Over the past few years, a guy named Robert Lee has been claiming to be a descendant of Confederate General and alleged namesake Robert E. Lee and making the rounds calling for the removal of Confederate statues throughout the country.
But according to the Washington Post’s fact-checker, this was all BS:
For at least five years, Rev. Rob Lee used a claim that he was a descendant of Gen. Robert E. Lee to appear on TV, with politicians and in congressional hearings. He claimed this in newspaper op-eds and a lawsuit. We checked the historical records: False. https://t.co/AVN5ceKxPw
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) May 16, 2021
BUSTED!
Rev. Lee declined to respond to repeated queries. Since the article was published, I have heard from a number of real R.E. Lee descendants, including a great-great-great-great nephew (what Rob Lee claimed). They all have ample documentation –something he suggested was elusive.
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) May 16, 2021
Lee stands by “the records [he’s] seen and worked with” but he’s “taking some time away”:
— Rev. Rob Lee (@roblee4) May 16, 2021
Man, there will be a lot of corrections on this one. Here he is a guest of Gov. Ralph Northam in VA:
Rev. Rob Lee IV @roblee4 — the great-great-great-great-grandnephew of General Robert E. Lee pic.twitter.com/4yy79DoP4b
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) June 4, 2020
This guy was everywhere!
Robert E. Lee is my ancestor. Take down his statue, and let his cause be lost, writes Robert W. Lee IV https://t.co/EAMCSV3CtM
— Washington Post Opinions (@PostOpinions) June 13, 2020
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Hello @TheView — You'll need to do a correction on air tomorrow that this guest is NOT a descendant of Robert E. Lee so "denouncing racism and hate in America" in his clerical collar scammed you. See fact check in @GlennKesslerWP @washingtonpost https://t.co/Wlt0Vw9o9S
— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) May 16, 2021
Robert W. Lee IV, 27, one of the great nephews of Gen. Robert E. Lee: “We name things after people we value and we name things that we value after people who we value even more. In my eyes this is a no-brainer … It’s a heritage that needs to be disowned.” https://t.co/FVqI0o6lhK
— Daniel Lippman (@dlippman) July 1, 2020
“This is a no brainer,” The Rev. Robert E. Lee IV, the great-great-great grand-nephew of Civil War general Robert E. Lee, says.
“White supremacy and racism have been the basis of the celebration of that flag for a long time,” Lee adds.https://t.co/Kw2wM6wuUs
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) July 1, 2020
Robert E. Lee IV grew up thinking of his Confederate ancestor as a hero. Now, he’s part of the effort to take down his statue. https://t.co/XymAuOk9f3
— NYT National News (@NYTNational) June 28, 2020
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