Fake news report claims top Democrats refused to stand for widow of fallen soldier

Updated

President Donald Trump paused to honor the widow of William "Ryan" Owens, a Navy SEAL who became the first military casualty of the Trump administration, during his address to Congress on Tuesday night.

"We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the widow of a U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief William "Ryan" Owens," Trump said. "Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero –- battling against terrorism and securing our nation."

Owens broke down in tears during the touching tribute, while the entire room gave her an extended standing ovation.

Some sources, however, are claiming that some notable Democrats refused to stand and honor the fallen soldier's widow: U.S. Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Keith Ellison of Minnesota, and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.

"Cameras captured top Democrat Reps. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) staying firmly seated, seemingly emotionless, and refusing to clap for Owens," wrote The Blaze.

"AWFUL: Top Democrats Refuse to Stand, Clap for Navy SEAL Widow Honored by Trump," reads the headline of a Daily Wire article.

Many sources are using this photo of the aforementioned politicians to prove their argument:


YouTube

Taken out of context, the image may seem a bit damning.

But Snopes was able to determine the above still was taken more than half an hour before the tribute to Owens, while Trump was discussing inner cities (seen at the 9:10 mark in the following video).

To further evaluate the story, Politifact examined multiple video and photographic sources and found that, while some Democrats may not have stood and applauded Owens for as long as Republicans did, both Wasserman Schultz and Ellison did, in fact, stand up and clap in acknowledgment.

In response to Snopes and Politifact classifying the story as definitively fake, The Blaze updated their story with a tweet from Benny Johnson that allegedly show that Schultz and participated in the first round of applause, but sat for the second.

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