No surprise! Avid hunter Donald Trump, Jr. vacations in Italy, decides to go duck hunting, and is now accused of killing a ruddy shelduck, a protected species in Europe. A Leftist Italian politician alleged the U.S. President’s son of hunting in a protected area and not obtaining the appropriate permits. Consequently, an Italian left-wing political party has filed a formal complaint with Italy’s government.

However, Snopes says that there’s more to the story.

It is true that politicians in Italy accused Trump of hunting a protected species illegally and filed complaints against him, though judicial proceedings had yet to start. The type of duck in the video had not been confirmed, and it was unclear whether Trump himself shot it. For these reasons, we have rated this claim a mixture of truth and undetermined information. …

… The regional newspaper Corriere del Veneto published the video, which was reportedly produced by Field Ethos, a company Trump has cofounded that organizes hunting adventure trips. We could not find the original video on Field Ethos’ website or YouTube feed. The video also appeared in an article by The Guardian, credited to Corriere del Veneto. 

Additionally, a spokesman for Donald Trump, Jr. says the allegations against him are false. Outdoor Life reveals Trump and other Americans he was with did have the appropriate paperwork and there’s no verification yet that the animal in question is even a ruddy shelduck to begin with. However, Trump said he will cooperate with any investigation.

Accusations are not proof of wrongdoing and this is just a pathetic attempt to somehow get at President Trump by targeting his son. But, Leftist Italian politicians get their 15 minutes of fame but remind people of how desperate they are to return to power.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ruddy Shelduck At Chilika Lake, Mangalajodi, Odisha, India By Mprasannak – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56389475