US veterans' conference misrepresented as pro-Trump 'defense units'
- Published on July 19, 2024 at 21:39
- 3 min read
- By Daniel GALGANO, AFP USA
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"Veterans form civil defense units in the United States after the failed assassination attempt on Trump," says text over a July 17, 2024 TikTok post.
The same footage and claim have circulated elsewhere on TikTok, X, YouTube, Rumble, Truth Social and Telegram -- including in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese and Thai.
Some of the posts do not mention the assassination attempt but claim the clip shows an "army of veterans" uniting to "uphold the Constitution" in the days after the shooting.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire on Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, injuring his ear. One spectator was killed and two others were critically wounded before a Secret Service sniper team shot and killed the would-be assassin.
Republicans have rallied around Trump since the shooting, but the video shared online is unrelated to the attack -- and the veteran group it shows does not have any political affiliation.
Most people in the clip wear vests and shirts with "Combat Vets Association" printed on the back.
However the posts misrepresent the video.
Reverse image and keyword searches revealed the footage is from a June 2023 conference hosted by the Combat Veteran Motorcycle Association (CVMA), a nationwide network of former US service members.
Some clips say "video courtesy of CVMA CA 33-1a" at the bottom, referencing the group's San Diego, California chapter.
The same footage has circulated elsewhere online since the conference, shared alongside misleading claims that the meeting was a political event.
A CVMA spokesperson told AFP the video was taken during the opening ceremony of the group's June 2023 national conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado while members were reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
"The purpose of these meetings, which occur once a year, is the conduct the business of the Association," the spokesperson said in a December 2023 statement to AFP Brazil in response to the same clip circulating online in Portuguese out of context.
"We are an apolitical organization, meaning we do not participate in any political events, fundraisers, rallies nor do we lobby or facilitate political activism of any sort."
CVMA chapters are 501(c)(19) veterans' groups. The Internal Revenue Service says on its website that such nonprofits "may engage in political activity so long as, when coupled with any other nonexempt activities, it is not the organization’s primary activity" (archived here).
"If the organization does intervene in a political campaign, certain political expenditures may be taxable," the agency says.
Other social media users and conference attendees have posted the same clip on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, referring to it as a veterans' event without any mention of politics (archived here, here and here).
AFP contacted several CVMA chapters for additional comment, but responses were not forthcoming.
AFP has debunked other claims about the attempted assassination of Trump here.
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