Video shows Rep. Nancy Pelosi getting into her car, not getting arrested

If social media posts are to be believed, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has been charged, detained or arrested at least five times by now. But none of those claims was true, and the latest iteration in an Instagram video isn’t either. 

“Do you have the video that’s supposed to be Pelosi being arrested? I saw it over a year ago and can’t find it now,” read the text in the May 29 reel, showing what appears to be a question on TikTok and the video in response. The Instagram user captioned it, “Hold up, what’s going on here?”

The video shows Pelosi exiting a garage and following two people to a car. 

The post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

The video doesn’t show Pelosi being arrested. A reverse-image search showed NBC Bay Area posted the video Oct. 30, 2022, with the headline, “WATCH: Nancy Pelosi Leaves San Francisco Home.” 

The video was taken a few days after Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked in their home. 

Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hammill told USA Today for a similar fact-check that the video shows Nancy Pelosi being escorted by her security detail. PolitiFact asked Hammill for comment but received no response.

There is no evidence that Pelosi was arrested, or is in legal trouble. She attended a Memorial Day ceremony in San Francisco over the holiday weekend. 

We rate the claim that a video showed Pelosi being arrested Pants on Fire!

By

Loreben Tuquero

Staff writer

May 30, 2023

Truth-o-meter Ruling

Pants on Fire!

IF YOUR TIME IS SHORT

• The video shows Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., leaving her San Francisco home and getting into her car.

Statement

Video shows Rep. Nancy Pelosi being arrested.

Context

an Instagram post

Speaker/Target

Speaker: Instagram posts

Statement Date

May 29, 2023