FACT CHECK: Do These Images Show The Ukraine Whistleblower Posing With Democrats?
An image shared on Facebook more than 7,400 times purportedly shows the Ukraine whistleblower posing with prominent Democratic politicians.
Verdict: False
The man pictured in the photos is Alex Soros, the son of billionaire Democratic donor George Soros.
Fact Check:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced in late September that the House would initiate a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. The inquiry comes after a whistleblower filed a complaint alleging that Trump pressured Ukrainian President Zolodymyr Zelensky to investigate a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.
The Facebook post, which has been shared more than 7,400 times, claims to show the whistleblower posing with four Democratic politicians: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
“Meet the ‘WHISTLEBLOWER,'” reads the caption. “What do you think about that?”
Republican Iowa Rep. Steve King tweeted a nearly identical claim Nov. 14 but has since deleted it. (RELATED: Does This Picture Show Meghan Markle With George Soros’ Son?)
However, the young man in the pictures is not the whistleblower who filed the initial complaint about Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian president. It’s actually Alex Soros, the son of billionaire Democratic donor George Soros.
“The person pictured in [King’s] recent tweet (now deleted) is Alexander Soros, deputy chair of the Open Society Foundations,” reads a statement from the foundation. “He is not the whistleblower, and any attempt to identify the whistleblower is a violation of protections put in place to help people in government root out waste, fraud and abuse.”
A quick reverse image search revealed the pictures can all be found on Alex Soros’ verified Instagram.
He posted the picture with Pelosi most recently, on Sept. 2.
The picture with Schumer went up May 3.
He shared the pictures with Warren and Clinton in March and July 2016, respectively.
The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, is set to hold its first impeachment hearing on Dec. 4, according to CNBC.
