Fact check: False claim former FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn was arrested for treason
Chris MuellerThe claim: Former FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn was arrested for 'treasonous acts'
A Dec. 30, 2022, article by Real Raw News claims a former high-ranking government official was recently charged with a serious crime.
"Military Arrests Former FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn," reads the article's headline.
"U.S. Navy JAG investigators on Thursday arrested former Food & Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn for having committed treasonous acts against the nation and its people while he served under President Donald J. Trump throughout the Coronavirus Plandemic, JAG sources told Real Raw News," the article begins.
The article was shared more than 200 times on Facebook in three weeks, according to the social media analytics tool CrowdTangle.
Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks
Our rating: False
There are no credible reports about former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn being arrested by the military. Hahn is currently listed as being in leadership positions at both a cancer diagnostic firm and a venture capital firm. The claim stems from a website that routinely publishes false claims about the arrest of high-profile government figures..
No evidence of Hahn's arrest
There is no evidence Hahn was arrested by the Navy JAG Corps, which handles the Navy's legal services. The claim isn't mentioned on the Navy JAG Corps' website or its verified social media accounts.
There are no credible news reports of any such arrest. And Hahn has posted on his LinkedIn profile since the supposed arrest.
Hahn served as FDA commissioner from December 2019 to January 2021. In December 2021, Reuters reported that Hahn had been appointed to lead Harbinger Health, which hopes to develop a "low-cost, multi-cancer blood test" to detect cancer before it's visible or symptomatic. Hahn is listed as Harbinger Health's CEO on the company's website.
Harbinger Health was launched by Flagship Pioneering, a venture capital firm where Hahn is listed as a CEO-Partner.
Fact check:Article falsely claims Speaker Nancy Pelosi was arrested for treason
USA TODAY has previously debunked fabricated stories by Real Raw News, including false claims that Nancy Pelosi was arrested and charged with treason, that Joe Biden employed crisis actors to portray Marines during a speech and that the Navy sunk a FEMA barge.
A disclaimer found on the site’s “About Us” page states it “contains humor, parody, and satire.” The notice, however, is not included in the website’s articles.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment.
Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- U.S. Navy JAG Corps, accessed Jan. 20, News
- U.S. Navy JAG Corps, accessed Jan. 20, Twitter profile
- U.S. Navy JAG Corps, accessed Jan. 20, Facebook profile
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, accessed Jan. 20, Stephen M. Hahn M.D.
- Reuters, Dec. 7, 2021, Flagship Pioneering taps former FDA chief Hahn to head new cancer diagnostic firm
- Harbinger Health, accessed Jan. 20, About Us
- Harbinger Health, accessed Jan. 20, Stephen Hahn, M.D.
- Chemical & Engineering News, Dec. 17, 2021, Harbinger Health launches for cancer detection, led by former FDA head
- Flagship Pioneering, accessed Jan. 20, Stephen M. Hahn
- Steve Hahn, January 2023, LinkedIn post
- USA TODAY, Dec. 14, 2022, Fact check: Article falsely claims Speaker Nancy Pelosi was arrested for treason
- USA TODAY, Sept. 15, 2022, Fact check: False claim that Biden employed crisis actors to portray Marines during Sept. 1 speech
- USA TODAY, Oct. 6, 2022, Fact check: False claim that the Navy sunk a FEMA barge
- Check Your Fact, Jan. 19, Fact check: Did a military tribunal convict Stephen Hahn of treason?
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.
Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.
