An Aug. 23 Facebook video (direct link, archived link) shows a screenshot of an article that claims a top official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency was arrested in relation to the recent wildfires in Maui.
“Military arrests FEMA Deputy Administrator Erik Hooks,” reads the headline in the video.
The post was shared more than 20,000 times in one day.
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FEMA officials confirmed Hooks has not been arrested and is still working at the agency. The article featured in the post was published by Real Raw News, which routinely publishes false claims about the arrests of high-profile figures.
Erik Hooks has served as the deputy administrator of FEMA since 2021, according to FEMA's website.
Jeremy Edwards, spokesperson for FEMA, told USA TODAY there was “no truth” to the claim Hooks was arrested in relation to the Maui wildfires.
“Deputy administrator Hooks is literally at FEMA Headquarters as we speak,” Edwards told USA TODAY in an email.
Hooks has been actively coordinating emergency response efforts with the agency “all week, working with FEMA personnel and our interagency partners as we help the people of Maui recover, as well as respond to other events happening nationwide,” Edwards said.
Fact check: No...
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