WASHINGTON D.C., DC — At the end of President Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi picked up half the pages of the speech he had just delivered and ripped them in half as she stood behind him.
That decision sparked a flurry of comments on social media.
One of them was posted to "The 208" Facebook group, asking for us to fact check on if a federal crime had been committed in the process.
Tina asked: "Is the written form of the President's speech considered a Federal Document? If so then did Polosie (sic) commit a federal crime by ripping it up."
We looked into it and here's what we found out:
According to the Presidential and Federal Records Act amendments of 2014, duplicate copies of records preserved only for convenience are not considered Federal records.
That includes copies of information 'kept only for reference.'
Before the president began his speech, and after he was introduced by the speaker, he handed a copy of that address, in a folder, to both the Vice President and the House Speaker, as is common for the State of the Union.
So because it wasn't technically a federal document, it is not considered a Federal Crime.
Join 'The 208' conversation:
- Text us at (208) 321-5614
- E-mail us at the208@ktvb.com
- Join our The 208 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/the208KTVB/
- Follow us on Twitter: @the208KTVB or tweet #the208 and #SoIdaho
- Follow us on Instagram: @the208KTVB
- Bookmark our landing page: /the-208
Still reading this list? We're on YouTube, too: