A viral social media post falsely claims that actor Robert De Niro has offered to cover the legal expenses for individuals accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The post alleges that De Niro pledged financial support to members of Antifa who purportedly dumped chemical-laced algae and paint-stripping peptides into the pool.
The fabricated story further suggested that an FBI task force, supposedly named the “Algae Attack Task Force,” was investigating De Niro, with a Special Agent named Jon Raebro seeking to question the actor about his potential knowledge and involvement in funding the alleged operation.
However, thorough investigation reveals no credible evidence to support these claims. No reputable news outlets have reported any statement from Robert De Niro regarding such a pledge. Furthermore, searches for the mentioned FBI task force and Special Agent Jon Raebro yielded no official records or information, indicating their non-existence.
The origin of this misinformation has been traced to a Facebook parody account, “America’s Last Line of Defense,” which explicitly states that its content is not real.
The false narrative emerged in the context of President Donald Trump’s comments regarding the condition of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Images of the pool showing green water and damaged coatings circulated online. President Trump attributed the issues to vandalism, stating that arrests and citations were issued in connection with the incident and describing significant damage to the pool’s lining, which he suggested was intentional.
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