evidence: CLAIM: Former President Barack Obama removed 500,000 pedophiles from a background check database. [...] "Obama Removed 500,000 Pedophiles From Background Check Database," reads a headline shared in a screenshot on Instagram. [...] Instead, the story references a Washington Post report from 2017 that covered the fact that tens of thousands of names were removed from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS. That purge occurred during former President Donald Trump’s administration, though the Obama administration reportedly played a role.