FACT CHECK: Does This Photo Show Adam Schiff Posing With Jeffrey Epstein?
An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff posing for a photo with dead convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“Well well well… Shifty Schiff,” reads the caption.
Verdict: False
Epstein was photoshopped into the image. The original picture shows Schiff posing with his father.
Fact Check:
Epstein, a convicted sex offended, was arrested in July on charges of sex trafficking underaged girls that he was accused of luring to his homes in New York City and Palm Beach, Florida. In August, he was found dead in his Manhattan prison cell in what officials ruled a suicide.
Before the allegations came to light, Epstein had an impressive rolodex of rich and powerful friends, including former President Bill Clinton, actor Kevin Spacey and Prince Andrew. President Donald Trump and Epstein were also friends at one point but later had a falling out, according to Trump.
Featured in the photo are Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Epstein. The image was shared by multiple users on Facebook, presumably to suggest a link between the two.
“Adam Schiff and Jeffrey Epstein,” reads the caption. “Friendship and pedophilia.” (RELATED: Did Trump And Jeffrey Epstein Pose For A Picture With A Young Ivanka?)
Found through a reverse image search, the original image actually shows Schiff sitting on a couch with his father, Ed Schiff, on Nov. 22, 2018. Schiff shared the actual photo on his verified personal Twitter account to wish people a “Happy Thanksgiving” that year.
Eve and I are spending a wonderful Thanksgiving with my 90 year old Dad, Ed, and cousins Karen and Julia. Alexa is away for her studies and Eli is our photographer! Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving! pic.twitter.com/6LYg1DzMCh
— Adam Schiff (@AdamSchiff) November 22, 2018
“Eve and I are spending a wonderful Thanksgiving with my 90 year old Dad, Ed, and cousins Karen and Julia,” Schiff tweeted. “Alexa is away for her studies and Eli is our photographer! Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!”
The image that’s been widely shared on Facebook has been doctored. Epstein’s head has been superimposed onto Schiff’s father’s head, and a sex toy has been photoshopped onto the coffee table.