonstration.
According to the , the simulation was part of the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference. The demonstration included simulated explosions, simulated gunfire and low-flying aircraft. The U.S. Special Operations Command conducted the May 18, 2022, with a rehearsal the day earlier.
This event did not lead to any arrest of DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, having launched his campaign in .
On July 25, the day the Facebook video was posted, news reports said DeSantis was in a in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on his way to a fundraiser. Press Secretary Bryan Griffin said DeSantis and his team were .
There are no reports that said he was arrested.
We rate this claim Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
- , July 25, 2023
- , May 27, 2022
- City of Tampa Youtube video, , May 19, 2022
- , May 13, 2022
- The New York Times, , July 25, 2023
- The Guardian, , July 25, 2023
- PolitiFact, , May 24, 2023
