The Washington Post’s fact-checker disputed whether Robert “Rob” W. Lee IV, a pastor who gained attention last summer by claiming relation to Robert E. Lee and calling for monuments honoring the late military leader to be taken down, is a relative of the late Confederate general from Virginia.
Citing historical and genealogical records, Glenn Kessler wrote in a column published on Friday that said “there’s no evidence” that Rob Lee, who was born in North Carolina, and Robert E. Lee are actually related. He said he did not find that Rob Lee is a descendant of Robert E. Lee’s brother, Charles Carter Lee, which had been reported previously.
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“Instead, he appears to be a descendant of Robert S. Lee, also known as ‘Uncle Bob,’ who served in the Confederate forces — but was not a general,” Kessler wrote.
Kessler pointed out the numerous occasions when Rob Lee referred to himself or was referred to by others as a distant ancestor of Robert E. Lee, including an opinion column written by the surviving Lee that was published by the Washington Post in June 2020.
“Robert E. Lee is my ancestor. Take down his statue, and let his cause be lost,” the headline reads.
That column has since been affixed with an editor’s note, which reads: “In a May 14 Fact Checker column, Glenn Kessler reported that a search of genealogical records had found no evidence that the Rev. Robert W. Lee IV, author of this column, is descended from the family of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.”
“In response to a subsequent inquiry from Post Opinions, Lee stood by his claim to be a descendant but was unable to provide any supporting evidence,” the note continues. “He said documents that would support his claim are in the possession of another family member and that he no longer has access to them.”
Kessler said that he reached out to Rob Lee various times but did not receive a response.
Following the publication of Kessler’s article, Lee said that he withdrew his name from a lawsuit seeking to relocate a Confederate monument in Iredell County, North Carolina.
“Why the Post is so focused on my heritage and lineage while not focusing on the issues of the statue at hand is beyond me,” Lee wrote on Twitter. “As they mixed up even the most basic facts, I have removed my name from the lawsuit as not to detract from the community of Statesville [North Carolina] that I love.”
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Kessler recently wrote a similar article, questioning whether the family of Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina was as impoverished as he has let on in public. Neither story received a “Pinocchio” rating, Kessler’s method for determining a claim’s measure of falseness.
