We see a lot of posts and memes on social media, particularly on Facebook.
Many political statements get shared by hundreds, if not thousands, of Facebook users. Sometimes, one comes along that grabs our attention, such as a recent photo of former President George W. Bush and former Vice-President Dick Cheney with the following quote:
"When I was growing up, I would never have believed that a former president and vice president of the United States would be unable to visit Europe due to outstanding warrants."
We wanted to know if this was true, so we turned to our partners at PolitiFact and asked them to check it out. PolitiFact reporter Joshua Gillin says that this Facebook post rates FALSE on the Truth-O-Meter. Gillin says that it was a pretty straight-foward determination that Bush and Cheney aren't going to face arrest in any European country.
"We talked to representatives at INTERPOL, which is the international police organization," said Gillin. "They assured us that there were no outstanding warrants for either George W. Bush or Dick Cheney. We also checked with the International Criminal Court in the Hague, and they told us that there weren't any warrants or even pending warrants to arrest the former president and vice-president."
Gillin notes that the idea of leaders of state being arrested isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. "Remember that back in 1998, Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was arrested in London after warrants had been issued by Spain for Pinochet's detention after some citizens of Spain were murdered in Chile," said Gillin. "There's always a possibility that it COULD happen, but it's highly unlikely that it ever WOULD happen."
Because there are no known warrants for the arrest of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney from either INTERPOL or the International Criminal Court, PolitiFact rates this Facebook claim FALSE.
SOURCES: BUSH/CHENEY ARREST WARRANTS
- PolitiFact ruling
- Social media meme received by PolitiFact July 15, 2014
- Los Angeles Times, "Dick Cheney cancels trip to Canada, saying it's too dangerous," March 13, 2012
- CBC News, "Dick Cheney's Vancouver visit sparks protest," Sept. 26, 2011
- CBC News, "Bush's Toronto speech abruptly cancelled," Sept. 15, 2011
- CBC News, "George W. Bush draws protesters at B.C. appearance," Oct. 20, 2011
- The Guardian, "George Bush calls off trip to Switzerland," Feb. 6, 2011
- Der Spiegel, "Wanted For War Crimes: Rumsfeld Lawsuit Embarrasses German Authorities," March 26, 2007
- Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, video of George W. Bush in Haiti, accessed July 16, 2014
- Washington Post, "Bush not at risk of arrest in Europe, experts say," Feb. 8, 2011
- The Guardian, "Israeli minister Tzipi Livni given diplomatic immunity for UK visit," May 13, 2014
- Ha'aretz, "Deputy PM Meridor cancels London visit following lawsuit threat," Nov. 1, 2010
- Email interview with Theodore R. Bromund, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, July 16, 2014
- Email interview with Brett Schaefer, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, July 16, 2014
- Email interview with Anthony Clark Arend, Georgetown University professor of government and foreign service, July 16, 2014
- Email interview with Steven R. Ratner, University of Michigan law professor, July 16, 2014