Posts claiming Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is preparing to flee the country due to being “served an arrest warrant for crimes committed against America and its people” are false. This claim originated from an unreliable website and is not supported by any real evidence.
Examples can be seen here and here . Most posts show an article posted on Real Raw News on May 15, 2021 (archive.ph/QWzns) with the headline: “Dr. Fauci Prepping to Flee Country”.
Reuters has previously debunked claims made by Real Raw News, here and here .
The website includes a disclaimer in its “about” page realrawnews.com/about-us/ that reads: “Information on this website is for informational and educational purposes. Segments of this website may contain humor, parody, or satire. We have included this disclaimer for our protection, on the advice of legal counsel.”
The publication is rated as a “questionable source” with “very low” factual reporting according to Media Bias / Fact Check, here .
Reuters did not find any evidence Fauci is planning to “flee the country” or being served an arrest warrant for crimes.
A Google search of the headline brings up meme pages, social media posts and QAnon websites.
The language used in the article, such as referring to Fauci as a “deep state doctor”, suggests a connection to the QAnon conspiracy theory. This often alludes to “a secret campaign” being waged by U.S. President Donald Trump against a sex trafficking ring that includes prominent Democrats, Hollywood elites and “deep state” allies ( here).
Representatives for Fauci did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
VERDICT
False. There is no evidence to show that top U.S. infectious disease doctor Anthony Fauci is planning to “flee the country” or being served an arrest warrant for crimes committed against America and its people.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here .
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.