FACT CHECK: Did Michael Fanone Lie About Carrying Confederate Flag During Capitol Riot?

A viral social media post suggesting that District of Columbia police officer Michael Fanone was pictured carrying a Confederate flag inside of the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 siege is found to be untrue. The man in the picture was identified as Kevin Seefried by multiple news outlets.

Fanone, who suffered a heart attack and traumatic brain injury following the violent assault during the Capitol insurrection, testified during the first hearing of the House select committee investigating Jan. 6.

How Did Fanone Get Caught in Confederate Flag Conspiracy?

The posts claiming Fanone was spotted carrying Confederate flag popped up social media platforms around the same time he gave his testimony on July 27.

The posts were accompanied with the picture of a man carrying the flag. A text accompanying one of the posts read, "Capitol Police Officer Michael Fanone testified this week before the January 6 committee and he said, "I was beaten unconscious.."......... HEY MICHAEL, HOW IN THE HELL COULD THAT BE SINCE PHOTOS HAVE EMERGED OF YOU INSIDE THE CAPITOL ON JANUARY 6 CARRYING A REBEL FLAG AND POSING AS A DECOY PROTESTER!!! THESE PICTURES ARE YOU, RIGHT??? THEY DAMN SURE LOOK LIKE YOU!!! Remember friends, this was a set-up by the left so they could blame it all on Trump!!!! OPTICS......OPTICS ARE EVERYTHING!!"

"Either he has a doppelganger or he's caught in his own little web of lies," a user wrote on FB as another added, "That whole deal was staged and planned."

""It's the same b----," the text over the photographs says. "Yo Michael, we see you," read another post fueling the fake claim.

"Yes sure looks like him. These guys don't even look like cops," a user wrote on Instagram post which had side by side pictures of Fanone and Seefried. "Thats DEFINITELY the same guy, he colored his beard!!!!" opined another.

Fanone Received Abuses, Threats on Voicemail

Quashing the claim, PolitiFact stated that the man caught carrying the Confederate flag inside the US Capitol was Seefried. Hailing from Delaware, Seefried was indicted on five charges after entering the Capitol with his son, Hunter Seefried, who was also indicted, reported the outlet.

According to the court filings, in an interview with FBI, Seefried admitted that he had entered the Senate building through a broken window at approximately 2:13 p.m. The rioter also admitted to bringing a Confederate flag inside the federal building.

Earlier, Fanone told CNN host Don Lemon about receiving threatening, expletive-laced voicemail on his cellphone. "I could slap you up the side of your head with a backhand and knock you out, you little f-----," the caller said in his message.

"I wish they would have killed all you scumbags, 'cause you people are scum," said the caller who not only used homophobic and racist slurs but also repeated former President Donald Trump's false claim about the presidential election being stolen. "They stole the election from Trump and you know that, you scumbag. And f---ing too bad they didn't beat the s--- out of you more," the man said.