Fact check: False claim that video shows Ted Cruz confronting FBI about Mar-a-Lago

The claim: Video shows Ted Cruz confronting FBI director about Mar-a-Lago search

Some social media users are sharing a video they say shows Texas Sen. Ted Cruz confronting the FBI director about the Aug. 8 search of former President Donald Trump's home in Palm Beach, Florida.

During the search, the FBI removed top secret and classified documents from the premises, USA TODAY reported.

"Ted Cruz erupts as FBI Director tries to defend Biden over Mar-a-Lago raid," reads the caption of an Aug. 16 Facebook post featuring the video.

The video was viewed 17,000 times in two days.

However, the caption is inaccurate.

The video does not show Cruz addressing the Mar-a-Lago search. Instead, it shows older, unrelated footage of the Republican senator.

USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment.

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Video shows older footage of Cruz, not related to Mar-a-Lago search

The footage in the social media post is composed of two different videos that predate the Mar-a-Lago search.

The first shows a clip from a Nov. 10, 2020, Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in which Cruz questions former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe about the agency's investigation of General Michael Flynn. In 2017, Flynn pled guilty to lying to the FBI and was later pardoned by then-president Trump.

The second is a Sept. 22, 2021, clip that shows Cruz delivering a speech critical of President Joe Biden's immigration policies.

Cruz does not mention Mar-a-Lago in either clip.

The claim was previously debunked by Politifact.

Fact check: Bruce Reinhart, who approved FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, was not appointed by Trump

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that a video shows Ted Cruz confronting the FBI director about the Mar-a-Lago search. Cruz does not address the Mar-a-Lago search in the video. Instead, the video is composed of unrelated footage that predates this month's FBI search.

Our fact-check sources:

• Politifact, Aug. 18, No, this video doesn’t show Ted Cruz questioning FBI director over Mar-a-Lago search

• USA TODAY, Aug. 12, The search warrant for Trump's Mar-a-Lago home has been released. Here's what it says

• USA TODAY, Nov. 10, 2020, Ex-deputy FBI chief McCabe: Officials had reason to think Trump posed 'danger to national security'

• NPR, Nov. 25, 2020, Trump pardons Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying about Russia contact

• USA TODAY, May 17, 2017, Trump pressed James Comey to close FBI inquiry into former adviser Michael Flynn

• C-Spann, Sept. 22, 2021, Senator Ted Cruz on Immigration and Border Security

• C-Spann, Nov. 10, 2020, User Clip: Ted Cruz questions McCabe

• USA TODAY, Nov. 25, 2020, President Trump pardons ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn; ends three-year legal odyssey

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Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Video footage old, not Cruz Mar-a-Lago confrontation