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A Nov. 24 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) claims to share a development involving a member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet.
“Breaking news: Janet Yellen, treasury secretary, resigns abruptly,” text in the post’s image reads.
The Instagram post received more than 700 likes in two days. Similar versions spread widely on Instagram, on Threads and on X, formerly Twitter.
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Yellen had not resigned when the post was shared, a Treasury Department spokesperson said. She posted to her government-verified X account after the claim about her supposed resignation circulated.
Treasury Department spokesperson Ashley Schapitl told USA TODAY two days after the post was made that Yellen remained treasury secretary.
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A day after the claim was shared, Yellen posted to her government-verified X account about the unveiling of a portrait of Jack Lew, who served as treasury secretary under former President Barack Obama. Had she left the position as claimed in the Instagram post, she surely would not have had access to that official social media account.
Additionally, Yellen – who in 2021 became the first woman to head the Department of the Treasury – remained listed in that position on the agency’s website, which posted no announcements about her supposed departure.
The claim appears to have originated from a Nov. 23 article in the New York Post. Its headline reads, “Janet Yellen departs from office − as she leaves a trail of mess behind her.” But that story explains that Yellen’s departure isn’t expected until January 2025, not in November, as part of the transition from Biden’s administration to the second term for President-elect Donald Trump. Trump said he will nominate hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as his treasury secretary.
USA TODAY previously debunked false claims that Yellen was arrested for treason and that she and several other Biden administration officials failed to swear “an allegiance to the Constitution.”
USA TODAY reached out to several social media users who shared the claim but did not immediately receive any responses.
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