The claim: Video shows Nancy Pelosi describing how the Democratic Party spreads lies
A May 30 Instagram video shows former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking at a podium.
“It’s called the synthetic smear,” Pelosi explains in the video. “You smear someone with lies and stuff and then you market it. And then you write it down and if they see it, it’s reported in the press as this, this, this and that.”
After the Pelosi clip, a woman appears on screen and claims that Pelosi was describing a tactic used by the Democratic Party.
“Openly admitting that they are lying to US citizens,” reads the on-screen text included in the video.
The post garnered over 14,000 likes in nine days.
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Our opinion: False
The clip was taken out of context. Pelosi was describing a diversionary tactic she claims the Republican Party is using.
Pelosi was referring to Republicans, not Democrats
The clip was taken from a 2017 press briefing, during which a reporter asked Pelosi if she thought it would be helpful to “rehabilitate” her image in Republican districts ahead of the 2018 election.
In response, Pelosi said that instead of spending money she raises on self-promotion, she wants to use it to highlight what congressional Democrats have done to help their districts.
She went on to accuse the Republican Party of using smear tactics, particularly the “smear smear,” against Democrats instead of focusing on their own accomplishments.
Fact check: Video shows security details of Pelosi escorting him to his car, not arresting him
Aaron Bennett, a spokesperson for Pelosi, told USA TODAY the claim in the video was false.
“The deliberate misrepresentation of Speaker Pelosi’s words in this video only further proves the point she makes in the actual, complete, unedited clip,” Bennett said in an email.
Pelosi previously accused former President Donald Trump of regularly using the same tactic in a 2017 CNN interview.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
The claim has also been denied by The Associated Press, PolitiFact, Reuters and FactCheck.org.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video distorts Nancy Pelosi’s ‘final salting’ quote | Fact check