Doctored photo of Patrick McHenry spreads after US House upheaval

This article is more than one year old.
Published on October 5, 2023 at 22:57
3 min read
By Bill MCCARTHY, AFP USA

An image that appears to show Patrick McHenry standing on a box to talk to reporters is circulating online as the Republican US congressman assumes the role of acting speaker of the House of Representatives following Kevin McCarthy's ouster. But the photo is doctored; in the original, McHenry's feet are on the pavement.

"Acting Speaker Patrick McHenry acting like he's taller," says one October 4, 2023 post sharing the supposed picture of McHenry on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Screenshot from X, formerly known as Twitter, taken October 5, 2023

Similar posts spread across X and other social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Keith Olbermann, an American political commentator who began his career as a sports journalist, amplified the image after reports that former Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi was ordered to vacate her Capitol hideaway office following McCarthy's exit.

"This is that little shit @PatrickMcHenry who kicked Pelosi out of her office overnight because he's mad she's taller than he is," Olbermann said October 4 on X.

Screenshot from X taken October 5, 2023

McCarthy, who took up the speaker's gavel in January, fell victim to a rebellion by a small far-right clutch in his party. A raucous October 3 session ended with the Californian's removal, marking the first time in US history the House had booted its speaker.

McHenry stepped into the temporary role as McCarthy's chosen successor. He will fill the vacancy until a new speaker is elected.

But the image of the North Carolina representative standing on a box in front of a stand of microphones is not authentic.

"The picture is altered," Jeff Butler, McHenry's chief of staff, told AFP in an October 5 email.

A reverse image search revealed that Ashley Murray, a senior reporter for the nonprofit States Newsroom, took the original photo May 22, 2023 (archived here). She posted the shot on X, and it has been featured in several articles (archived here, here and here).

Murray confirmed to AFP she took the original photo of McHenry that day.

McHenry said they've had some "tough" meetings but today's was "productive" because more details were discussed regarding what needs to be in a package to pass Congress. pic.twitter.com/F8oyJBMHWG
— Ashley Murray (@Ashley__Murray) May 22, 2023

The picture shows McHenry and McCarthy speaking to reporters after meeting with the White House about the national debt. President Joe Biden signed a bill days later to raise the debt ceiling, averting a catastrophic default.

Other photos from Getty Images (archived here) show McHenry standing on the ground, not a box.

Embed from Getty Images

An AFP journalist who captured video of the Republicans addressing the media also observed no box boosting McHenry.

AFP has debunked other misinformation about US politics here.