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.

More Info

I would like to contribute

Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke May 9, 2023

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy didn’t announce that his predecessor ‘will be impeached’

If Your Time is short

  • House Speaker Kevin McCarthy didn’t announce that U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will be impeached.
     
  • ​U.S. senators and representatives generally can’t be impeached. The Senate Historical Office says the legality is "ambiguous," and practically speaking, it doesn't happen.

A recent Facebook post is full of conviction but short on facts. 

"It’s official," the May 5 post says. "Nancy Pelosi will be impeached — Kevin McCarthy blows hot at Pelosi."

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

The post includes a nearly six-minute video of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaking at a press conference. But he doesn’t announce that his predecessor, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will be impeached. 

Rather, the press conference happened in June 2022, before the Republicans took back the U.S. House and when McCarthy was still the chamber’s minority leader.

Sign up for PolitiFact texts

He was criticizing a recent hearing of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S.  Capitol. 

U.S. senators and representatives generally can’t be impeached. The Senate Historical Office says the legality is "ambiguous," and practically speaking, it doesn't happen. Only once in history — back in 1797 — has the Senate had the chance to affirm that a member of Congress can be impeached, and it passed on that opportunity. 

We rate this post False.

Our Sources

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Ciara O'Rourke

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy didn’t announce that his predecessor ‘will be impeached’

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up