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No, Tulsi Gabbard didn’t send Pelosi $600.01 via Venmo
If Your Time is short
- This originated on a self-described satire site.
Some social media users are earnestly sharing an image of a tweet about some passive aggressive politics.
"BREAKING: Tulsi Gabbard Venmos Nanci Pelosi $600.01 forcing the IRS to audit Pelosi’s finances," the headline says, misspelling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s first name. Among the accounts sharing it was Raven Harrison, a Republican who recently ran for a Texas seat in the U.S. House of Representatives but was defeated in the primary.
"Troll level: MAGA," Harrison wrote sharing the tweet.
Posts sharing this image were flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
The account that tweeted that apparent spat between Pelosi, D-Calif, and Gabbard, a former Democratic U.S. representative from Hawaii, regularly shares satire. It is connected to Genesius Times, a self-described satire site that claims to post "the most reliable source of fake news on the planet." A fake story about the supposed Pelosi-Gabbard conflict was posted there.
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We found no credible news reports that this actually happened.
We’ve previously reported on claims about federal plans to monitor Venmo. The American Rescue Plan, which Congress passed in March 2021, had a provision requiring cash apps like Venmo to file information reports on commercial transactions exceeding $600. Before this new law, cash apps were required to report only business transactions exceeding $20,000 for accounts with at least 200 separate payments in a calendar year.
We rate claims that Gabbard sent Pelosi this money via Venmo False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Aug. 17, 2022
Facebook post, Aug. 17, 2022
Genesius Times, Tulsi Gabbard Venmos Nanci Pelosi $600.01 forcing the IRS to audit Pelosi’s finances, Aug. 17, 2022
News That Matters Twitter account, visited Aug. 19, 2022
PolitiFact, Biden plan to require more bank account reporting to IRS is still a proposal, Sept. 15, 2021
PolitiFact, Will the IRS track 'every' Venmo transaction? Fact-checking claims on new financial reporting plans, Oct. 11, 2021
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No, Tulsi Gabbard didn’t send Pelosi $600.01 via Venmo
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