James Comey Was Not Sentenced to Death by Guillotine
The Claim
Former FBI director James Comey was sentenced to death by guillotine to be carried out on July 4, 2021.
News posted on
Emerging story
On June 13, 2021, an independent news site posted a story stating that a military tribunal sentenced James Comey to death by guillotine. The claim quickly went viral across social media platforms.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found no evidence that James Comey was sentenced to death by guillotine or by any other manner. The original news story was posted on Real Raw News, a site known for promoting false and satirical news stories.
While the stories on the site appear legitimate, the About Us page features the following disclaimer “Information on this website is for informational and educational and entertainment purposes. This website contains humor, parody, and satire. We have included this disclaimer for our protection, on the advice on legal counsel.”
The guillotine is not a method of execution that has ever been used within the United States. Guillotines were used in France but have been outlawed since September 1981. The last time a guillotine was used to carry out a sentence was in the execution of Hamida Djandoubi in 1977.
