Claim of indictments for Bush, Biden, Obama and Clinton is both nonsense and old | Fact check

The claim: George W. Bush 'agreed to be executed'; Biden, Obama and Clintons 'jailed at Gitmo'

An April 8 article by American Media Group claims a former U.S. president is facing capital punishment.

"Bombshell Report: Bush Jr. Said to Be Executed for 9/11, Obama, Clinton, Biden Jailed at GITMO," reads the article's headline.

The article begins, "Former President George Bush Jr. (sic) evidently has agreed to be executed for his part in 9/11 crimes according to intel coming out of GITMO Military Tribunals that began on Jan. 2."

It also claims Bush, former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden were "handed indictments in envelops (sic) slipped into their programs at the (George H.W.) Bush funeral on Nov. 31" and are being held at Guantanamo Bay.

The article was shared on Facebook more than 80 times in a week, according to CrowdTangle, a social media analytics tool.

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Our rating: False

This claim is ridiculous on all fronts. There is no evidence Bush has been charged with any crime, much less that he faces execution. Bush, Biden, Obama and the Clintons have all made recent public appearances, contrary to the article's claim they're incarcerated at Gitmo, a nickname for the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.

No evidence Bush faces execution

No credible news reports support the claim that Bush has "agreed to be executed," nor is there any evidence he or the other high-profile political figures named in the article are detained at Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. military prison in Cuba that opened under Bush shortly after the 9/11 attacks.

Bush has appeared in public multiple times in recent months, contradicting the article's claim he is imprisoned. He was set to host a fundraiser April 16 in Dallas for Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick, The Hill reported. In March, Bush was photographed at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, where he helped open an exhibit.

The other presidents named are also clearly not behind bars.

Similarly, Obama visited Chicago in March to view an exhibit that will be on display inside the Obama Presidential Center. He has remained active on social media, posting recently about the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act and the death of former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman. Biden made an April 16 campaign stop in Pennsylvania, where he spoke to campaign volunteers. Bill and Hillary Clinton attended a White House state dinner that Biden hosted April 10 for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

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There is also no evidence Bush, Obama, Biden and the Clintons were presented with indictments at George H.W. Bush's funeral, which took place Dec. 5, 2018 – not "Nov. 31," as the article claims. (November only has 30 days.) Multiple images from the event appear to show them holding the funeral program.

While the article never explains what is meant by "9/11 crimes," USA TODAY has previously debunked baseless conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attacks, including that it was a "false flag" event.

The article also wrongly claims former Arizona Sen. John McCain and the late Bush were executed. McCain died of brain cancer, a condition he publicly revealed about a year before his death. Bush also had health issues, including a rare condition known as vascular Parkinsonism.

USA TODAY reached out to American Media Group for comment. Medeea Greere, who is listed as the article's author, responded with a link to an identical article posted in early 2019 on a website called Before It's News, which allows anyone to contribute.

Of course, this is proof that it's plagiarized, not that it's real.

Our fact-check sources:

• The Hill, April 12, George W. Bush to host Dallas fundraiser for GOP Pennsylvania Senate hopeful

• Richard Nixon Foundation, March 15, President George W. Bush Honored at Nixon Library at Evening Dedicated to Advancing Civics Education

• CBS News, March 8, Former President Obama gets look at new exhibit for future Chicago presidential center

• Barack Obama, March 23, X post

• Barack Obama, March 27, X post

• The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 16, Pennsylvania primary: Biden pushes for enhanced child tax credit and visits his childhood home in Scranton

• Women's Wear Daily, April 11, Hillary Clinton Wears Kimono-like Caftan for Japanese State Dinner at the White House

• C-SPAN, April 10, President Biden Welcomes Japanese Prime Minister to White House State Dinner

• WUSA9-TV, Dec. 5, 2018, George H.W. Bush DC Funeral Service Leaflet

• Getty Images, accessed April 17, State Funeral Held For George H.W. Bush At The Washington National Cathedral

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No evidence George W. Bush faces death penalty | Fact check