AP FACT CHECK: No, Pelosi is not out to arrest mask refusers

WASHINGTON (AP) — A member of the House Republican leadership is spreading a false accusation that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants people arrested if they refuse to wear a mask inside the premises.

Pelosi does not direct law enforcement in the House, and Capitol Police officials, who do, aren't threatening to arrest mask resistors. Instead, staff members and visitors who won't wear masks will be told to leave.

Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the No. 3 House Republican, retweeted the false allegation to her 227,000 Twitter followers, called Pelosi “authoritarian” and said she should be locked up. That gave wider visibility to the accusation leveled by Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida, who only has 13,000 followers.

CAMMACK tweet: "In today’s edition of Pelosi’s abuse of power, Capitol Police have been directed to arrest staff and visitors to comply with her mask mandate for vaccinated individuals. For Members, they advise not arresting but ‘reporting Members to SAA (House sergeant at arms) for their failure to comply.’”

THE FACTS: It's not Pelosi's mask mandate and it is wrong to state that Capitol Police have been directed to arrest staff and visitors who won't put on a mask.

The Capitol Police force is overseen by a board made up of three nonpartisan officials: the House sergeant at arms, the Senate sergeant at arms and the Capitol architect. The decision to require masks in most situations inside the House came from another nonpartisan official, the House attending physician, Dr. Brian P. Monahan.

In response to the tweet, the Capitol Police said in a statement that “there is no reason it should ever come to someone being arrested. Anyone who does not follow the rules will be asked to wear a mask or leave the premises.”

The force's guidance — posted in the tweet —...