Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Mary Bilman, a senior White House employee, says the US is surprised to see why Indians vote for Rahul Gandhi who always speaks negatively about his country.
The archived version of the post can be seen here. We received this claim on our Whatsapp tipline (9999499044), requesting us to fact-check it.
Fact
Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “Mary Bilman Rahul Gandhi White House”, which did throw up any news reports on such a statement by a current White House staffer.
We then ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the video, which led us to this Perform India write-up, dated July 2, 2023, sharing the same video and stating that Hollywood actor and singer Mary Millben had criticised Rahul Gandhi.
We then ran a relevant keyword search, which led us to this Times Now report, dated July 4, 2023, headlined, “Difficult To Support’: American Singer Who Touched PM Modi’s Feet Blasts Rahul Gandhi For ‘Anti-India Stance’.
“Rahul Gandhi’s controversial remarks on India during his foreign trips has drawn criticism yet again. American singer Mary Millben slammed the Congress leader for denouncing India on foreign soil…,” read the report. The entire interview can be seen here, uploaded by The New Indian on June 30, 2023. The viral excerpt can be seen from 18 minutes 30 seconds into the video.
“Mary Millben, a renowned American singer and actor, captured the hearts of Indians with her performance of the National Anthem at the International Day of Yoga held at the UN Headquarters on June 21, where she paid tribute to Prime Minister Modi… She also says that she finds it greatly disturbing that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi speaks negatively about the country everywhere he goes,” read the description of the video, which confirmed that the viral video predates the recent controversial US visit of Gandhi that has triggered significant political uproar.
Interestingly, Millben has retweeted the viral excerpt on September 11, 2024, reiterating her views on the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and his recent statements in the US.
Who is Mary Millben?
Popular award-winning American singer and media personality Mary Millben has performed the national anthem and patriotic music for four consecutive US Presidents —George W Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden — besides international royalty and world leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She is often described as America’s “National Anthem Singer” across the United States and the world, becoming a coveted go-to performer for large-scale events across the country due to her rousing arrangements of America’s patriotic music.
“Making her way to Washington, D.C, Mary served as a White House intern and White House Presidential Appointee to George W. Bush, wearing diverse hats as a junior staffer…,” read the bio on her website, while the pinned tweet on her official X account confirms that she had worked for a US President as a White House presidential appointee.
According to multiple reports, seen here and here, Millben worked in 2005 as a summer White House intern for President George W Bush and as a White House presidential appointee for President Bush from September 2006 to January 2009, before leaving the government in 2009, further contradicting the claim that the viral video shows Mary Bilman, who is currently working at the White House.
Also Read: Image Of Digitally Translated Hindi Report Criticising Rahul Gandhi Viral With False Claim
Result: Missing Context
Sources
Youtube video, The New Indian, June 30, 2023
TimesNow report, July 4, 2023
Official website, Mary Millben
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
