A March 19 Facebook post (direct link, archived link) makes a claim about former President Bill Clinton.
"Democrat Bill Clinton, paid Paula Jones $850,000 in hush money...Why wasn't Clinton arrested?" reads the post's text.
Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.
The post generated over 1,000 shares in two days. Similar posts have spread widely on Facebook.
Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks
Multiple legal experts said Clinton’s $850,000 payment to Jones as part of a settlement agreement is not considered "hush money" since the facts of the case were already publicly known.
The post attempts to equate Clinton's actions with those of former President Donald Trump, who is facing potential indictment connected to $130,000 paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election, as USA TODAY reported.
But experts say the circumstances behind the Clinton and Trump payments are substantially different.
"Clinton paying money to settle a publicly filed lawsuit and Trump paying money to keep Daniels quiet are two very different things," said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers.
Hush money is a term used to describe a payment made in order to keep someone from publicly...
Blow the whistle, get paid. A Justice Department bounty program that incentivizes employees to blow the whistle on their employers could lead to more whistleblowing as the Trump administration inte...